The City National Bank (CNB) was a bank, and the name of the historic building in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places NRHP). The bank was founded in December 1907 by

William Lewis Moody Jr. William Lewis Moody Jr. (January 25, 1865 – July 21, 1954)Who Was Who In America, Vol. 3, 1951-1960. Library of Congress number 43-3789. was an American financier and entrepreneur from Galveston, Texas, who founded a private bank, an insurance ...

(18661954) and the building was completed in 1920. City National Bank renamed itself the

Moody National Bank Moody National Bank (MNB) is a nationally chartered bank, founded in 1907, that is based in Galveston, Texas. With assets of nearly $1 billion, Moody Bank is one of the oldest and largest privately owned Texas-based banks. Its trust department, ...

in 1953 to honor the founder."History." Moody National Bank. 2018.
Accessed November 8, 2018. The downtown building served as the Galveston County Historical Museum until 2008 when it was badly damaged by

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

, after which the museum's assets were moved to the

Galveston County Courthouse The Galveston County Courthouse is the county government's courthouse building in Galveston County, Texas. Several buildings have been constructed for and used as the courthouse over the years. History Galveston County was established in 1838. A ...

. Since then the former CNB building has been unused.

History

City National Bank then old Galveston Historical Museum 01

The bank began operating in a space leased in the Trust Building at 2228 Avenue E, but soon moved to another building at the intersection of Tremont and Market Streets, where it remained until 1920. William Lewis Moody Jr. commissioned a new bank building which was constructed in 191920. The building was a $200,000 structure built specifically for City National Bank at 2219 Avenue D (aka Market Street) in downtown Galveston. Its exterior has a pedimented

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

with Corinthian columns and it has a barrel-vaulted interior. (Includes photo from 1982). The Moody family also built the Medical Arts Building (1927–29), and the Jean Lafitte Hotel (1927), among the biggest structures in Galveston. The hotel, in the

Strand Historic District The Strand Historic District, also known as the Strand District, in downtown Galveston, Texas ( USA), is a National Historic Landmark District of mainly Victorian era buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores, and curio shops. The area ...

, is also NRHP-listed. And in the same block as the City National Bank is the U.S. National Bank (192325), an Italian Renaissance 11-story skyscraper building that is an "interesting contrast" architecturally, and was also listed in the study. William Lewis Moody Jr. died on July 21, 1954. His will conveyed his estate to

Mary Moody Northen Mary Elizabeth Moody Northen (10 February 1892 – 25 August 1986) was an American financier and philanthropist from Galveston, Texas. She was the daughter of financial and insurance tycoon William Lewis Moody, Jr. and aunt of businessman Shea ...

(18921986), who was also the administrator. Northen assumed financial control of the Moody National Bank and was named its president in 1954. She donated the building to Galveston County in 1972, and in 1978, it opened as the Galveston County Historical Museum. The building suffered major destruction to its air and electrical systems caused by

in 2008, after which the exhibits and artifacts were moved to the

. Moody National Bank's growth showed a need for more office space, so the organization had a new facility constructed at 2302 Post Office Street, where it remains at present. It vacated the 1920 structure, which was later donated to Galveston County. The building was listed on the National Register as part of a collection covered in a study of the city's historic resources. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Notes

References

{{Galveston, Texas Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Neoclassical architecture in Texas Commercial buildings completed in 1910 Galveston County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County, Texas Museums established in 1978 Museums disestablished in 2008

History

See also

Notes

References