Then….and Now | The Florida National Bank building

The Florida National Bank building is shown in this 1965 photo. The building went up in 1963 at 109 W. Silver Springs Boulevard and served as a bank until 2016 when it closed under the Wells Fargo name. The bank’s origins date back to 1911, when it organized as the Ocala National Bank. In 1936, Florida National Bank based out of Jacksonville bought the bank. The name changed to Florida First National Bank and eventually to Florida National Bank at Ocala. It was later part of the merger with First Union National Bank in the 1990s and then part of a merger with Wells Fargo in 2010. The bank operated under the Wachovia name and the Wells Fargo banner before the branch closed in 2016. [State Archives of Florida]

The building is shown in this April 2021 photo. In 2018, Marion County purchased the building in a $1.68 million deal. The building is home to the Ocala/Marion County Visitor and Convention Bureau. The bureau markets the area to other parts of the country through advertising, social media, trade shows and other events. The bureau tries to attract sporting events, meetings and conventions, as well as draw individual visitors. The building is also home to the Guardian ad Litem program, which advocates for children in legal proceedings involving neglect, abuse, custody or visitation. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]