ShawneeDispatch.com

A Shawnee developer is proposing to renovate a downtown Shawnee building.

Kevin Tubbesing of Stag Commercial announced last week he has contracted to purchase the Commerce Bank property at 11101 Johnson Drive in downtown Shawnee. He plans for exterior and interior improvements to the building,

Tubbesing said the project falls in line with his company’s goal to improve communities with quality infill developments, and he was interested in preserving the building’s history while better utilizing the space to benefit the downtown area.

“It wasn’t too different from our previous projects; I saw something in my neighborhood that was either a blight or in this case was a jewel of our city,” he said. “Literally, the entire city of Shawnee was built around this corner, was built around this bank, and this bank helped fund a lot of the developments in Shawnee.”

The transaction includes the primary bank building, a 3,359-square-foot former municipal firehouse adjacent to the bank, and associated parking lots in the downtown area.

The original structure was built for Shawnee State Bank in 1909 and has expanded over the years to its current 10,726 square feet. In 1971 during the final expansion of the property, a black spandrel glass with aluminum framing façade was applied to the skin of the building. Commerce Bank bought the Shawnee State Bank in 1997.

The black glass will be one of the first things to go in Stag Commercial’s redevelopment plans. Tubbesing said the company hoped to rediscover the original stonework of the 1909 structure and reface the rest of the building in complementary natural stone. The bank’s former entrance directly at the corner of Johnson and Nieman drives would be reopened.

Inside, the building will be split into three spaces with individual entrances on Johnson Drive. Each section will have a unique stone façade on the front of the building.

This is not the first time a developer has proposed a renovation for the building. Shawnee-based Fish Development worked out a marketing agreement with Commerce Bank to purchase the property in 2006, though the plan did not come to fruition.

Fish Development’s plan was to create a new two-story, 22,000-foot building on the site, while safeguarding some original portions of the Shawnee State Bank building. Stag does not plan to expand the buildings in any way.

Fish’s plan for the retail or office space in a new building included 2,500 square feet for Commerce. But Commerce will not locate in the renovated building under its agreement with Stag

Tubbesing said he hoped the former fire station, which currently houses a Commerce ATM, could be remodeled for a restaurant, while the former bank mainly would be marketed for retail or office space.

Tubbesing said his goal was a summer start for construction, though several factors affect a start date. The main factor is after closing on the property, Stag must give Commerce a 75-day period to let safe deposit box owners know their boxes will be relocated to other branches.

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