The modernist PNC Bank branch at 7801 Forsyth in Downtown Clayton (Northwest corner of Forsyth and Bemiston) will soon get a refreshed look if plans by M1 Bank are approved by the Clayton Architectural Review Board.
Plans have been filed with the City of Clayton to overhaul the current building to become M1 Bank's executive office and main bank branch. This is the second phase to the M1 Bank HQ campus in Downtown Clayton. The first phase involved the renovation of the old Gerschman Commercial building on Bemiston into some of their home offices. That was completed earlier this year. Now is time to move on to Phase 2.
This portion of the project will consist of renovating the entire PNC Bank building while making an effort to retain the modernist facade accents. The current amount of parking spaces, 36, will remain the same. Those spaces are in an underground garage accessed from Bemiston. The development will also include the addition of another drive-thru banking lane. The total cost of development is estimated at $7.15 Million, a hefty price tag for the overhaul of a building that was built in 1965.
According to the architect, CORE10 Architects...
"As it represents a good example of classic modernism, we felt it appropriate to keep the existing structure and simply enhance the architecture with a new skin at this important corner in Downtown Clayton. The scale of the building is that of a small tower, being only 3-stories tall, but very narrow. The site, located in the downtown core neighborhood, is also very small and of the scale of the downtown core historic neighborhood. It is our plan to honor that scale by keeping the overall building footprint as it currently stands."
The new skin on the building will be made of glass and of a metal screen. The combination of these two materials will give the building a modern look but, as I said earlier, will not remove the modernist aesthetics of the building.
M1 Bank was founded by Ken Poteet, who previously founded Sterling Bank. M1 Bank was founded in 2018. The reclad of the PNC Building joins a crowded development pipeline to the West of Bemiston Avenue in Clayton. Multiple projects are currently proposed or underway including the Bank of America replacement, Forsyth Point, 111-21 South Meramec, Bemiston Place, and a Residence Inn Hotel.
Additional photos of Phase 1: https://www.core10arch.com/m1-bank-phase1-natl-hdqtrs