The first two blocks of Hutchings west of the courthouse are lined with turn-of-the-twentieth-century masonry commercial buildings. At 701 Hutchings, the two-story tawny brick former Ballinger State Bank and Trust Co. (1905) has an arcade of heavy Romanesque arches built of rock-faced sandstone on its two street fronts. The typical chamfered corner entrance of a period bank is partially hidden behind a wide stone pier. Several courses of bracketed bricks define the second floor, and a full entablature has a balustraded parapet above. The most distinctive building is the three-story Farmers and Merchants State Bank (1909; 1971 renovated, Chakos Zentner Marcum) at number 801, which was organized by cattleman and banker Richard R. Russell. Rising from the corner of the second story is a circular oriel tower topped with a low dome and bracketed by stepped and gabled facades on both street fronts. A corner entrance is emphasized by a fluted Ionic column and Ionic pilasters. Across the street at number 800, the two-story stone building was once the First National Bank (1890, F. E. Ruffini).