Montgomery County History Center (opening 2027!)

Montgomery History is proud to announce the purchase and conservation of the historic 1930s Art Deco Farmers Banking and Trust building, a defining landmark in Rockville’s Courthouse Square, which will be renovated and re-opened in 2027 as the Montgomery County History Center.

The Farmers Banking and Trust building was erected in 1931, designed in the Art Deco style by The Tilghman Moyer Company of Allentown, PA. It survived the 1960s urban renewal in the area, becoming the last remaining Art Deco commercial building in Rockville. It operated as a bank for decades, under First National, Allfirst, and finally M&T Bank, which closed in September of 2023. On January 18, 2024, the Farmers Banking and Trust Building was unanimously approved for Historic Designation by Rockville’s Historic District Commission. Montgomery History purchased the Farmers Banking and Trust building on January 27.

The renovated space will host exhibits, lectures, receptions, the Sween Research Library and Special Collections, community events, an oral history recording studio, and offices. For generations, residents of Mongomery County trusted the Farmers Banking and Trust building with their finances. Montgomery History hopes that people from across the DMV will continue to come to the Farmers Banking and Trust building—not to safeguard their financial assets, but instead to safeguard and share their personal and community history. Montgomery History is thrilled to create a space that makes history fundamentally more accessible to the entire community.

Construction begins in March 2025. Check back here for updates on this amazing project!