Austin National Bank

The Austin National Bank was founded in 1890 with the first meeting held on April 15 at the Driskill Hotel to formally adopt the Articles of Association, sign the organization certificate, pay in the required fifty per cent of the stock, and the election of directors. The bank opened in a space in the Hancock Building on June 16, 1890. The first officers were C. W. Gilfillan as President, Walter Tips and Henry Hirshfeld as Vice-Presidents, H.P. Hilliard as cashier and W. L. Gilfillan as assistant cashier. Within the first months Dr. E. P. Wilmot took over the job as bank president.

By 1895 the bank outgrew its quarters and moved to a new office space at 507 Congress. The growth of the bank was constant and when space became an issue again the bank bought the building it occupied as well as the building next door and razed the structure and built a new building. In January 1930 the bank occupied its new home.

The Austin National Bank expanded its quarters again in 1947-48 with extensive renovations to the existing building. The next time the bank was ready to expand it opened the Austin National Drive-In Bank on the corner of East Fifth and Brazos Streets in 1956. Seventeen years later the bank location on 6th and Congress was demolished to make way for a 25-story bank tower which was opened in 1975.

The Austin National Bank merged with First International Bancshares, Inc in 1981 and adopted the InterFirst Bank name. At the time this was the largest merger in Texas banking history.

From the guide to the Austin National Bank Photograph Collection AR. 2009. 049., 1947-1954, 1947, (Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, )