For more than 100 years, Mechanics Bank has been a fixture in Richland County and currently stands as the only independent, community bank. At the beginning of June an additional 8,900 square feet of that fixture will open to the public, located at 2 South Main Street in Mansfield.
The new spaces extends from the current bank south to Uncle John’s restaurant and will give customers access to the commercial, residential and consumer loan offices on street level. Mark Masters, Executive Vice President of Mechanics, explained the idea for the downtown addition came as a solution to a practical problem: the bank was running out of space. Once Mechanics acquired the four adjoining buildings, inspiration struck.
“Once we saw the character (of the buildings) we thought, this could be something very special,” said Masters. “Thinking of the practical needs we started envisioning how we would put offices in, but as we began to think about our vision for Mechanics and our continued connection with the community, we thought we need to do something special to send a message to the community.”
Architect Dan Seckel of The Seckel Group was tasked with the job of bringing the Mechanics vision to life, starting by demolishing the entire interior’s finishes and tearing everything down to its basic structure. Masters said the four buildings are somewhere between 95 and 110 years old, and were in various stages of decay.
“Dan said let’s take everything away so we know what we’re working with,” said Masters.
Much of the buildings’ original structures have been kept intact, including the original brick and sweeping archways. Also featured in the addition is a second floor mezzanine with designated space for training, presentations and other special events. The architecture is spotted with modern touches, including an indoor brick walkway with lampposts, a storefront and its own name.
“We have a saying here that we do things the Mechanics way, so in honor of that perspective we created some space that we have named ‘The Mechanics Way,’” said Masters of the brick walkway.
The walkway leads to a hidden gem in the interior of the new bank – a courtyard featuring a cascading water wall, meant to host a variety of occasions.
“It’s a place we could have special functions in, where the community could get to know us on a different level than they typically get to know their bankers,” said Masters.
Since the bank’s permanent headquarters were established at 2 South Main Street in 1926, six additional offices have been added in Richland County, the newest in Shelby in 2013 and an upcoming office in Bellville. Mechanics President Deborah Schenk said the bank’s continuing expansion has been focused on their customers.
“In the last several years we’ve been growing, and when you do banking business the way Mechanics does it, it’s all about people,” said Schenk. “When we had the opportunity to acquire more properties, it was the right thing to do, and we are just thrilled with the way it has turned out.”
With continuing talks regarding traffic flows and streetscapes in downtown Mansfield, Masters said he considers the new Mechanics addition as “a gift to the community,” and a way to connect Central Park, the streetscape and the new facility.
“We think it provides something to the community we don’t have today in Mansfield: a place we can provide connection with local business, with scenic views in downtown, and hopefully it will continue to be a catalyst for further development of storefronts, of businesses, of our natural resources,” he said. “We’re keeping part of the old and bringing in part of the new.”
“Once we saw the character (of the buildings) we thought, this could be something very special,” said Masters. “Thinking of the practical needs we started envisioning how we would put offices in, but as we began to think about our vision for Mechanics and our continued connection with the community, we thought we need to do something special to send a message to the community.”
