HGTV crew shoots episode focused on Kenedy’s ‘Farris Bank’ restoration project

Downtown Kenedy is in style, according to the Home and Garden Television network.

A camera crew from HGTV’s television show "reZONED" recently visited the Kenedy weekend home of Sugar Land residents Ed and Kathryn Farris.

The couple recently finished remodeling the old First National Bank building downtown, and the work was nostalgic enough to attract national attention.

Cameras, makeup artists, sound crews, and producers set up in the historic building March 10 to capture the news and the history.

"This was basically one big surprise for (Kathryn). She didn’t see it until it was almost done," Ed Farris said.

The couple frequently spends time hunting in Karnes County. Having a nice weekend getaway here had been a desire of theirs for a while before they saw the for sale sign on the old bank building. When Ed bought the place, he realized how much history was in the building, and he worked to preserve it.

The grungy-looking cement floor was coated with a shiny layer of polyurethane, giving the floor a new and modern look while leaving the nostalgic feel.

Rather than tear out the old heavy bank vault, Ed chose to remodel it into a guest room he and his wife jokingly refer to as "the guest vault." The heavy metal door still graces the entranceway to the area.

Another vault area in the building was cleaned up cosmetically while leaving some of the old building’s bricks exposed, and the Farris family now uses it for storing wine.

The structure of the building itself also was preserved. Ed chose to keep its expansive 13.5-foot ceilings and 52-inch-wide windows.

The task of restoring the building was monumental, Ed said, and took 18 months to complete.

"It was getting ready to fall down," he said of the building. "It was black with mold. When it rained outside, it rained inside. I didn’t know it was going to take 18 months."

The time and effort paid off in the end, though.

The double door entrance to the home leads into a vast formal dining and living area, complete with a brick fireplace. The entrance area leads into one bedroom and the guest vault room, and a doorway leads out to an outdoor sitting area in an alley.

The massive staircase just to the left of the building’s double-door entrance leads up to the living area. A large kitchen and living room share an expansive stretch, while two doors lead back to the master bedroom and bath.

Elegant second-floor windows glance at the busy downtown Kenedy streets below.

The home was featured during Kenedy’s Christmas home tour in 2005, where Karnes County Economic Development Director Terry Trevino got her first look at the place. She later encouraged the Farris family to send an application in to HGTV’s reZONED.

The show will bring national exposure to Kenedy and Karnes County, and economic development officials are hoping to see positive effects.

"Anything that sheds a positive light on Karnes County with a national perspective has got to be good for us," Karnes County Economic Development President Cletus Bianchi said. "That’s going to hopefully have some people interested in maybe some of the older buildings in the county."

The episode likely will air anywhere from six to eight months from now and will be episode 409. A new episode of reZONED usually appears on HGTV once a week on Sundays around 7:30 p.m.

The Countywide will publish specific details on the airing of the episode as they become available.