Commerce Bank found new ways to give back to the community in Kansas.

A well-known corner in the Manhattan, Kansas, community is undergoing a major transformation. A location that has been the local home of Commerce Bank for 32 years is being reimagined as something entirely new — a new development that will feature a mix of commercial and residential space. But before the project got underway, the Commerce team wanted to ensure that valuable materials from the building found new life in the community.

The building had been a recognizable part of Manhattan for decades, but in recent years, it had begun showing its age. “It served us well for many years, but it wasn’t practical for the future,” says Shawn Drew, market president, Commerce Bank – Manhattan. “It was much more space than we needed.”

The bank worked with a real estate developer to identify a new solution. Commerce sold the property to the developer, who will build a new mixed-use facility with one floor of commercial space and three floors of residential units above. Commerce Bank will maintain a presence on the first floor of the new development.

“That’s what is underway now,” Drew says. “We hope to move into the new space next year.”

A Sustainable Approach

Recognizing the value of some of the materials in the building, Commerce Bank sought to make the most of the project by working with Habitat for Humanity. “We wanted to be good stewards of everything in the building, so we worked with Habitat to reclaim woodwork, doors, hardware — anything that could be reused,” Drew says.

Josh Brewer, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Manhattan, echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the alignment between the two organizations. “We know the people at Commerce well, and we knew they had been exploring options for that building for some time,” he says. “We communicated early on that we recognized the value in some of the unique elements of the building. Part of our mission is to reduce waste and try to reuse things, and Shawn was excited about the idea.”

The deconstruction process was an extensive effort. Over the course of nearly two weeks, about 40 Habitat volunteers worked to remove materials that could be resold or repurposed. “Some of the doors and hardware will be repurposed into new home construction, and the rest they put up for sale,” Drew says. “They were able to resell four chandeliers for $1,000 each. Josh said that money could be used to build a wheelchair ramp at a Habitat house. That’s meaningful to us, and it’s a great example of why we wanted to work with them on this.”

Brewer adds that the chandeliers are staying local, finding a new home just a few blocks away. “Those chandeliers are going into another restoration project, a live music venue and event space,” he says. In total, Habitat salvaged an impressive amount of material. “We were able to deconstruct almost all the woodwork, all the paneling, the casework, the doors, ceiling accents, all of it — really nice stuff,” Brewer says. “I think we pulled down about 300 doors, and some of them are really beautiful and ornate. We’re even having some of the furniture restored to its former glory.”

Not only did the project save valuable materials from going to waste, but it also directly benefited the community. “We haven’t sold everything, but so far we’ve raised over $6,000 from the sale of some of the materials,” Brewer says. “The other materials are available in our ReStore, which helps make housing more affordable by providing people access to lower-cost home furnishings, furniture and building materials. We’re also going to use some of the reclaimed material in new construction, so this will all help a lot of people.”

For Habitat for Humanity, the project was significant. “It was our largest deconstruction project so far, without a doubt,” Brewer notes.

A Commitment to Community

For Commerce Bank, working with Habitat for Humanity represents a creative way to meaningfully give back to the community while also allowing the legacy of the original building to live on in homes, businesses and projects throughout Manhattan.

“We’re always trying to find ways to help our community,” Drew says. “We identified an opportunity to support Habitat for Humanity’s mission, and I’m thrilled it worked out.”