A worker puts the finishing touches on the new sign at the former Morgan Center on East Diamond Street. The office building was sold to NexTier last year.

It was the end of an era Tuesday, as workers removed the sign from the Morgan Center building on East Diamond Street.

The Morgan Center, which was built in the late 1970s by the late developer Bill Morgan to accommodate attorneys who needed an office close to the courthouse, was purchased by NexTier in a deal with Morgan's daughter, Nancy Morgan-McCarren.

Morgan also owned Morgan Management on Brugh Avenue, an office building largely occupied by doctors' practices, which burned in 2003; Morgan II, which was an office complex at the current site of Butler Health System's Crossroads Campus; plus Morgan's Diner, Morgan's Kentucky Fried Chicken, Morgan's Car Wash and several other businesses.

“This is the last Bill Morgan property,” McCarren said in April.

She said much soul-searching and consideration went into her decision to sell the elegant building conceived by her Dad.

“I tried to carry on as best I could to honor him, but it's a lot of responsibility and a lot of stress,” McCarren said of owning the building, “so when this opportunity came on the table, I felt it was just the right time.”

She feels her father, the venerable businessman and staunch supporter of Butler, would approve of her decision to sell to NexTier.

“We have a picture of him in the lobby of Morgan Center and that's going to be the last thing we take down,” McCarren said. “I know my dad would be OK with this. I really feel he would be.”

Workers from Chamberlain Sign and Graphics of Evans City spent the morning removing the sign from above the entrance.

Chamberlain then replaced the sign with one that reads “NexTier Bank.”

Bill Morgan's grandson, Clint McCarren, was there to watch the new sign be fastened to the front of his grandfather's building.

McCarren works for NexTier in maintenance, so he will never be far from his roots.

“It's weird,” McCarren said, gazing at the new sign. “I grew up with it being my grandfather's and I was always here for stuff that wasn't work, and now I'm here for work.”

He said he's glad the building his grandfather created will remain a vital part of Butler's downtown.

“It's bittersweet personally, but it's nice that it's not just falling by the wayside,” McCarren said of the building. “It's being used and it's filled up with people.”

Natalie Cotherman, NexTier's creative director, was on hand to see Chamberlain workers erect the new sign, which fits the scheme of the new exterior paint in the bank's signature blue and green.

“Our goal is to make a splash in town,” Cotherman said. “We're very excited to be here.”

Still, she appreciates the legacy of the bank's longtime landlord at Morgan Center.

“We have really enjoyed working with the Morgan family throughout all the years we've had our branch in this building,” Cotherman said.