MCGREGOR, Texas — John Sawyer plans to restore McGregor's historic First National Bank, which has been vacant for over 40 years. The project aims to revitalize downtown, with office spaces, a food court, and more.
- John Sawyer plans to restore McGregor’s historic First National Bank, vacant for over 40 years.
- The restoration will include office spaces, a food court, and preservation of the building’s heritage.
- The project aims to revitalize downtown McGregor and inspire further business development.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"Every little town needs to have its crown jewel and I would like for our bank to be that in McGregor,” said one Central Texas native John Sawyer.
If you've ever driven through downtown McGregor, you've probably noticed the First National Bank building.
Standing tall, right in the heart of downtown, it has been a part of our community since 1889.
But for more than 40 years the bank has remained vacant.
"It's been vacant, just sitting there deteriorating over and over,” said realtor with White Label Realty Nicole Sullivan.
But that could soon be changing with the help of one of our neighbors who has big plans for the property.
"We want to restore anything , especially in our community, that shows our heritage and our roots and keeps that small town feel,” said Sawyer.
John Sawyer, a prospective buyer, is no stranger to property development, and he believes holding on to history is an important part of the community.
"We're going to restore the clock so it works and keeps time for everybody in McGregor to see. On the inside, we're going to keep the vaults and the check in table that was originally there at the original bank,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer says the top floor of the bank would be a place for several office spaces for accounting and law firms.
And the bottom would be home to a potential food court as well as a small kiosk type bank.
"It is a staple in the middle of McGregor,” Sullivan said.
Nicole Sullivan is the realtor for the building, she tells me that restoration of the bank could help bring life back to downtown McGregor.
"It could really jumpstart other businesses coming in and they could renew more properties in the downtown area. There are still a lot of properties with uniqueness that could really be shaped up into something that is special,” Sullivan said
The city tells 25 News 30% of the buildings on Main Street are currently vacant.
And that several people in past have made efforts to begin work on the historic landmark.
As for John and Nicole, they're just looking forward to giving our neighbors a glimpse of the past.
"Downtown McGregor is just a sweet little spot where you just feel like you're home when you are there and everybody knows everybody so it is really exciting that he's going to come in and bring it back to life,” Sullivan said.
Sawyer is currently in a 60-day inspection period before finalizing the purchase of the building.
