Municipal Court Building (Benton County National Bank)

The four red granite columns and the limestone pediment of this temple-fronted former bank provided a rare splendor for a small Ozark Mountain town when it was completed. Within the portico is a three-bay arcaded facade, which rises behind and above the pediment to terminate as a parapet wall. This layering of classical features gave an appropriate dignity to the bank. Clarke, who came to Rogers in 1904 from St. Louis, was familiar with a red granite quarry in northern Missouri, and the columns for this building were delivered on a rail spur from the Frisco Railway six miles away. The building’s east facade facing a minor street is finished in red brick with four high-arched windows matching the arcade of the entrance front. After years of disuse, the City of Bentonville acquired the building and in the 1980s modified it to accommodate municipal court facilities. The modification retained the original oak trim, the stained glass ceiling skylight, and the mosaic tile floor. Office spaces at the rear of the building have a direct connection to the adjacent city hall on the west.