141 Mann street is the central beating heart of the High street.
The Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney purchased land at this corner in 1920 and immediately opened up for business in a very old weatherboard cottage which stood on site. William Cole, who had an orchard at Erina, conducted a fruit and vegetable shop in the right hand front portion of the cottage shown in 1907.
The old structures eventually made way for a handsome new two-storied banking chamber which opened for business on 24 March 1924.
Renovations and remodelling in 1953 were affected, but business growth brought about demolition of the building in 1969 and the erection of new premises which opened in 1970.
The CBC and the National Bank of Aust. Ltd merged, which in 1981 became the National Australia Bank Ltd.
With Fewer customers are using branches to bank, the NAB BANK closed its doors in August 2023, leaving the building alongside almost 50% of its surrounds vacant and covered in graffiti shortly thereafter.
2025 the Central Coast Contemporary Multi Arts Centre with zero local or state gov support took on the risk as the charity faced notice from council they were to move out of the existing kibble park council building. Simultaneously the organisation led the State governments “Uptown Program” application designed to fast-track the formation of local business communities and facilitate the growth of their districts into vibrant going-out hubs in line with the NSW Government’s 24-Hour Economy Strategy. The succesful application hosted more local business members than any prior Sydney or regional application and the “Gosford Strip Precinct” was born. Working with state governments 24hr economy the Uptown Program aims to enable the development of districts into unique going-out destinations by supporting formally aligned groups of businesses in a local area (District Teams) to collectively work on enhancing their district’s offering and building consumer engagement with their district.
A bright new future for Gosford is taking place, one that is set to address the multigenerational neglect of the high street and the community fatigue on Gosfords potential.