Old Guaranty Bank
Archived photos provided by the Judge Leon Ford III Photograph Collection, Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University.
This building at 100 East Thomas Street is one of Hammond’s best examples of architectural recycling. Built around 1907 as the First State Bank and Trust, the building was and remains one of Hammond’s most elaborate and intricate façades.
Originally, the two-story bank featured a brick façade, metal cornice, and a corner entrance. The ground floor’s popular arched windows were tempered by the more modest rectangular windows on the second story.
In 1927 the building underwent massive renovation to more closely resemble the building seen today. The most significant change was the shift of the entrance from the corner to the north side of the building. Strip tile was installed to give the appearance of marble panels.
Classical details such as the elaborate cartouches were added above the windows. A cartouche is a convex oval design decorated with scroll work. The south side of the building received and addition changing the building’s shape from rectangular to el.
The Neill Corporation renovated the interior of the building in 2001 from a bank to Paris Parker Salon and Day Spa. Its financial origins will not be forgotten as evidenced by the night deposit box to the left of the door.
