The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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October 21, 2009

United Prairie opens for business

Bank building comes full circle

By Tim Krohn

MANKATO — The building that housed one of Mankato’s first banks is home to a bank once more.

United Prairie will today open a full-service branch in the Graif Building, across from the Verizon Civic Center.

“This will be a compliment to everything we offer at our main location. It’s a full-service bank,” said Pam Jagdfeld, president of United Prairie, which built a new headquarters building on the northeast edge of Mankato in June of 2008.

The bank takes up much of the first floor of the Graif Building, which has been completely renovated. The four story building was originally the National Citizens Bank, built in 1892.

United Prairie will occupy space formerly used by Graif Clothing, which has moved to an adjacent space.

The bank will host an open house at the new location from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, with a hog roast and live music.

Marble pillars and an ornate hand-plastered ceiling are two of the prized architectural features in the bank. The ornate ceiling was well preserved under a lowered ceiling that had been installed in the past.

“No one knew that beautiful ceiling was there. It’s really priceless,” said David Wittenberg, director of private banking for UP.

Wittenberg has long planned to move into the Graif location, but the route has been circuitous. Wittenberg and others had announced they were starting a new specialty bank at the location that would focus on entrepreneurs. But the banking meltdown brought on by the recession and stricter regulations ended the pursuit.

UP hired Wittenberg and eventually decided to use the Graif building for a branch.

“It’s a nice location, near a lot of professional groups and businesses in the City Center and it’s convenient for customers being on the opposite end of town,” Wittenberg said.

“The emergence of the City Center, with all the public and private investment has produced a lot of positive energy, even in a difficult economy,” he said.

Since moving to Mankato, UP has grown from 22 employees to 44, Jagdfeld said.

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