a nice collection of artifacts salvaged from a bank building robbed by john dillinger

the first national bank & trust company building was built in 1920 with a heavy neoclassical presence both on the inside and out. the exterior contained an ornamental facade consisting of carved bedford limestone featuring detailed winged griffins. the interior was outfitted with nickel and chrome plated bronze work, ornamental plaster and marble paneling throughout. designed in the 1920's by architect john rahn, the well-maintained first national bank was brought down by the wrecking ball for a newly-built walgreens. during the depression, the bank's existence made national headlines when john dillinger and his gang robbed the bank, making way with nearly 50,000 in cash. patrolman william o'malley was shot and killed after responding to an armed robbery being committed by members of the dillinger gang. as the offenders were leaving the bank, shots were exchanged by the suspects before they fled the scene. despite being mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, allegedly by john dillinger, patrolman o'malley returned fire multiple times. john dillinger was uninjured as he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.