The 1940 structure housing the post office covers an area of 32,000 square feet and has been bought by Naperville Bank & Trust to be transformed into the bank’s downtown wing. The project is designed by Charles Vincent George Design Group in association with Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Naperville Heritage Society and will retain its original art deco style. An area of almost 2,000 square feet located on the southern portion of the facility will function as a postal unit whereas a retail centre will be created inside the building in a space leased by the bank to the US Postal Service.
The refurbished building will be equipped with roof windows to allow passage of more light in the lobby along with new lighting systems incorporating the art deco style. The project will also involve recycling of the former marble wainscot and the original vault door. The original oak windows will undergo restoration work whereas an original art mural will be relocated from its existing position at the post office to a wall atop the new teller windows.
The bank will be adorned with several original furnishings and three original built-in bulletin boards as part of the makeover. The revamped facility will feature kiosks to display post office and Naperville artifacts. The facade built in 1939 will be retained in its original form. Additional plans call for creation of a spacious conference room along with a kids section.
A lobby in the interior of the building will act as a liaison between the bank and the post office. There will be a separate entrance for the post office replicating the original grand entry. A signage will be created on the upper friezes. The main entrance will draw references from the original 1939 design. The new building will feature brick paving in the Washington and Benton Street frontages. Its parking side will comprise a public plaza. In addition, a raised cut stone terrace will be constructed to ease access for the disabled.
The project is expected to commence by August 2011 and is due for completion by early 2012.
