Bank renovation signals longevity

by Jim Muench

October 16,2009

It's not just a renovation; it's a message: Commerce Bank is going strong and is here to stay.

In the midst of an extensive, nine-month update to its interior and a facelift on its front façade, which began last June, the Commerce Bank building at Ninth and Broadway will cement the bank's presence in the region for years to come, said Teresa Maledy, president and CEO of the bank's central region.

Assistant V.P. Manager of Design and Construction Scott DuVall goes over the construction plans with Commerce Bank President and CEO of the Cental Missouri Region Teresa Maledy. Maledy recruited DuVall from Kansas City where he did a similar historic renovation of the Commerce Bank in downtown Kansas City.

"We really feel that it's a visible, outward sign of how much Commerce believes in Columbia and also the downtown district," she said. "It's a beautiful building that we are proud to own. We felt it was important to invest in the downtown district and be part of that community."

The interior renovation is intended to be "modern but timeless," she said, and will create 3,500 square feet of additional space, including a full-service bank lobby and administrative offices on the ground floor. The new setup will allow the bank to house all the senior management in one building, along with the bank's human resources, commercial banking, the trust company, private banking, brokerage services and retail administration departments. A new second floor will house offices for Maledy and Chief Credit Officer Jim Schatz, along with trust, brokerage and private banking. The third floor will be devoted to commercial banking.

Plans are to maintain the classical revival style of the building's exterior, said Scott DuVall, assistant vice president and manager of design and construction. However, the bank plans to restore the façade, which is listed on the National Historic Registry, to its original glory through tuckpointing, fixing the parapet and reglazing. Classical revival architecture was used primarily in large, public buildings in the early 20th century.

According to Deb Sheals, historic preservation consultant, Commerce acquired the building when it merged with Boone National Savings and Loan in 2006. The site housed a stage stop and post office in the 1830s and an opera house from 1884 until 1900, when it burned and was replaced by the first Haden Building. The Boone County Trust Co. built the present building in 1921.

Although the building's interior was remodeled several times in the past, DuVall said, the building's heating and cooling system had to be revamped because it had multiple systems working in separate parts of the building that had been added over time. Although the building will not be LEED certified, DuVall said the renovation is being done with sustainability in mind by including Energy Star-rated lights and appliances, recycled steel, repurposed doors and sealing the building's outer skin.

A construction worker lowers a hose from the third floor to the main lobby of the Commerce Bank building at the corner of Ninth Street and Broadway. The bank is renovating the historic landmark and making the once two-and-a-half story building into three levels of functioning office space. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2010.

There are no plans for Commerce to close its Fifth and Broadway banking center, Maledy said, because it offers a drive-through that is important to customers.

"From our chairman on down, we understand that you need to execute at a local level, so we interact with communities based on what's needed there," Maledy said. "We feel that Columbia is a wonderful city to be in, and it's very important to us, which is evidenced by our company's decision to invest in the building."