Merchants Bank to Move into Former Lenny's Location

By Christina Georgiou

The former Lenny's menswear shop will house Merchants Bank's Easton
branch office by early next year. Above, plans show where an ATM and
new awnings will be installed.

The Bangor-based Merchants Bank is set to move it's current Easton branch office across Centre Square early next year to the years-vacant location of the former Lenny's menswear store.

Easton's Historic District Commission gave a unanimous nod of approval Monday evening for minor facade changes at 45 Centre Square that will facilitate Merchants' occupancy of the space, including awning replacement, changing the current entrance to a recessed one, and the replacement of some of the shopfront windows to accomodate ATM machines and a night depository.

Historic architectural details, such as the glass blocks above the display windows, will remain untouched, project architect Jeff Martinson assured the commission.

The current exterior shop doors will be removed and the two current interior doors in the vestibule will be reworked to make them wider to comply with ADA regulations to make the bank office handicapped accessible, Martinson said.

The entrance walkway, currently brick, will also be reworked to remove a small step and convert the vestibule entrance into a ramp. Martinson said he expects to replace the brick with ceramic pavers in keeping with the building's historic look.

The current retractable awnings will be replaced with fixed ones to provide protection from sun and weather for customers using the two ATM machines, set to be fixed within new opaque bullet-proof proof glass windows on the to the left of the office's entrance.

The former Lenny's menswear shop will soon
be the site of Bangor-based Merchants Bank's
Easton branch office.

The color of the awnings and the glass has not yet been finally decided upon, Martinson said, but both will complement the building, he promised.

"I'm looking for approval of the materials and application," he said. "We have to come back (before the HDC) for signage."

Merchants Bank representatives did not attend the hearing, but building co-owner Ken Greene said the Easton branch will probably move to their new space and open early next year.

"It depends on how construction goes," Greene said.

HDC members also unanimously approved signs for All Gussied Up, another business planning on opening shortly in another long-vacant Centre Square shop on Monday evening.

All Gussied Up, which is moving from Nazareth to Easton, plans to open in the former Bixler's Jewelers at 22 Centre Square in October, owner Kelly Pettis said last month.