“ Anchor on the horizon of Gainesville ” and other memorabilia from the bank building from the 1960s

Reece continued, “We have all had the privilege of working for an organization that put the well-being of our community at the forefront of all that it stood for. I always felt humbled to drive in the parking lot and have a parking space at the back door that opened near my office.

Regions managed the bank until 2011, when it moved offices to a new branch on EE Butler Parkway. New Owners 111 Green St. LLC, a Gainesville investment group including the late Jim Walters, purchased the property in hopes of filling the vacancies and putting it “back to its significance,” said at the time. the general manager of the company, George A. Hokayem.

Instead, the bank remained vacant, sometimes used as a movie set.

Then, in 2019, Capstone Property Group purchased the building with plans for a “boutique hotel”. It turned into The National, with a multi-use development announced in December 2020.

National plans call for the construction of a 140 apartment building on the former bank site and 130 rooms to face EE Butler Parkway. A plaza will separate the two structures, spanning a two-level underground car park, Capstone chairman Jonathan Collins said.

Capstone is also planning, as part of the National, a 30,000 square foot building designed for high-tech conference rooms, business meetings and a private dining club to be located at the corner of Washington and Green streets.