Ask Us: What is going into the former SunTrust Bank building in Spencer?

Published 6:00 am Monday, May 13, 2019

Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online on Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

By Samuel Motley
intern@salisburypost.com

A Post reader asked what is going into the former SunTrust Bank building in Spencer, located at 420 South Salisbury Ave.

The building was purchased about two weeks ago by the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation, said Roy Johnson, president of the foundation.

The building will be repurposed by the foundation as offices and also used as archival storage, Johnson said. The building is suitable for these purposes as is, he said, and will not need to undergo any alterations or renovations before the foundation begins moving in.

The foundation is aiming to move into the building through a “phased approach,” Johnson said. The first step will be ensuring that communications between the old SunTrust building and the museum are working properly, he said.

The foundation expects to be moved in by the end of summer, he said.

SunTrust had operated a Spencer branch in the building until it closed on July 31, 2015. The closure came after a market analysis on the location that looked at factors including market growth, estate arrangements and transaction volume.

An ATM service was available until Jan. 9, 2018.

In January of this year, the building was bought by Sameer Hamoush, who then sold the property to the museum foundation.  

The N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the museum’s preservation and education programs. It was founded in 1977 as the N.C. Transportation History Corp. and was “comprised of local business leaders, former railroad employees and local politicians,” according to the foundation’s website.

Contact newsroom intern Samuel Motley at 704-797-4264.