Farmers & Merchants Bank

Farmers and Merchants Bank. . , This handsome building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Constructed in 1913, it originally housed the Farmers and Merchants Bank, which was the second bank opened in Ocean Springs. The two story structure has a flat roof laying behind a parapet. The building is architecturally significant as it introduced the formality and grand scale of the Neo-classic style into the business district of Ocean Springs, which at that time was made up of mostly small brick and wood frame structures. , This building is also architecturally important to Ocean Springs because it is the only large scale, early twentieth century commercial building in the downtown area to retain most of its original appearance. , In 1930, City Hall settled in the building. When the Farmers and Merchants Bank did not survive the 1930s depression, the property was acquired by the State of Mississippi for back taxes. In 1940, the property sold to O. G. Swetman for $2,500. Through the years, various owners made valiant efforts to steward the building. Water damage and blown out windows from Hurricane Elena in 1985 shook the building, but it remained strong. Rescued and refurbished in 1988, the building housed offices and retail space until it was sold in 2020. The current owners have carefully reimagined the building as a boutique hotel with offices and retail below, using exacting detail on interiors while transforming the exterior to restore the original grandeur of this impressive building. , This informational sign is part of a community project led by the Historic Ocean Springs Association, and is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area. , We thank the City of Ocean Springs for their support of this project.