Finishing Touches: October 2026

It has been a productive summer at the Farmers Banking and Trust building where our contractor has been working hard to install all-new HVAC, a sprinkler system, a new elevator shaft, and many other vital systems to make the Montogmery History Center a top-notch facility in which to serve the people of Montgomery County.

Now that the hard labor of behind-the-walls work is nearly done, the drywall is coming in, the ceilings are going up, and our new home is starting to look like a completely transformed space. We’re excited to show you the progress!

The prettiest change is that the original marble floor in the main floor event space has been uncovered at last and polished to a high shine. It hasn’t looked this good since opening day on November 30, 1930! You can also see the chandelier has been restored to its former position, right at the top of the image.

Insider tip: there are slight wear-patterns of footprints where the old teller windows used to be.

VIEWS FROM AUGUST

Near the end of the summer, we hosted several group tours of the building in progress, back when the ceilings were exposed and the walls were just going into place. These will help illustrate how far we’ve come in the last few weeks!

The second-floor storage room, slated for closed special collections storage, with open ceiling grid, untreated windows, and ductwork in progress. This floor served as a “central office” for our contractors for many weeks, while they used the fire escape ladders at the back to navigate the building more quickly.

Inside the front door: all remodeling stripped away to the original wood doorframe, ready for install of the new secure entryway.

Office on the east side of the building, with new drywall and electrical work ongoing. This will be the workspace for our office administrator.

Installed office door, still missing its glass panel, doorknob, and paint job. Bare-wood baseboard visible behind– the baseboard, where not original, was reproduced to match the original 8-inch baseboard that was a feature of the offices in the original bank building.

VIEWS FROM SEPTEMBER

Progress in the form of paint colors applied to some walls– our palette consists of an Art-Deco friendly mix of watery blue, burnt orange, majolica green, and barley. Ceiling grids and access panels are also installed.

Office on the front side (south side) of the building, overlooking Maryland Avenue, with trim color on the windows and barley on the wall.

Conference room on the east side, with two accent walls in a burnt orange color. Above, a lighting grid designed to illuminate a new conference table for staff and board meetings.

Interior office wall featuring a watery blue to brighten the space. Leaning against the wall is an original doorframe with transom window above, which will be installed elsewhere on the floor.

View of the new Sween Library reading room, with ceiling in place, window trim painted, blue accent wall at the far end, and new door and sidelight installed at left. The beautiful view is an overlook of southwest Rockville, including the 1938 post office building (now the Rockville Police Station).

ROUNDING THE BEND

In the last 2 weeks, the visual transformation of our spaces has increased at a rapid pace, with painted walls and trim coming in to make the rooms feel fresh and polished. Here, a contractor on stilts is applying a lighting fixture in the ceiling, near one of the restored doorways. The door features a mailslot with a transom above–original features from 1930.

Right now, the vault is still closed, but very soon we’ll be rolling it open and inviting you inside… Stay tuned for more updates!

If you have any questions, or want to learn about naming opportunities, please contact Director of Development Brenna Ryan at BRyan@MontgomeryHistory.org.