Taylor National Bank

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just along for the ride. Now, some buildings in Texas are just buildings. Four walls, a roof, somewhere to cash a check and get gone.

But then there are buildings that seem to collect history the way a good hat collects years, and the old Taylor National Bank building in Williamson County is very much that kind of place. Let me tell you about it. The bank itself was organized in 1888, and when it came time to give the institution a proper home, they brought in A.

O. Watson of Austin to design the thing. Watson went with red sandstone, which already tells you this wasn't going to be some forgettable little box on a corner.

The building was completed in 1894, and when it was done, it was done right. Romanesque and Renaissance Revival styling, with detailing in limestone, granite, and pressed metal. That is a lot of building for one corner to hold.

Now here is where the story gets interesting, because a building that impressive doesn't sit idle. Over the years, those walls housed the law firm of Mantor and Briggs. They also housed an office of the Weather Bureau, which means somebody in there was once watching the sky for all of Taylor.

And at some point, the Taylor Refining Company set up shop inside as well. Three very different lines of work under one very distinguished roof. Then came the 1930s, and a merger produced the First-Taylor National Bank, which carried on right there in that same red sandstone building.

That institution stayed put until 1967. More than seven decades of banking, law, weather-watching, and refining, all under the care of a building that A. O.

Watson drew up back when the century was still young. Some buildings earn their place in the story of a town. This one showed up early and never really left.

What the marker says

A. O. Watson of Austin designed this red sandstone building for the Taylor National Bank, which was organized in 1888. Completed in 1894, it has also housed the law firm of Mantor and Briggs, an office of the Weather Bureau, and the Taylor Refining Company. The Romanesque and Renaissance Revival styling features detailing of limestone, granite, and pressed metal. The First-Taylor National Bank, the result of a 1930s merger, remained here until 1967. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980