Rendering: CDFL

Trustmark unveiled plans today for its newest location at a ceremonial groundbreaking in the historic Fondren district of Jackson.

The company announced its new location, known as Trustmark Fondren and located at the corner of Old Canton Road and Duling Avenue, is scheduled to open in 2019. Local community leaders and business owners, as well as the architectural designers, construction managers and Trustmark executive officers all took part in the event and helped turn the first ceremonial shovels of dirt to kick-off the building project.

“Today’s groundbreaking represents Trustmark’s continued commitment to our customers, the Fondren community and the city of Jackson,” stated Trustmark CEO Jerry Host. “Since we opened our North Jackson branch right across the street in the Morgan Center in 1950, Trustmark has been steadfast in our support of helping this community grow and prosper. Our new Trustmark Fondren office will stand as a testament to that partnership, and we look forward to serving our customers, neighbors and businesses in Fondren for years to come.”

Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects & Engineers, who designed the two-story building and will occupy the second floor once completed, took special care to ensure the building would blend seamlessly into the architectural fabric of its historic surroundings.

“Set back from the street, the new building will frame the Duling School and establish a new iconic marker for the eastern edge of the corridor,” explained Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects & Engineers Principal Rob Farr. “Drawing on the massing of the nearby Duling School, the rhythm in the openings and attention to detail in the building’s masonry is one way the building will pay homage to its neighbors. The use of punched windows also echoes the look of the Duling School and Fondren Church, helping the building fit within the context of other nearby buildings’ fabric.”

Farr went on to say that the repetitive form on the Old Canton Road side of the branch complements the architecture of Fondren Presbyterian Church. Multiple mass buildings are a concept seen throughout many of the neighborhood’s beloved buildings such as Fondren Corner. The tripartite-inspired entrance of Trustmark’s Fondren branch is similar to that of Fondren Church and helps address the corner and bring all of the massing together. The drive-thru portion will be part of the building and not an attachment. The primary entrance will be easily visible from the plaza area and the building’s overhang onto the pedestrian space is created by the architecture itself. The elevated balcony will provide a special addition to the building and a gathering spot for future community events.

“Trustmark has been a true community partner in Fondren since opening the doors of its first branch here in the Morgan Center, which is now known as Woodland Hills Plaza,” stated Jim Wilkirson, Executive Director of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation. “Their new location on the corner of Old Canton Road and Duling will be a cornerstone for this community, one in which we can truly all be proud.”

Part of the recent history of the lot where the new Trustmark Fondren will be built included a Leland Cypress tree that has been lit as part of the community’s Christmas celebration since 2007. To further the legacy of the tree, which experts say is diseased and will have to be removed, Trustmark has commissioned Mississippi wood craftsman Fletcher Cox to create a piece of art from the tree to display inside of the branch. Additionally, during today’s ceremony, Trustmark gifted three new Leland Cypress trees to the Fondren Renaissance Foundation to plant throughout Fondren as a symbol of partnership and expansion.

Trustmark Fondren, which will be built by Yates Construction, will offer comprehensive consumer and commercial financial services, including retail and private banking, as well as wealth management, mortgage services and commercial lending. The new location will feature concierge-style banking, as well as Trustmark’s interactive teller machine, myTeller, that will provide customers with two-way audio/video banking. myTeller will also convert to an ATM for convenient after-hours banking and will offer same day credit for most deposits made by 9:00 p.m. on weeknights.