The Parker Building

THE PARKER BUILDING - CORNER OF 7TH AND LAUREL STREETS - BRAINERD, MINNESOTA

In 1909 the Parker building was designed by C. A. Bassford and built by the firm of Parker-Dunn with the corner being built for the Citizen’s State Bank. This space was designed as a building inside of a building with a brick wall surrounding the bank. The bank had been the Northern Pacific bank before changing its name to Citizen’s and was burned out in about 1908. Mr. Dunn (president) and C. N. Parker (vice-president) of the bank formed the company that built the new head quarters. There are copies of the original building plans but they do not match the building as it was built so there must have been numerous change orders after the prints were drawn

The second floor was built for professional offices including the Ryan Law firm and doctors and dentists. The third floor was built for the Elks with an open ballroom with a projector booth for silent films. After the Elks built their own building the Moose moved in until they built their own building. In the basement under the bank there was an outside stair well for the Stallman Barber Shop which at that time not only did barbering but offered baths for workers.

In 1920 Con O’Brien bought the building, apparently for 45,000.00. In 1924 the bank across the street to the south failed. One local story is that Con O’Brien had a son that was the black sheep of the family who showed up at his dad’s office in the middle of the day and told his dad that he was fired from the Citizens bank. Con then canceled the banks lease and the bank moved across the street in 1927.

In the early 1980’s Jon Rappaport bought the building and land on a contract for deed. The upper two floors have been unoccupied since the winter of 1983 because the boiler system failed. Mr. Rappaport turned back the building in early 1988. At that time Ed and Susan Menk bought the building. Since then the main floor has been occupied by various businesses.