Blessing State Bank

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and here's how Duane's bringin' it to you. Now, out in Matagorda County sits a building that has outlasted almost everything else from its era, and that alone ought to tell you something. The Blessing State Bank was built during the boom of 1907, one of the few remaining commercial buildings left standing from that period.

Most of what rose up in those years is long gone. This one held on. Possibly designed by a Victoria architect named Jules Leffland, the very same man credited with designing the Blessing Hotel, the bank carried itself with the kind of stately feeling that early 20th-century banks were known for.

An asymmetrical entry, arched windows, a flat roof. It wasn't trying to be subtle. It was trying to tell you that your money was safe, or at the very least, that somebody wanted you to think so.

The bank operated right up until 1932, and then, well, it stopped. Blessing went without a bank for a good long stretch after that. Then 1966 rolled around, and the building was restored to its original function and its original appearance.

Same asymmetrical entry. Same arched windows. Same flat roof.

Same stately feeling, all these years later. Some buildings just refuse to be anything other than what they were built to be.

What the marker says

Built during the boom of 1907, the Blessing State Bank is one of the few remaining commercial buildings from this period. Possibly designed by Victoria architect Jules Leffland, designer of the Blessing Hotel, the bank operated until 1932. Blessing was without a bank until 1966, when it was restored to its original function and appearance. An asymmetrical entry, arched windows, flat roof, and stately feeling reflect a classic early 20th-century bank building. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997