The First National Bank & Trust Co. building at 9 Bank Row in Greenfield, which first opened its doors in 1929, has been named to the 10th annual Massachusetts’ Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources List.

The First National Bank & Trust Co. opened its doors in 1929, boasting an exterior facade of pink and dark-green granite. The doors are covered with decorative bronze grills and a Roman clock weathered and threadbare from over 50 years of operation sits at the top of the building.

The magnificent bronze doors open to a full banking hall with marble floor and counters, and plastered walls designed to resemble the look of limestone rocks in the dramatic Art Deco space drape the interior of the building.

The First National Bank & Trust building, located at 9 Bank Row off downtown Greenfield’s historic Main Street, survived the arduous years of the Depression and stood as the centerpiece of Greenfield’s Town Square through the 20th century.

But because of its abandonment and neglect for over 20 years, the building was recently named one of the most depressed and endangered buildings in the state.

The building was selected by Historic Massachusetts, the state’s leading advocate for historic preservation, for inclusion on its 10th annual Massachusetts’ Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources List.

One of the key components of the Historic Massachusetts Community Preservation program is identifying historic properties that can be restored and redeveloped for a new use.

Projects selected for the program must demonstrate the important link between preservation and neighborhood pride, have the potential to act as a catalyst for broader neighborhood revitalization and development efforts and have community and political support.

“The First National Bank & Trust building is a vital and unique contributor to a wealth of important structures in the heart of Greenfield’s downtown,” said Jim Igoe, executive director of Historic Massachusetts, in a press release.

The building, which once stood as a symbol of economic revival for the town of Greenfield after the Depression, now has internal drainage, rusted pipes, a shelter for the homeless and deterioration of the granite walls, Art Deco facade and concrete ceiling from being left vacant for over 20 years.

When it was built, the 6,500-square-foot First National Bank & Trust facility was the largest building constructed for financial services in Franklin County and, after the bank moved to another building in 1971, the structure remained vacant and has since depreciated in value.

The Franklin County Community Development Corp. in Greenfield took possession of the building on Nov. 19 after the deed was transferred from Sebastian Ruggeri – who died earlier this month – to the FCCDC for $1.

“Saving this building is our first goal,” said John Waite, executive director of the FCCDC. “We come at it from a small business development angle in that we want to save it historically and because this building is in the commercial center of Greenfield.”

Waite hopes that revitalizing the building also will help to revitalize what was the economic center of Franklin County.

“We want to get some economic use in there … retail on the first floor and offices on the second level … kinds of stores people will want in the building,” said Waite. “The facade is the first priority and we want to preserve that. At the same time, we have got to make it more modern and up to code with energy efficiency … we want to add space and keep the original look.”

Promoting Pride

Franklin County residents view the building as a key downtown structure and to see it disappear would not only leave a gap in the middle of Bank Row – which houses other buildings that are in use but not necessarily occupied – but would also signify a time-period lost, said Gregory Farmer, principal and historic preservation consultant for Agricola Corp.

Agricola, based in Chicopee, ensures that buildings with historic significance are restored to viable use. In the case of First National Bank & Trust building in Greenfield, Farmer was hired by the town planning office to “encourage the use of the building through restoration.”

“It’s in the town’s interest is to make sure the building is preserved and rehabbed,” said Farmer. “As a preservation consultant, I weigh the significance of the building’s architecture and history and provide guidance on rehabilitation … of the building.”

Farmer has been working with the town of Greenfield on initial background research of the building and has performed a series of inspections on the interior and exterior walls of the building.

Now, the historic building is in a documentation phase where original photos and drawings of the building are being analyzed and updated. An environmental compliance firm has been sent to gauge the asbestos problem there and the town contractors are working on developing the scope of the work still in progress and refining cost estimates.

“It was a bank, but it’s not going to be a bank anymore,” said Waite. “It’s complicated because it was built for one purpose and that purpose no longer exists, so we are in the process of bringing it up to code and efficiency.”

As far as the developers are concerned, rehabilitating and revitalizing the original structure of the bank holds significance to the community and the economy, and those items will not be lost.

With the current building sitting in front of the Greenfield Town Commons, preservationists and members of the community await the transition of the First National Bank & Trust Co. building – which, according to the Historic Massachusetts community, will be “preserved and reused to improve the quality of life and to promote pride in a community’s heritage.”

The First National Bank & Trust Co. building is the first bank in Massachusetts to be acknowledged as one of the commonwealth’s 10 most endangered historic resources since the list first began in 1993.