Page 35 - BusinessWest March 17, 2025

SINCE 1850
Thanks for giving us
Nobody makes it to their 175th year alone. We’ve been a part of this community since before cars, before elevators, before the Civil War. Generations of community members have put their trust in us, despite all the changes in the world, all the things we’ve had to weather. And, together, we’ve come out all the better for it. To say thank you for 175 years, we’re giving 175 gifts to the community this year. We couldn’t have made it without you.
To learn more visit countrybank.com/175.
Mary McGovern and Evan Plotkin say 1350 Main St. is an emerging corner in downtown Springfield.
Staff Photo
focused, and in 2025, we’ll be focusing more on our western market.” As for the location in 1350 Main St., it continues a strong come-
back for that property, which has seen many of its long-vacant spaces absorbed in the past 24 months, while it also continues a movement by the banking sector into the central busi-
ness district; in addition to New Valley, Chase
recently established a branch on the ground floor of 1391 Main, known to most as Harri- son Place.
Plotkin, president of NAI Plotkin as well as co-owner of 1350 Main, said the space being taken by Country has been vacant for about
a dozen years now. Over that span (most of which the first five floors were owned by a separate party; Plotkin and partners gained control in 2023), there has been interest
of varying degrees from a broad range of businesses.
“To have the lights on in there, with the activity of a bank, transacting business, changes the building quite a bit.”
White Lion Brewing Co. took a long look at
the space before eventually settling on a site
in Tower Square, he noted, adding that a few restaurants and retailers have looked at it as well.
Banks ... not so much, said Plotkin, adding that Country apparently sees what others haven’t, and that is an emerging corner, if you will, in downtown Springfield, with the MassMutual Center diagonally across Main Street, a new parking garage behind that, a revitalized Court Square across Court Street, and the new apartments at 31 Elm St. just beyond the park.
“That’s one of the best corners in the city,” he told BusinessWest. “It’s next to City Hall, it’s across from the MassMutual Center ... it’s where the life and the heart of the city is. The center of gravity has moved to this block.”
Plotkin categorized Country’s arrival as a win-win. It’s a win for the bank, which gains a highly visible location in the city, and it’s a win for all those at 1350 Main, because a long-dark space will see the lights go back on again.
“To have a dark space on the ground floor of a building of this stature is an impediment, if not from an economic basis, but from a visibility standpoint,” Plotkin said. “To have the lights on in there, with the activ- ity of a bank, transacting business, changes the building quite a bit.”
Like most other downtown bank branches, the location lacks park- ing and a drive-thru lane, but it will be convenient for people working or doing other business in that area, and will provide additional support for the bank’s many custom-
ers in the Greater Springfield
and Northern Connecticut
markets, said McGovern, add-
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