Then….and Now

The original Ocala National Bank was established in 1911 with John L. Edwards as its first president, according to Daivd Cook, the late Marion County historian. The bank built one of the most recognizable buildings in Ocala. The building includes ionic columns and arched windows to match its classic Grecian style architecture. The building is shown in this 1914 photo which is now the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Silver Springs Boulevard. [Florida State Archives]

The Ocala National Bank was eventually bought by another bank and moved out of the iconic building in the 1930s. It has not operated as a bank for decades and been the site of several businesses, most recently for a theater company. It has stood empty for several years. The old bank vault is still in place. A recent photo of the bank shows the subsequent addition of a multi-story building that was built in 1917, abutting the bank building. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]