BIG RAPIDS — History has repeated itself — or, rather, replicated itself — in the bank building on the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Maple Street in Big Rapids.

After an extensive remodeling project, Lake-Osceola State Bank opened its doors to the public in 2007.

“From a downtown development perspective, when you look state- or nation-wide, the trend is banks are moving out of downtowns — for them to go out by strip malls or the expressway,” said Mark Gifford, Big Rapids city planner and Downtown Business Association director. “To have them feel confident enough in our downtown that they would invest as they have is why I’m really excited.”

The structure was built as a bank in 1925, and now thanks to the renovation made possible in part by a brownfield designation, customers stepping inside will have a Roaring 1920s facade for a 21st century banking experience.

Brownfields are usually hazardous-material sites in need of cleanup, but in certain communities, obsolete or blighted buildings can qualify. The bank building, most recently used as a bookstore, was considered an obsolete property.

Bank officials decided to restore the site to a 1920s-era appearance to both project the history of the downtown and celebrate the history of the bank itself, said Deborah Smith-Olson, chairman and CEO of Lake-Osceola State Bank.

“We appreciate there are timeless things that have history. We wanted to go forward and build on (that),” Smith-Olson said. “I am happy with the way it turned out.”

Though not an exact replication, some features of the 1920s bank are visible: the high teller lines and brass bars, for example.

As a customer enters from Michigan Avenue, three stately wooden doors line the left hand side and customer service desks for various purposes, such as opening new accounts, are on the right behind a short, brass-bar-topped wall.

Continuing forward, a lobby area with comfortable chairs is on the right and the teller line is on the left. If the customer were to leave out the Maple Street entrance, the automatic teller machine would be mounted on the wall directly opposite the door.

“I’m the third generation in this bank,” she said. “That’s why history is so important. We believe we do business the old-fashioned way — we try to know our customers.”

Historical standing is important to Lake-Osceola State Bank, Smith-Olson said, in part because of its long track record. The bank began in 1908 and is preparing for its centennial in August 2008.

“We were closed only one day in the bank holiday and had permission to open the next,” she said of the mandated closure of banks following the stock market crash of 1929. “We’ve been on solid footing ... it’s a legacy that we need to uphold responsibly.”

The bank began as Lake County State Bank in Baldwin before merging with the Luther State Bank in the early 1950s. At that time, the name changed to Lake-Osceola State Bank. Other branches opened in Irons in 1995, in Wellston in 1998 and in Reed City in a temporary location in 1998 and the permanent location in 1999. The new branch is the first to be located in Big Rapids.

Although history is important, Smith-Olson has her eyes on the future and what the new branch will bring to Big Rapids.

“Our mission is customer care and community support,” she said. “We like to get to know our customers as we have been because as small as we are, we can be responsive to the needs of the customers.”

Downtown Development Authority Chair Carlleen Rose also is looking forward to additional customer traffic and is happy with the renovation efforts on a high-visibility corner of downtown.