By Sal Christ / Albuquerque Business First Reporter, February 24th, 2:24pm
Main Bank’s new headquarters in Albuquerque’s Uptown corridor will also mean new Class A office space for at least one tenant.
In less than a month, the bank will open the doors to its new building at 7300 Menaul Blvd. NE, a sprawling 17,000-square-foot endeavor that delegates 11,000 square feet to the bank on the main level and 6,000 square feet on the second floor to a tenant that “plays well with banks.”
According to Daniel Kearney, associate broker with Allen Sigmon Real Estate Group — the firm contracted to lease Main Bank’s extra office space — possible tenants for the space could include a “notable Albuquerque jeweler” or other businesses that typically work with banks for financing.
“Ideally, the bank wanted somebody that could get it done by the time they open for business, and we’re making good progress on it,” said Kearney. “Local businesses should know that there’s Class A space in Uptown that’s new and it has about the highest visibility in the area since they’d be seen on Louisiana and Menaul.”
Main Bank’s CEO Ron Shettlesworth confirmed that the hunt for a tenant is ongoing, but said he expects a lease to be signed by the time the new building opens on March 21. While the bank would prefer a single tenant, Shettlesworth did not rule out the possibility for two tenants to occupy the second floor of the building.
In the works for more than two years, Main Bank’s new building will relocate its operations from 2424 Louisiana Blvd. NE, where it has resided since launching more than a decade ago. The community bank purchased 40 percent of the old Rowland’s Nursery lot on Menaul in September 2013 and broke ground almost a year ago.
Albuquerque’s Breen + Baczek Architects was contracted to design the new building while MV Industries is completing the construction of the facility. Costs of the project were not disclosed.
The bank will have some competition from U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union as early as next year. The credit union purchased the lot directly next to Main Bank’s and told Business First last July that it would break ground on the new location later this year.
