Home over the years to everything from the Fitzgerald Police Department, a dentist’s office, cafe, barber shop, and tattoo parlor, the First National Bank Building in recent years was known as the office of General Insurance Company. Connie Kruger adds: This building was also, for a time,, the offices of the Hebrew Commercial Alliance, which was begun to lend financial aid to Jewish merchants, when other sources were not readily available to them.
I recently got a tour of the building from local builder and preservationst Louie Harper, who will soon renovate it.
Here’s a view made in 1908, showing a barber pole for the National Barber Shop, as well as signs for Dr. Holtzendorf. Archival Photo Courtesy of Louie Harper.
Cast Iron Ornamental Vent
These marble steps were not original to the building, unlike those at the main entrance.
This is the ground floor, which was originally home to the First National Bank. It’s remembered in recent years as the office of Joe Hair’s General Insurance Company.
These rooms on the second floor were the offices of early Fitzgerald dentist and businessman Dr. C. A. Holtzendorf.
This is the basement stairway leading to Grant Street. It was once the National Barber Shop, as well as the Fitzgerald Police Department headquarters, and lastly, a tattoo parlor.
Fitzgerald Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places