|
Centre Daily Times February 16 2005
Nittany Bank to open in Bellefonte
By Chris Rosenblum; crosenbl@centredailiy.com
"Soon, Bellefonte will have its own little downtown financial district.
After months of work spent refurbishing a historic building, Nittany Bank anticipates opening a branch office at 125 N. Allegheny St. this week, said bank CEO Dave Richards.
A soft opening is set for Thursday, but the bank is planning a formal open house for later this month. Bank hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Nittany Bank, started six years ago, is the new kid on the block, joining Omega Bank a few doors down and Northwest Savings Bank at the opposite end of the block. But Richards said his branch, headed by Doreen Koleno, with sit-down service and no teller lines, will stand out.
"We're going to bring a personal-banker style to Bellefonte," Richards said. "We like the town because there's a strong sense of community there, which fits with us. We're a locally owned bank, and we think our culture fits with Bellefonte."
Employing a staff of four, the branch will mark the latest chapter for a structure built in 1841 as a Greek Revival home. A third story was added around 1902 for the Masonic Lodge No. 268, which still meets there.
Since signing a long-term lease last August for the first-floor space previously occupied by an insurance agency, the bank has spent more than $200,000 to remodel the property.
Sue Hannegan, a Bellefonte planner, said the bank received permission from the borough's Historical Architectural Review Board to attach two blue and white company signs to the front marquee.
Other approved additions include a front-window sign directing customers to parking in the back and an awning over the rear entrance.
Hannegan said the bank wants to paint the burgundy marquee black, a more traditional color for cast iron. Bellefonte's historic district regulations permit changes to a building's color schemes, she said.
The bank has not applied to paint the building's distinctive front facade, done in the "Flemish Bond" style of alternating the long and end sides of bricks, Hannegan said. In any case, she said, the review board does not recommend painting over historic brick siding.
Richards said the bank sought to replicate as much of a period interior as possible. It removed old paneling, reproduced wide moldings and tin ceiling panels, and added historic light fixtures and antiques.
And while bank officials plan to install two to four ATMs, none will be attached to the bank.
"We don't think it would fit historically with the building," Richards said.
Hannegan said another bank, even though it isn't the kind of evening destination the borough would like to see more of downtown, will help draw residents and others to the district during daytime hours.
"We're really excited," Richards said. "I think there's a lot of potential in the Bellefonte community."
|
|
