A woman who bought an abandoned bank in the hopes she could restore it to its former glory has been sharing her progress with TikTok.

Kate Dear, 36, from Maryland, US, bought the former PNC Bank in downtown Frederick, which had been vacant for seven years, for an undisclosed amount in 2021.

Kate, who has previously renovated a car dealership and a brick warehouse, both into ballroom-style wedding venues, was on a roll when she purchased the bank, hoping to unearth more of its period features.

Originally built by the Citizens National Bank in 1886, before being reconstructed in 1909, the bank’s high-ceilinged interior boasted real marble walls, mosaic floors and delicate gold finishes, giving it something of an art deco feel.

The building's original bank vaults had also been left intact. The exterior was outfitted with imposing limestone columns in neoclassical style and a balustrade along a terrace roof.

“It was in pretty good shape, albeit in need of a good cleaning with only some minor water damage in a few spots,” Kate said.

“It's so solidly built, limestone, marble, bronze finishes that it really held up well to neglect. But it was decorated in a very dated way – mustard yellow and green everywhere.”

determined that her bank still be full of architectural riches, Kate set to work removing the carpet, repairing water damage and restoring the walls to a pristine white.

She also fitted a new staircase from the mezzanine to the main level, replicating the bank’s original staircase as accurately as possible.

Some of the bank's original light fixtures have also remained in place, to give it an authentic feel.

Repairing the floor to its original glory was no easy feat, and had to be done by hand, with the entire renovation taking around nine months to complete.

Kate said: “Our most impactful renovation was a fresh coat of white paint. We left the original gold details from the ceiling intact but painted everything else white. We have redone the tile in the main level and mezzanine.

“We are also restoring the original marble mosaic tile in the side rooms on the main level by hand, adding a sprinkler system, redoing the restrooms and getting the building up to code for a venue, which means lots of safety updates.”

Taking on a former working bank also meant cleaning dozens of safe deposit boxes and safes, some of which still had historic artefacts inside – though no money was found.

The finished venue will include a large white marble ballroom and a number of tile reception rooms for guests to enjoy.

Kate added: “I’m in absolute love with it. We have more than 40 clients already and they're all very excited to see it finished. “

The former bank is set to host its first wedding in June.

A woman who bought an abandoned bank in the hopes she could restore it to its former glory has been sharing her progress with TikTok – and judging by the results, she’ll definitely be cashing in.

Kate Dear, 36, from Maryland, US, bought the former PNC Bank in downtown Frederick, which had been vacant for seven years, for an undisclosed amount in 2021.

Kate, who has previously renovated a car dealership and a brick warehouse, both into ballroom-style wedding venues, was on a roll when she purchased the bank, hoping to unearth more of its period features.

Originally built by the Citizens National Bank in 1886, before being reconstructed in 1909, the bank’s high-ceilinged interior boasted real marble walls, mosaic floors and delicate gold finishes, giving it something of an art deco feel.

The building's original bank vaults had also been left in-tact. The exterior was outfitted with imposing limestone columns in neoclassical style and a balustrade along a terrace roof.

Sadly, in a bid to modernise the building, many of the original features were almost lost forever.

“It was in pretty good shape, albeit in need of a good cleaning with only some minor water damage in a few spots,” Kate told NeedToKnow.online.

“It's so solidly built, limestone, marble, bronze finishes that it really held up well to neglect. But it was decorated in a very dated way – mustard yellow and green everywhere.”

determined that her bank still be full of architectural riches, Kate set to work removing the carpet, repairing water damage and restoring the walls to a pristine white.

She also fitted a new staircase from the mezzanine to the main level, replicating the bank’s original staircase as accurately as possible.

Some of the banks original light fixtures have also remained in place, to give it an authentic feel.

Repairing the floor to its original glory was no easy feat, and had to be done by hand, with the entire renovation taking around nine months to complete.

Sharing the floors transformation with her followers on TikTok (thevenueceo) Kate captioned her clip: “Restoring history – marble mosaic floors circa 1908.”

In the clip, she pours out a floor stripper and begins scraping away the thick layers of adhesive.

The satisfying process proved fruitful as she revealed pristine mosaic floors underneath the layers of sticky sludge.

In her part two of the floors, she continues to scrape away, uncovering intricate floor designs in white, red and black.

In her final video she revealed the now unrecognisable floor along with an original period fireplace, and even locals were stunned it was the same location.

Commenting on the transformation one user said: “Who would cover those beautiful floors... omg.”

“The difference at the end omg amazing!” said another.

“This is in my hometown! This town has a lot of history- I was sad to see that building just sitting there, thank you for giving it the love it needed!” commented one user.

“Oh wow gorgeous! is this the old bank in Frederick?” said another viewer.

“Nothing better than lifting the sheets off of history,” said one person.

Kate said: “Our most impactful renovation was a fresh coat of white paint. We left the original gold details from the ceiling intact but painted everything else white. We have redone the tile in the main level and mezzanine.

“We are also restoring the original marble mosaic tile in the side rooms on the main level by hand, adding a sprinkler system, redoing the restrooms and getting the building up to code for a venue, which means lots of safety updates.”

Taking on a former working bank also meant cleaning dozens of safe deposit boxes and safes, some of which still had historic artefacts inside – though no money was found.

The finished venue will include a large white marble ball room and a number of tile reception rooms for guests to enjoy.

Kate added: “I’m in absolute love with it. We have more than 40 clients already and they're all very excited to see it finished. “

The former bank is set to host its first wedding this month.

ENDS