Taylor National Bank
Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
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
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1888 and completed in 1894, the Taylor National Bank rose in red sandstone from a design by Austin architect A. O. Watson, blending Romanesque and Renaissance Revival detailing in limestone, granite, and pressed metal. Over the years the building also housed a law firm, a Weather Bureau office, and a refining company. After a 1930s merger, the successor bank stayed here until 1967.
Why it matters
Grand small-town bank buildings like this one broadcast the confidence and commercial ambition of Gilded Age Texas, when a young railroad town could aspire to big-city architecture.
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Related people
- · A. O. Watson
Themes & tags
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