Brooklyn’s First National Bank renovation underway

Exterior of the First National Bank in Brooklyn. The 115-year-old building is currently undergoing a complete transformation by the non-profit ground, Brooklyn Community Development.

Story and photos by Carol Carpenter Hanson, Historian Brooklyn Historical Society 
 
     The Brooklyn community will welcome another restored historic building this fall when the newly renovated First National Bank Building opens on lower Jackson Street this fall. The 115-year-old building is currently undergoing a complete transformation by the non-profit group, Brooklyn Community Development. 
      Located adjacent to the Michael J. Manatt Community Center at the Northeast corner of Jackson and Front Streets, the renovated spaces of the former bank will be used for smaller gatherings and events, including business meetings, family events, anniversary and birthday parties and class reunions.  
      Laura Manatt, general manager of the MJM Community Center, said the renovation project received a $100,000 Iowa Economic Authority Catalyst Grant to initiate the work, which is expected to cost around $500,000. Funding is still being collected to complete the project. 
Brooklyn’s First National Bank was established in 1884, with charter members including William Manatt and T.J. Holmes. Its first building in this location was destroyed in the 1886 town fire. It was replaced by a brick building the following year. 
        The current building was created to house the bank in 1908 at a cost of $16,000. Two large granite columns framed the front door entrance, and it was Brooklyn’s most distinguished and notable business building. The First National Bank was the town’s premier bank, and by 1919, with resources over $1.5 million, it was Poweshiek County’s second largest bank. 
     But all that came crashing down during the Great Depression years. By 1924 many banks had closed nationwide, and on a November morning in 1925, the local board of directors closed First National and turned it over to a federal bank examiner. On that day there was a “run” on the bank, as many Brooklynites lined up at the door to withdraw their savings, and 40 new accounts were opened across the street at the Poweshiek County Savings Bank.
     In the ensuing 99 years, the building has housed a number of businesses, including the Rural Electric Association, insurance agencies run by Harley Burch, Ed Montgomery and Jack Hall, and a beauty shop operated by Rosemary Thompson.  
PART II of Brooklyn’s First National Bank Building renovation 
     The renovation of Brooklyn’s old First National Bank Building, to be opened this fall, will add another historic gem to the town’s active business district. Three years ago, the Brooklyn Community Development group completed a beautiful refurbishing of the old Brooklyn Opera House, and the current bank building project is a continuation of that venture. The Opera House was built in 1911, and the bank building in 1908.
        Laura Manatt, vice-president of the Brooklyn Community Development organization, has directed the ambitious undertaking with the intention of retaining the vintage character of the bank building as much as possible. The heavy doors into the bank’s large, walk-in vault have been kept intact. Some room partitions were removed to expand the first-floor room, and two arched doorways were constructed leading into the back hallway to reflect the original six arched windows that surround the entire main floor. A new circular window over the back entry was designed to replicate the original round window over the front door. 
        The heavy wooden ceiling beams, door trim, and ceiling cove moldings have been cleaned and stained. A wooden panel casing on the north wall is being built and outfitted with teller window bars, and a large, camouflaged TV screen will be added for meeting use. 
       An original wall mural near the ceiling had been water-damaged beyond repair, as had the wooden flooring, which has been replaced with dark-stained white oak hardwood. A beverage bar will be installed, and a wine bar will be housed in the refurbished vault room. The existing bathroom has been enlarged and refitted.
           Modern glass blocks were removed, and old brick was matched when patching was needed. The original doors have been restored for use wherever possible, and the original door hardware has been salvaged. 
          A handicapped-accessible exterior back entry ramp was created; it also provides access to the Community Center kitchen for catered events. 
On the lower level, a new wider staircase was built to replace the original steep and narrow steps. Ceiling joists were raised, and pipes moved to provide more head space, and a guest bathroom was installed.
          Nick Doyle, the project superintendent, and Matt Brown, head carpenter, were both involved with the Brooklyn Opera House renovation in 2020; they welcomed the opportunity to return to Brooklyn for the bank project. Brown ranked the high reward and fulfillment from this work on the same level as the work he completed in a 2022 restoration project at the Iowa State Capitol building. Doyle and Brown are employed by Neumann Bros. in Des Moines and have been commuting to Brooklyn since embarking on the bank building project in December of 2022. 
          To donate to this restoration, make checks payable to Brooklyn Community Development, PO Box 328, Brooklyn, IA 50112 or drop off at First State Bank, Brooklyn.