By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer
POSTED: 06:28 p.m. EDT, Mar 29, 2010
Workers from Summit Construction are finishing up the outer shell of the newest office building in downtown Akron.
The building is being developed by Terra Group of Brecksville and leased to KeyBank, which will take up the whole 21,000-square-foot building.
KeyBank is expecting to move in at the end of August, said Tom Tulodzieski, president of the Eastern Ohio Region, which includes Akron, Canton and Youngstown.
As the three-story glass and metal building begins looking more complete from the outside, clients and customers are asking about it, he said.
''The excitement level is beginning to build,'' said Tulodzieski.
The building, at the corner of Main and University streets, will be downtown Akron's first new office building in more than eight years. It will house KeyBank's branch and regional headquarters. The operations will move out of an existing facility being rented one block over at Bowery and South Main.
The bank will rent the new facility from Terra Group and has a 20-year lease, said Tulodzieski. The interior work will be done by Turner Construction of Cleveland for Key.
The parcel of land is long and narrow with a hill. The building was built into the hill with significant foundation work. KeyBank will house a new 7,000 square-foot-branch on the first floor as well as offices for the Eastern Ohio Region and private bankers. There will also be a covered bridge from the building into the Summit County parking deck for employees and customers.
The building will house 45 employees from the other branch and private bankers who have been in the former O'Neil's building and in Hudson.
An awning outside the branch will have a ticker electronic display showing marketing messages and rates.
''We think that'll get additional flair,'' Tulodzieski said.
Tulodzieski said the new branch is much larger than the existing 700-square-foot branch a few blocks away.
The site across from Lock 3 Park has been vacant since at least 1988, city officials have said. KeyBank and Terra have declined to say how much the new building will cost, but city records show it is a $3 million project.
It's the first new office building downtown since the Summa Care building on South Main and Market streets was built in 2001.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com.
