Condley and Company makes its move across the street to historic Grant Building

While Condley and Company LLP's move just across the intersection to its new North Third Street digs may not be far distance-wise, it represents an investment in Abilene far into the future, said Jeff D. Graham, the firm's managing partner.

Located in a corner building that once housed the W.T. Grant Merchandise Company at Third and Pine streets, the structure, built by J.M. Radford in 1932, sports new furnishings, better facilities and a multistory redesign that fits the business' hopes for continued expansion.

Condley itself has served the community for 83 years, founded in 1939 by Horace Condley.

The firm had been at its former location since January 1977.

More:From founding to 80 years later, reputation paramount for Abilene CPA firm Condley & Co.

Let there be light

The large, plate-glass windows that grace the 2022 restoration replicate part of the look that made the Grant Building's storefront iconic, while windows throughout the structure help the sun shine in.

"There's a lot more light in this building, that's what the staff is excited about," Graham said. "There's windows on every floor, it's just very open as far as lighting and design."

From a new state-of-the art training area to collaboration tables to breezy walkways between offices and cubicles, the floorplan has an open and inviting feel, though still − perhaps befitting an accounting firm − efficient and utilitarian.

From the top floor, one can gaze out and see buffalo flying over Frontier Texas! and a city of Abilene water tower, while colorful artwork, including a depiction of the original Grant Building by artist Brown and a cityscape mural on the wall of neighbor First Financial Bank's parking garage by Calina Mishay, add splashes of color throughout.

The latter, only visible from the Grant Building's third floor, is so employees in that part of the building get to see depictions of iconic downtown Abilene attractions, such as The Grace Museum, which helped with a museum-style display elsewhere in the building, and the Paramount Theatre, rather than a brick wall, Graham said.

The firm used local companies when possible throughout the project, he said.

It also worked with the Center for Contemporary Arts to collect and commission artwork by local artists, creating a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by Abilene and West Texas showcased throughout.

Monday marked the first "official" day in the new digs, and while there were a few bugs yet to work out − elevators weren't working and boxes yet to be unpacked − employees bustled about or manipulating spreadsheets and data on TV-sized screens.

On the move

Condley and Company's latest home is the latest in a line of locations the business has occupied since its founding.

In 1955, Condley and William Morphew changed the firm name to Condley, Morphew & Company, with its operations in the First National Bank building.

In 1959, the firm continued to expand after World War II, relocating to the top floor of the newly-constructed Edgar Building at 333 Orange St.

A move almost 20 years later to 993 North Third Street, in a building designed by Abilene Tittle, Luther & Loving, was the firm's former home.

There it stayed for decades. until quarters got tight, and it was time to move from what staff are now calling "the old building," Graham said.

"We ran out of room, basically," he said. "We just kept growing over the last few years and we really needed more space."

Sensible solution

The accounting business, though it's moved here and there in its history, has always been downtown, Graham said.

And with "a lot going on" in the area, from the building of a new convention center hotel and several businesses opening, the nearby location "just made sense," he said.

"This building was open and it fit what we were looking for," Graham said. "It was a total restoration, so we were able to redesign every floor to make it a little more efficient for us and create more space for staff and employees."

The bit of extra room allows for the company, which now employs 70-75 people, to grow a little more in the next few years, he said.

The new building can hold up to 100 employees and should be able to keep up with expected growth, Graham said.

Condley and Company has four departments, he said, with tax services being the "heaviest."

The firm offers audit and assurance services, tax preparation and planning, estate and trust services, outsourced accounting and CFO services, business valuation, business consulting, and data analytics.

"At the old space, we had some issues as far as being able to expand it any further," he said. "We were basically doubling up in some offices, so it was really getting kind of cramped in there for us."

The new building is laid out with offices on the outside of an essentially rectangular design, with cubicles inside.

"It makes it much more efficient, and we can utilize that space a lot better," Graham said.

As far as the company's old space, it's for sale, he said.

Downtown destination

Unlike cliched portrayals, accountants do have a personality, Graham said, and though "CPAs may do it quieter," being part of where they live is vital.

"We're really involved in the community other than just the debits and credits," he quipped.

Particularly exciting, Graham said, is the "new energy" in Abilene's downtown, something the firm hopes to harness.

"On a weeknight, now you come downtown, and there's a lot going on," he said. "It's kind of cool. Everything's been rebuilt, you see a lot of new energy (that) we want to be a part of."

What's good for the business, and the community as a whole, is that it has in some ways "brought back the young generation," Graham said.

"It makes it a place that the young generation wants to hang out," he said, making downtown a "really a big feather in our cap, I think, as far as is trying to attract as young families."

"That's probably the majority of our workforce right now, the young professionals," he said. "In accounting in general, you have a lot of the younger generation involved. So, it's extremely important for us."

A brief history of Condley and Company LLP

1932 - The future home of Condley, the W.T. Grant Merchandise Company Building, at the corner of North Third Street and Pine Street, is built at a cost of $85,000. Grant's variety stores date back to 1906, with hundreds of locations across the country. The ground floor houses retail, with extra merchandise, offices and and club meeting rooms upstairs.

1939 - Horace M. Condley moves to Abilene with his wife, Mickey, and begins a public accounting practice. He rents his first office at the Mims Building, 275 Cypress St.

1955 - Horace M. Condley and WIlliam Morphew change the name to Condley, Morphew & Company, operating out of the First National Bank Building.

1959 - Condley relocates to the top floor of the Edgar Building at 333 Orange St.

1977 - The business moves to 993 North Third Street. Designed by Tittle, Luther & Loving, it wins a Frank Grimes Beautification Award.

1986 - Horace M. Condley retires from public accounting.

2014 - Condley and Company celebrates the firm's 75th anniversary.

2019 - The Abilene Reporter-News honors the firm's 80th anniversary with a front-page feature.

2020 - The National Park Service, based on Condley and Company's preservation efforts, adds the Grant Building to the National Register of Historic Places.

2022 - The company completes restoration and moves into the Grant Building at 302 Pine St.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Condley and Company makes move to historic Grant Building