NEW LOCATION: Centra opens remodeled downtown Columbus location

One of Columbus’s largest financial service companies has a new downtown location.

Centra Credit Union’s new branch at 501 Washington St. opened March 8 after remodeling.

"We gave the building a facelift and really incorporated Centra’s look and feel into the space," said marketing and communication specialist Emily Dial. "A few of the ways we did this was repainting the walls, updating the lighting, and replacing the flooring. We also made some changes to the second floor by removing some interior walls and adding open space cubicles for our team members."

She added that the second floor now has a break area with amenities for team members. She also said that Centra is still working on the placement of internal and external signage and expects to finish that work in the next couple of weeks.

The Washington Street location is Centra’s largest branch in Columbus at about 28,000 square feet.

"While all our branch locations are full service, the size of this location lets a variety of team members in different departments have offices within the branch," she said. 

This three-story building was formerly an Old National Bank location. It was later purchased by Sprague Rentals LLC, and Centra purchased it from Sprague for about $1.77 million. The purchase price included all furniture and finishes and a 20-space parking lot at the back of the property, Dial said. 

While the building is open for Centra operations, executive search firm Smith & Syberg will continue to have their lease on the second floor, she said. 

The location is also equipped with special technology. Similar to some of Centra’s other branches, the Washington Street branch has teller pods in the lobby and an Interactive Teller Machine on the building’s exterior. 

Dial said that members can walk up to the ITM and touch the screen to be connected to an agent from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

“All of these agents are located here in Columbus," she said. "It’s just like our contact center, except there’s a camera on them, talking to members face to face. But you can essentially do all the transactions you can do inside the branch. … You could pay loans, pay bills.”

The machine can also be used as an ATM at any time, Centra’s first downtown ATM, which will be more convenient for members so that they can avoid fees. 

The building is "in the heart of Columbus" and conveniently within walking distance of many members and businesses working or based in the downtown. 

Opening the Washington Street location has resulted in some Centra workers and departments shifting to new offices.

Centra said the 601 Union St. branch’s team and operations would move to the new downtown location, but drive-thru ITMs would remain on site at Union Street. Branch operations at Union Street are now closed, Dial said, but the ITMs are still open. According to a letter to members from Centra president and CEO Rick Silvers, the Union Street branch opened in 1962 as the first official Credit Union building. 

"Our Union Street location has a lot of history, but we’re excited for the new opportunities our Washington Street location offers," Dial said. 

Some Centra workers and departments have also shifted from the National Road branch to the Washington Street location. Among them is Karl Kissinger, senior vice president of business services. Kissinger said that he’s "excited" to be downtown and is very pleased with the new offices.

"It looks great," he said. "It’s nice to see the improvements made and be back downtown as part of the community here.”

“Centra was founded right here in Columbus, and we are still headquartered right here in the community. We have kept our eyes open for an opportunity in downtown Columbus, so when this building became available, we felt it was the right time to make a move and finally have a presence downtown," Dial said.

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To view more photos of the new Centra location, visit therepublic.com.

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