STUART, Iowa — A building in Stuart with a notorious past is being revitalized by local couple Wes and Abbey Duncan, who, according to KCCI, are promising a much brighter future for the site once targeted by Bonnie and Clyde.

Nearly a century ago, the infamous duo made a stolen withdrawal inside the building, which was once an old bank. The Duncans own Duncan Construction and are saving the building from demolition after the previous owners decided not to move forward with their plans. Local historian Robert Cook, who has lived in Stuart since 1957, said, without the couples’ action, the building would have turned to rubble or been demolished for a parking lot.

Since 1882, the building has stood on the corner of Northwest Second Street in Stuart, the main street in town, and has been a tourist destination for decades. It has served various purposes, including a bank and a law office. The Duncans are renovating the building but are not planning to open a business inside it. They hope someone else will take over and establish a business inside. The Duncans say the space upstairs could serve as an Airbnb or an apartment for the owner downstairs.

They plan to incorporate the history of Bonnie and Clyde’s visit into the building’s decor, with a mural on an outside wall and the use of old checks to decorate the inside.

The project is sponsored in part by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the city of Stuart. The windows and brick had to be approved by the city to match the historical look of Stuart’s main street. The building’s exterior will be reconstructed to resemble its appearance in 1934, when the Barrow gang visited.