Collection Guide
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Bank of Finance Records
mssBOF
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Bank of Finance records
Creator:
Bank of Finance (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Creator:
California. Governor's Commission on the Los Angeles Riots.
Creator:
National Association of Real Estate Brokers. Convention
Creator:
Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America
Creator:
Second Baptist Church (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: mssBOF
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1963-1975
Abstract: Materials documenting the history of the Bank of Finance in South Los Angeles, the first African American-owned, operated,
and state-chartered commercial bank, founded in 1964. The collection primarily includes photographic materials, yet contains
an ample amount of printed materials, old leases, canceled stock certificates, and ephemera.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Bank of Finance records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Caroliniana Rare Books, January 2023.
The Bank of Finance was the first state-chartered, Black-owned and operated commercial bank in Los Angeles, California. It
opened its doors on November 16, 1964, at 2651 South Western Avenue. The bank was established by real estate broker Onie B.
Granville; former Los Angeles City Councilman and Mayor Tom Bradley; Drs. Perry Beal and Edward Ballard; real estate broker
Lorenzo Spencer; and Wilton A. Clark, owner of the Clark Furniture Company. The team, along with Granville's sister, Bernice
Malbrue, served on the first Board of Directors. The impetus behind the bank's formation was to bypass discriminatory housing
and lending practices faced by African Americans within the Los Angeles community. It also functioned as a full-service commercial
banking institution that offered business and personal loans, checking and savings accounts, and letters of credit. Following
the Watts Riots of 1965, the bank aided in the rebuilding of Los Angeles' inner city. In 1981 the bank transferred most of
its shares to outside investors, changed its name to West Olympia Bank, and cut ties with the African American community.
The collection consists mainly of photographic prints as well as a small number of contact sheets, negatives, and slides pertaining
to the construction and infrastructure of the bank, its leaders, employees, and presumably clients. Of note are images of
board members including former Los Angeles city councilman and Mayor Tom Bradley, civil rights leader Reverend Thomas Kilgore,
Jr., and Dr. Leroy R. Weekes, founder of the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. Also included are newspaper clippings;
press releases; communications, and resource referral lists; an August 1964 National Association of Real Estate Brokers 17th
Annual Convention journal; a report from the Governor's Commission on the Los Angeles Riots; invitations; advertisement printing
plates; a 1975 Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) Achievement Award engraved plaque plate; biographical data on
Tom Bradley; a Second Baptist Church First Decade Award certificate and program honoring the bank; as well as a Man of the
Year Award program honoring United States Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins. The collection also contains Financial Building
Company leases and canceled stock certificates.
Processed at the time of accessioning by Nichole L. Manlove in March 2023.
Arranged in two series: 1. Documents and related materials; 2. Photographic materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African American banks -- Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History
Discrimination in housing -- United States.
Ethnic neighborhoods -- United States
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Race relations.
Photographs.
Watts Riot, Los Angeles, Calif., 1965.
Bradley, Tom, 1917-1998
Hawkins, Augustus F.
Kilgore, Thomas, 1913-1998
Weekes, Leroy R.