Second Federal Savings

Aurora, IL

As a director of the bank and having knowledge of its interests, it was suggested to the Board during the planning phase that a 'Like Kind Exchange' be used to finance the proposed expansion into Aurora. Essentially, a non-productive vacant land parcel the bank had owned for years was up-zoned to its highest & best use and then 'exchanged' for the new developed branch, thereby enabling the institution to defer a considerable amount of capital gains taxes.

Architecturally, the 3,400 sf branch presents itself as a somewhat larger building due to its base (the building is slightly raised due to the site's location in a flood plain) and the expanded and heightened scale of the clerestory. In an effort to engage the community in an intimate way, wood was used as the primary building material to convey a sense of warmth.