910 Houston Street, Western National Bank/Texas State Bank/Texas National Bank/Insurance Building, 1906; 1918; 1952; 1981. Weatherford banker William H. Eddleman moved to Fort Worth to expand his operations and, after purchasing an impressive home on Penn St. (CBD 132), hired architects Sanguinet and Staats to design his Western National Bank building in 1906. Eddleman’s venture was not successful and, about 1913, the bank was absorbed by the Texas State Bank. Originally only six stories high, Texas State Bank added two additional floors, also designed by Sanguinet and Staats, to the building in 1918. W.C. Hedrick Construction Co. was the contractor for this project. Texas National Bank, successor to Texas State Bank, failed during the Depression under accusations of fraud and misapplication of funds, and the building was sold at auction in 1936 for $45,000. In 1952 the richly ornamented building was stripped of most of its stonework as yellow porcelain enamel siding and metal windows were installed. Charles T. Freelove was the architect and Abel Construction Co. the general contractor for the modernization. By 1981, regard for the building’s historic character was evident as the siding was stripped and some of the original decorative elements replaced. Design work for the rehabilitation project was handled by Giffay-Brown Architects and carried out by Haws & Garrett, general contractors.
