Thruway - Customer Convenience and Service
Wachovia' s new
Thruway Banking Center
in branch banking and
could very well be a pro
totype tor the future. The two-story building is unique among
Wachov ia offices in Forsyth County because it combines the
usual consumer banking operation on the ground level with a
more specialized pri\ ate/business banking group located on the
second fKx>r, The new office is designed to accommixlate a full
range of banking services in a comfortable, businesslike set
ting. Inside and out. the bank projects a very sophisticated look
for the professional market that it serves.
The Thruway office is located in the heart of one of
W inston-Salem's busiest commercial, professional and resi
Commercial customers at the Thru way Hanking Center
enjoy the added convenience and privacy of a separate
commercial deposit window.
dential seetionv In recent >ears. se\eral new office buildings
have been buill along South Stratford knad .mil on nenrht
knoll wood Street, all within sight of the new Wachosia
office. And just across Business 1-40 lie some of the cit\'s
mo\t affluent neighborhtHHJs.
All that was taken
into account in designing
and deet>rating the new ?
bank, which replaces a
Wachovia office that
opened on the Thruway
site in August 1965.
Designed b> the
Winston-Salem firm of
Walter. Robbs. Callahan
& Pierce Architect P.A..
the new building projects -
a transitional sis le
that blends bits of con
temporary flair with the
subtleties of a more tradi
tional architecture.
Its brick-and-lime
s u> ne exterior was
s_d ected u> eomplement
the look of the Thru\sa>
Shopping Center it siis
in front of and because
those are strong, qualit)
The spacious ground floor lobby of Wachovia's lie w Thru way Hanking Center features nine teller
statiims, an expanded commercial deposit area and private booths for use by safe deposit customers.
The lobby is bordered by Personal Hanker offices and a large conference room.
materials that evoke a sense of stability and permanence.
The general contractor for the project was Frank I.. Blum
Construction Company of Winston-Salem.
Everything about the office is new. e\en the furniture.
Ciina Gril'tln. a W achov la interior designer, said a new sty le of
desks w ith round conference tops let customers pull up close
to review documents with their Personal Bankers. The ma
hogany desks, w hich w ill be added to other Wachovia offices
as they arc built or remodeled, are made bv Dar-Ran Furniture
Company in High Point The C hippendale side chairs and
w mg chairs used in the office w ere made bv Hickory Business
Furniture Company in Hickory.
A spacious foyer welcomes customers into the bank.
\s here they can take an ele\ ator to the second floor or continue
JJD into .1 lobby accented. b\ rich mahogany furnishings.
marble, lops on the teller line and work tables, teal carpets and
w i nc -colored seating,
Local artwork is featured throughout the building, behind
the teller line and in the two conference rooms.
The second floor Private/Business Ranking offices offer
customers a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere to ttmduei husim w.
New Building Features Local Artists
Given Winston-Salem's reputation as a city w here the arts
thn\e. it seemed only natural that Wachovia would commission
some of the cit\ 's finest artists to produce special w orks for the
new Thruwas Banking Center.
Wachovia has been investing in the works of both pro fessional and
amateur artists and craftsmen for more than 25 years. The collection '*
more than 18,000 pieces include paintings, tapestries and pottery.
"The Thruway branch is one of the nicest bank buildings in
town." saysWachovia's in-house designer. Gina Griffin. "We
wanted the decor to include paintings of scenes that people here
A
could relate to. things in their own neighborhtxxis."
With that charge. Margaret Newsome. a member and
director of the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, was
asked to produce three w orks for display in the bank' s
most visible location ? behind the teller line.
rags *
?j|s New some, who received a degree in art and history
|H from Salem College, painted scenes depicting
mm Reynolda Gardens, the greenhouse at Reynolda
House, and Runnymeade. a park and residential area
B _of the cits 's Buena Vista section.
New some enjoys the medium of pastels and de
S \ eloped her landscape painting style because of her
overall interest in the North Carolina landscape. She
i has a di\ erse art background ranging from a secondary
teaching certificate in an and history, to experiences in
jjPf the world of commercial art and advertising.
(Nicholas B. Bragg. e\ecuti\e director of the
Reynolda House Museum of American Art in
Winston-Salem. created an original work in oil which
is displa\ed in Throw ay's first floor conference room.
The second floor conference room contains three
w orks by another Winston -Salem artist. Carrie Cham
berlain D. Davis, a former Reynolda House
artist-in-residence at the Reynolda Learning Center
in Critz, Va. Those paintings depict Reynolda House,
Wake Forest University's Graylyn Conference Center and the
Buena Vista neighborhoods.
Other area artists whose works are displayed throughout
the building are Barrie Van Osdell. who began drawing at five
years of age and has had no formal training; Elaine Da>
Dowdell, also a member of the Associated Artists of
Winston-Salem: Colleen Stadlerof Reidsville. whose paintings
This oil painting by Gene Hege is one of the many original
works by local artists featured at Thruway.
are also in the corporate collections of Fieldcrest Cannon Inc..
Miller Brewing Company and other local businesses; and Gene
HegejjjwrhiSffof the Washington School of Art.