Jennifer Tucker was exploring the downtown streets of Bartlett, a quaint town nestled in southeast Texas, when she stumbled upon an abandoned bank in 2019.
"It was dilapidated, and nobody had opened the front door in many, many years," Tucker, 49, told Business Insider. "It was in pretty bad shape."
Tucker owns Amazing Realty, a real estate brokerage based in Austin, and is passionate about historic preservation. When Tucker discovered the Bartlett National Bank, it was a shell of its former self and a holdout from Bartlett's heydays in the early 20th century.
According to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), the town is named after John. T. Bartlett, who donated the land that would become Bartlett. The town had early economic success by shipping cotton and wool, but opportunities began to dwindle amid the Great Depression in the 1930s, per the TSHA.
Tucker recalled walking up to the bank's front windows and peaking inside, where the phrase "Bartlett Natl. Bank" was skillfully adorned on the tile floor.
"At that moment, I just knew I had to have this building," Tucker said.
Bartlett National Bank has three bedrooms and two bathrooms spread across two floors and is available for rent at $248 per night on Airbnb.
Here's how Tucker restored a 119-year-old bank into an idyllic vacation rental with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.