On the northeast corner of Ann St. and Fourth Ave. is the structure built in 1836 to house the short-lived Bank of Washtenaw. A stuccoed Greek Revival building, it was remodeled as a residence in 1847 for local businessman Volney Chapin, whose family lived there for almost thirty years.
It continued to play a role in the life of Courthouse Square as it was adapted for a sequence of businesses, including the Catalpa Hotel, Joe Parker's Saloon, the Chamber of Commerce, many service and welfare organizations, the local bus station, and the Peters Hotel.
JOE PARKER'S SALOON (SHOWN IN DRAWING AT LEFT WITH THE BALD PARKER TENDING BAR) WAS LOCATED IN THE CATALPA HOTEL FROM 1913 TO 1920. IT WAS ONE OF THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE SALOONS EARLIER IMMORTALIZED IN THE COLLEGE SONG, "I WANT TO GO BACK TO MICHIGAN" ("BACK TO JOE'S AND THE ORIENT, BACK TO SOME OF THE MONEY I SPENT").
THE SONG WAS WRITTEN A FEW YEARS EARLIER, WHEN THE ORIENT SALOON WAS ON NORTH MAIN ST. OPPOSITE THE COURTHOUSE AND JOE'S WAS A BLOCK SOUTH. A TILE MOSAIC WITH THE NAME "JOE" IN SCRIPT CAN STILL BE SEEN ON THE FLOOR INSIDE THE FORMER CORNER ENTRANCE TO THE SALOON AT ANN ST. AND FOURTH AVE.
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