Restoring First National Bank
The First National Bank of Stephenville site is a two-story limestone building at the corner of Belknap and College Streets in downtown Stephenville, across from the Erath County Courthouse. It is one of the oldest remaining structures in Stephenville's downtown and housed the town's first bank. The building was designed by architect James Riely Gordon of Gordon and Laub Architects of San Antonio, and is thought to have been completed in 1889, the same year the bank was founded. The building was designed in a Romanesque Revival style. This date is featured on the round metal turret at the second floor although this turret was a later change to the building in 1902 after reconstruction of the front of the building following a 1897 fire.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2015.
Reconstruction of the First National Bank building
National Register of Historic Places, July 2015
The First National Bank of Stephenville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2015, the first building to be so listed in 30 years in Erath County. The building is a two-story Romanesque-style bank building and is one of the oldest remaining structures in the downtown. Constructed in 1889, the building was designed by the same architect who designed the Erath County Courthouse, J. Riely Gordon. The building housed the town's first bank. The bank moved out in 1925, and the building became home to a variety of tenants under multiple ownerships. In 2014, work began to rehabilitate this distinctive landmark into a mixed-commerical use building using the Federal historic tax credits. This enabled the restoration of many of the original features and finishes including the windows, interior plaster and frieze, wood trim, and fl oors. The building is once again a focal point for the surrounding community.
Winner, 2015 Downtown Association Award. Best Renovation/Rehabilitation under 50,000 population
In November 2015, Stephenville's First National Bank Building was awarded Best Renovation/Rehabilitation under 50,000 of the 2015 Texas Downtown Association (TDA) President's Awards Program. The Best Renovation/Rehabilitation category recognizes excellence in rehabilitation of the interior or exterior of an existing building in a town with fewer than 50,000 residents. The First National Bank building was constructed in 1889 and remains one of the oldest buildings on Stephenville's historic square. This is the first Stephenville building to be awarded this honor by TDA.
2017 Preservation Texas Honor Award. First National Bank, 198 S. Belknap, Stephenville, Texas. Historic Small Town Banks
The Historic Restoration Award recognizes projects that restore a historic structure to a specific period of significance. These projects require an understanding of how the building evolved over time, strong evidence of how the building appeared during the period of significance, and exceptional care in preserving the original historic fabric of the property.
