First State Bank and Trust Building
Why it's listed
Standing on a primary downtown intersection at 100 W. 25th Street in Bryan, this two-story masonry building was erected around 1930 as a bank with offices above. Dallas architects Lang & Witchell designed it in the Art Deco style. The bank lobby occupied the first floor, and professionals leased office space on the second. The south facade has nine bays, with the seven middle bays projecting slightly, and the east facade has three. A recessed central entry and secondary entrances on the east and west sides serve the building. Carved geometric and foliated relief covers the walls, chevrons mark the base and the start of the cornice, and raised decorated parapets rise over the second and eighth bays. First State Bank and Trust occupied the structure until 1965. It was listed for its architecture, since few buildings locally, and a limited number in the region or state, express Art Deco as fully. It remains in good condition and in commercial use.
Significance in brief: The building is regarded as an unusually expressive example of Art Deco architecture, rare locally and limited in the region and state. Its geometric and curvilinear carved details, designed by Lang & Witchell, are described as artful and well composed. A reviewer called it one of the finest Art Deco examples in the local area and perhaps the state.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001619, listed September 25, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 100 W. Twenty-fifth, Bryan |
|---|---|
| County | Brazos County |
| Listed | September 25, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001619 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Lang & Witchell |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition; present use is commercial, the same as its original use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Bryan Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.67533, -96.37369 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001619.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001712
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.