Benchmark to celebrate renovation
Published 1:12 pm Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Benchmark Community Bank recently announced the upcoming completion of its renovation project in Victoria. The company expects the reconfiguration of the building, designed by Baskervill Architects in Richmond and executed by Kenbridge Construction Company, to be completed by the end of November. To mark the occasion, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. Monday in front of the bank.
The renovation has resulted in dramatic changes to both the exterior and interior of the circa 1974 building. These changes, which include many new features, brings the branch in line with current trends in banking offices and gives it an updated look similar to newer Benchmark branches. It is the company’s third major renovation project in recent years. The first was in Lawrenceville in 2011. The second was the Kenbridge project, which just wrapped up last month. Within the last decade, Benchmark has also built three new branches, in South Boston (2007), South Hill (2010) and Clarksville (2012).
CEO Mike Walker said he is pleased to have the work on the Victoria building completed in time for the holidays.
“Our Victoria staff and customers have cheerfully endured lots of dust, drafty conditions and inconvenience during this project,” Walker said. “I thank them for their patience and understanding. I hope they are finding that it was worth the trouble. We wanted them to be able to enjoy the same state-of-the-art, welcoming environment that our customers in other areas enjoy and I think we’ve accomplished that. So far, I’ve heard nothing but positive comments, most of them focused on the remarkable difference between the old and new. Architectural styles and banking have both come a long way in 40 years.”
After the ribbon cutting, the public is invited to come in to see the exciting new interior, which boasts a digital messaging center, décor featuring historic photos, a community post and a kids corner. At that time, visitors will also be able to enter a drawing to be held during the branch’s holiday open house on Dec. 16.
This year, the event will be extra special as it will also be the official celebration of the completion of the renovation project. Details about the open house will be forthcoming.