Nebraska woman's vision revives century-old bank

CRESTON, Neb. — In a small northeast Nebraska town, a century-old bank is getting a new lease on life thanks to the vision of a local woman.

Jamie Olmer, who was just 21 years old in 2012, purchased the historic Creston Citizens State Bank with the goal of transforming it into a community hub.

"I was still in college when I bought it," Olmer said. "After I bought it, I didn't have any money and I wasn't sure what to do with it at that time, but I knew at least buying it, it wasn't going to be torn down."

Olmer, who grew up in Creston and studied history in college, is dedicated to preserving timeless art. Built in 1920, the Creston Citizens State Bank served customers until its closure shortly after 1930. The building was later repurposed as a community meat locker, and after several more closures, it was purchased by Olmer's former boss at Mark's Custom Woodworking.

Olmer, who worked next door at Mark's Custom Woodworking, asked if she could explore the building during her lunch breaks. Seeing the potential of the historic structure, she bought it from her boss, who had considered tearing it down.

Olmer's non-profit project, The Vault, has brought her joy, but also challenges. "When I first bought it," Olmer said, "there was 18 inches of concrete and filler on the floor, and as we began to look at the situation, we calculated it was about 80,000 pounds we had to break up and haul out."

Olmer, with the help of friends and board members, has done much of the renovation work herself. They removed everything from the inside due to years of decay. A third of the roof was gone, and holes exposed the back wall, which had to be torn down and rebuilt. The building was also boarded up, requiring new windows to prevent mold buildup.

Olmer registered the building with the State Historic Preservation Office in Lincoln, hoping to receive funding, but was unsuccessful. Despite this, she reached out to the community for input on the building's future.

Plans are underway to turn the main floor into an event center with a library and a museum of the building's history. The top floor loft will be an Airbnb, and the basement will be used as a gym.

The town of Creston has already donated $20,000 toward the remodel. Olmer said that donations to The Vault Initiative, a 501c3 non-profit, are tax-deductible. Donors will be recognized with laser-engraved tiles displaying their names or messages of anything they decide to choose.

Olmer recently applied for the Sherwood Foundation Capital Grant and Schemmer Gives Back grant. She is also applying for the T-Mobile Hometown Grant.

Depending on the financial outcome, she also has a backup plan, applying for the Department of Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant.

"I'm hopeful to hear back on the grants by May of 2026," Olmer said. "If we get the financial grant, we could get a lot done and maybe finish by December of 2026."

For more information or to donate, contact Jamie at [email protected].