Washington Trust Bank adds two new branches

High ceilings and natural light give a new Washington Trust Bank branch in Lewiston the feel of a hotel lobby.

Clients can conduct traditional transactions with tellers or in two drive-through lanes.

But the single-story office also features three seating areas, including one with a large sofa and two with chairs and tables. They provide bank employees places to have more in-depth discussions with customers.

“It’s inviting and based on conversations rather than just the transaction,” said branch manager Cari Miller.

The 21st Street office opens today, replacing a smaller temporary location the bank had on Thain Road in a shopping complex.

A similar Washington Trust branch debuted in Moscow two weeks ago. (See accompanying information.)

“These new permanent branches represent our ongoing commitment to the communities of Moscow and Lewiston,” said Jim Branson, chief banking officer for Washington Trust Bank, in a prepared statement.

The expansion comes seven years after Washington Trust Bank entered the Lewiston market. It has other ties to the community that go back longer, Miller said.

The company’s chairman and CEO, Peter Stanton, is married to Denise Stanton, the daughter of Tony Copeland, an entrepreneur best known for his Lewiston auto dealership that was later acquired by Joe Hall, Miller said.

Stanton leads a financial institution that is headquartered in Spokane and describes itself as the largest independently owned, full-service commercial bank in the Northwest. Founded in 1902, it has assets exceeding $7.2 billion.

It has 40 branches and offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Its approximately 970 employees offer personal and commercial banking and home loans, along with services for wealth management, trusts and investments.

The bank’s five Lewiston employees are working in an office that took more than one year to complete.

The project involved removing a building that housed an Asian restaurant, hauling in 12,000 cubic yards of dirt to make part of the lot more level with 21st Street and constructing a 12-foot retaining wall.

The bank building sits on the upper section and employee parking and drainage are in a lower level.

The new setting is an upgrade Miller welcomes.

“It’s going to be like working in a whole new job,” she said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.

Washington Trust Bank is located at 1518 21st St. in Lewiston and 222 Troy Road in Moscow. The branches have the same hours. The offices are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays. The drive-through windows are open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays.

A Lewiston ribbon-cutting ceremony previously planned for Tuesday has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date because of the coronavirus.