A Look Back: Golden Bank Building 25th Anniversary
As we close 2018 and look toward our 36th year, we look back at our beginnings and the projects that have made an impact. Being a part of the vibrant, innovative, and the diverse Houston community since 1983, our firm is continually inspired by the growth of the city and the opportunity to create an environment that engages the unique character and vision of Houston.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of one of STOA’s milestone projects – Golden Bank, one of the first major landmarks in Houston’s Chinatown. STOA was tasked with developing a design that met the client’s ideal vision of a modern bank. The overall concept needed to have a contemporary look that incorporated elements of Chinese architecture while still conveying the “feel” of a banking institution. This translated into a modern glass façade building that features red columns and a green standing seam roof to reflect Chinese tradition and harmoniously interact with the Western environment. With respect to Feng Shui principles and methods, our design needed to be stable, elegant, bright, and clean. The mirrored glass panes allow the natural light to extend throughout the interior while the exterior features an artfully crafted curved glass entrance to enhance the profile of the building, and a coffer shaped roof to represent holding valuables.
During the design development, our team considered factors such as the size, shape, form, and layout of the building as well as the landscape and surrounding buildings to create an ideal environment. The best lighting options, color schemes, furniture placement, and materials were selected to enrich people’s experience within the bank. The Chinese coin is displayed on the façade as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Within the first year of the bank’s operations, they experienced significant growth in their total assets – doubling from $100 million to $200 million. The financial institution was recently honored as a “Five-Star Bank” (the highest rating in banking industries) by Bauer Financial.
Golden Bank was first founded under the name of Texas First National Bank by a group of Taiwan immigrants in Houston in 1985. In 2006, the bank changed its name to Golden Bank. The bank is the first, and one of the largest privately owned Chinese-American banks based in Texas was established to meet the growing demands in Houston for boutique banking for Asian communities, businesses, and new immigrants. Since its inception in 1983, Golden Bank now has four branch offices in the Greater Houston area (Bellaire Blvd., Harwin Drive, FM 1960-Champions, and Sugar Land), two branch offices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (Richardson and Plano), and one branch office in Tustin, California. It also operates two loan production offices in Southern California (Irvine and Rowland Heights).