Bank of American Fork will be restoring and protecting a historic building that is an original part of the infrastructure of American Fork’s business community.

People’s Utah Bancorp, holding company for Bank of American Fork, has purchased the 109-year-old building on 1 East, adjacent to the west corner of the American Fork main office, the latest sign of the local bank’s growth following its merger with Lewiston State Bank in October.

This American Fork landmark architecture, the home of Sweet Pea Floral until last April, is on the historic registry. The building, constructed in 1905, has a banking history and will house the administrative offices of People’s Utah Bancorp.

“We’re excited to be a part of developing and preserving a piece of American Fork’s history,” said Richard T. Beard, President and CEO of People’s Utah Bancorp and Bank of American Fork.

The historic exterior will be preserved while the interior will be renovated and ready to occupy by early 2015. The historic interior ceiling and windows will be preserved, as well.

The bank said it wants to preserve the building’s look because of its commitment to the heritage of this community.

“We hope the American Fork community is excited about the preservation of the building,” Mr. Beard said. “We invite community members to visit our current main office at 33 E. Main St., where they can see historical photos of Main St. as they watch the preservation and restoration of the building and site.”

The preservation of the historic building highlights People’s Utah Bancorp’s plan to commit to communities, as it says its growth is vital to protecting the community-bank model that benefits local citizens and businesses. A survey released in February finds about 1 in 4 big bank customers say they’re considering switching to community banks in the coming year because of the local banks’ focus on trust and service.

The news of the bank’s expansion comes at the heel of an improved economical climate as a new report indicates that Utahns show strong confidence in the state’s economy, the Utah Consumer Attitude Index improving nearly 20 points over the past 12 months. Fewer Utahns think interest rates will continue to move higher in the coming months.

The bank said it hired Cooper, Roberts, Simonsen and Associates, an architectural firm specializing in historic restoration, and Big D Construction, a company with expansive experience in historic restoration.

The building on 1 East, which was a retail store and office building, is neo-classical in style, the construction made of iron oxide bricks with wood columns, iconic and composite capitals, arches with limestone keystones, entablure, sills, brackets and extensive ornamental pressed metal trim.

“For us, utilizing historic buildings in the community we serve is a symbolic way of underscoring our commitment to be a good neighbor and part of the community,” Mr. Beard said.

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