Ground will be broken this week for a new banking center near the Kroger Marketplace shopping center on the city’s north side.
Seymour-based bank JCB will debut a new look when construction begins on a 3,700-square foot banking center, which will replace the bank’s Clover Center office, said Susan Haskett, JCB’s senior vice president and chief administrative officer.
Five employees will move from the Clover Center location to the new banking center when it is completed, with a tentative opening date of July 1.
Construction on the estimated $3.5 million project will begin, weather permitting, after Wednesday’s private groundbreaking ceremony, said Marvin Veatch, also a senior vice president and chief operating officer.
JCB purchased the former Caddies Pub and Bradbury’s Waterin’ Hole properties, at 2761 Central Ave. and 2801 Central Ave., respectively, in 2015.
The two lots comprise about an acre where the new banking center will be built, designed by PW Campbell, a design firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The new banking center will have four lanes, including two for drive-thru banking service, one with an ATM and another a pass-through lane, Haskett said. The building is designed for growth and potential expansion, she said. It will be an upgrade for the Clover Center location, which does not have drive-thru capabilities.
In addition to the physical additions, JCB plans to roll out additional services at its new site, including brokerage services, Haskett said.
The Campbell design firm has come up with a new prototype for JCB that will debut with this center.
The firm’s president and chief operating officer, James G. Caliendo, said banks today have been aggressive in changing designs of new branches and existing ones. The future of branch banking has changed from being transaction-driven to being a more welcoming, engaging, educational and sales facility, he said.
“Jackson County Bank has absolutely accomplished this with the design of their new location in Columbus,” Caliendo said. “Also, the bank’s strong community commitment is demonstrated by the exterior design, fitting in with other business architecture designs in the community of Columbus. This is going to be a progressive and dynamic look and feel for new and existing customers and the entire community as a whole.”
Haskett acknowledged that the JCB brand has a certain look in Columbus in its locations along East 25th Street, Jonathan Moore Pike and Washington Street, one that has been carried through the company, sometimes described as traditional colonial. JCB has been in the Columbus market for more than 25 years.
“We’ve moved forward the time frame” with the new prototype, she said, more in line with Columbus’ emergence as an architectural showcase during the past century.
The new prototype is a fresher and more modern take for the company, featuring glass accents and brickwork that provide an homage to Columbus’ architectural heritage and style, Haskett said.
And the look has a more retail vibe than previous JCB designs, which fits well with the new Kroger Marketplace, which opened Aug. 19 with a 124,000-square-foot store at 3060 N. National Road.
The location was a good fit for JCB as the company had been looking for a new location to improve visibility and accessibility, Veatch said.
After the building is completed, Haskett and Veatch said the company will have an open house to invite the community to see the new center and its design.
PW Campbell officials confirmed they will travel to Columbus for the dedication of the building, which is being constructed by local Columbus contractor Dunlap General and Mechanical Contractors.
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Seymour-based JCB has three banking branch locations in Columbus.
- 3880 W. Jonathan Moore Pike
- 400 Washington St.
- 3019 E. 25th St., which will be closed when a new banking center opens on North National Road.
The new construction will be along Central Avenue where the Caddies Pub and Bradbury’s Waterin’ Hole were located on the Kroger Marketplace footprint on Columbus northside.
JCB also has three branches in Seymour and one in North Vernon.
To learn more about JCB, visit jcbank.com/
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