After 100 years, new bank in Magnet getting revitalized

MAGNET, Neb. -- A 100-year-old bank in Magnet is getting a makeover.

“We’re actually trying to keep it as close to the original bank as we could,” said Vice President Eric Wynia. 

The original closed in 1932. Now, Brunswick State Bank plans to make the building its own.

“We wanted to capture that nostalgia of it actually being an old bank, so we just kind of wanted to stay true to the original building as close as we could,” Wynia said.

The bank would be one of the only operating businesses in the town of 46 residents; next to a bar and a post office. 

“In Magnet, it's always got a little bit of a lore to it,” President Chris Twibell said. “There's, you know, a tough town, a very prideful community and we feel that's where we've thrived in before, so it made sense for us.”  

There is a potential challenge...in a town that small, a business could have a hard time staying afloat.

“Luckily, we don't have to just rely on one location, we can piggyback off the other locations,” Wynia said. “We're close enough to several other smaller communities that we don't have to rely on Magnet alone just to make it work.”

Brunswick State Bank said they've received interest from customers.

“The historical part of it really excited us to be able to get this building into maybe rejuvenate it and put some life back into it again,” Twibell said.

Officials hope the bank will open in the mid to late summer. They will provide services such as mobile and online banking.