Old bank to be demolished to create parking for Comanche County Courthouse

Demolition is slated to begin Friday on the old American National Bank at Southwest D Avenue and 6th Street.

Comanche County Central District Commissioner Johnny Owens said the project will give the Comanche County Courthouse a new parking area, as county officials make plans to transition from parking at Central Plaza on the east side of the courthouse to using the new parking lot to be built on the west side, adjacent to the existing west parking lot.

Commissioners voted in November to hire RCJ Construction, Lawton, approving a $674,828.96 contract to demolish the bank and clear the site, then build a parking lot in its place. That plan was originally made by commissioners in 2023, using the county’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

A work crew will erect a fence around the bank/annex — to include the alley — on Thursday, to create a safe work site. That means the west parking lot will be accessible only via Southwest C Avenue, county officials said.

Owens said county employees are being asked to park in the east (Central Plaza) parking lot during the construction. Once the demolition is complete, contractors will begin building the new parking lot, to adjoin the existing west lot. The completed lot is to feature lighting and surveillance, county officials said.

Owens has said while the new parking lot will put visitors closer to the courthouse’s public entrance, county officials also are planning for the future. While Comanche County has an annual contract with FISTA Innovation Park to lease space in the mall’s west parking lot, Owens noted the southern half of that parking area already has been converted to secured parking for FISTA tenants. Owens said that as FISTA continues to create more office space for more tenants, he knows parking space eventually will have to be reserved for FISTA and the mall.

The northwest lot also the traditional site for large entertainment entities that come to Lawton and set up in the downtown area, further limiting parking.

Comanche County has owned the one-time bank for 20 years. While its primary use is storage, local law enforcement also use it for training exercises.