Bank directors wore hard hats and used gold shovels for the ceremonial turning of the dirt at a Groundbreaking Ceremony Tuesday morning at Citizens National Bank in downtown Brownwood. Over the next 7 to 8 months, the bank will renovate both the outside and inside of their main banking facility and also their drive-thru bank.
“We look forward to a fresh, modern facility while maintaining our traditional community bank philosophy. This investment represents our long term commitment to serving the banking needs of this area,” said John Guest, Chief Executive Officer.
Calvin Fryar, Chairman of the Board, said the renovation is being done for their customers and associates that work in the bank.
“We hope to enhance our customer relationships and provide the most convenient and advanced technology available for our customers in Brownwood, Early, Bangs and Central Texas,” Fryar said.
On August 6, 1906, Citizens National Bank of Brownwood opened its doors in the building located at the corner of Baker St. and Center Ave. It opened with $100,000 in capital stock and Dr. J.A. Abney was the first President.
The first Board of Directors included J.A. Abney, D.S. Camp, R.M. Low, W.F. Guthrie, W.M. Hooper, I.J. Rice,J.B. Turner, A.L. Self, G.B. Davidson, F.S. Abney and B.R. Bolton. In 1954, the bank and offices underwent a complete remodel. A Grand Re-Opening was held on July 24, 1954, attended by people from around the State of Texas. In 1962, the CNB Drive-Thru was built.
Calvin Fryar noted during his comments that five present bank directors are 2nd generation directors. He also said the bank is locally owned and will continue to be locally owned.
Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on February 27, 1979 at 1 Carnegie St. for the current 20,000 square foot, two-story building and seven lane drive-thru. The bank celebrated a grand opening May 6, 1980.
For this next renovation phase, architectural firm DEI of Cincinnati, Ohio is the designer. A new storage building will be built on the empty lot behind the drive-thru and the parking lot will be expanded. The commercial lane in the drive-thru will be expanded and new exterior lightning and all new equipment will be installed. The exterior of the drive-thru will be refreshed with new canopies.
The exterior of the main bank will be renovated. The marble-crete will be removed and replaced with stucco and Austin stone. The bank name and logo will be in green.
The interior renovation will consist of new window coverings, paint, carpet and furniture. Many historical features will be kept such as the marble and brass tables, brass clock with stained glass dial, safe from Coggin Brothers, CNB monogrammed “weeping bench” from the depression era, etc.
The renovation is expected to be complete in the Spring of 2022.
Current Board of Directors:
Chairman of the Board – Calvin Fryar
Chief Executive Officer – John P. Guest
President – J.D. Johnson
President Emeritus – Darwin Boscamp
Secretary – T. Keith Clark
Steve Fryar, Tim Nabers, Robert G. Porter, Carter Sharpe, A.L. Speck, D.V.M., Leesa Speck