The best projects are those that give back to the communities they serve!
May’s Inspiration of the Month is the amazing team of Lamar Johnson Collaborative professionals who designed First Bank’s new timeless HQ into a space to support and strengthen community ties across greater St. Louis. Matt Maranzana, Tyler Meyr, Adam Bachtel, Ben Revelle, Mackenzie McCulloch, Skylar Heaton, Hannah March, and the rest of the team did an amazing job developing a blueprint for the future of businesses everywhere.
This project demonstrates how thoughtful design and purpose-driven construction can improve lives and strengthen legacies.
Located just outside of St. Louis, where First Bank’s story began over 100 years ago, this 85,000-square-foot headquarters represents a bold and meaningful evolution. As a long-standing, family-owned financial institution, First Bank wanted a space that reflected not only their history but a shared future focused on wellness, innovation, and community. This development created an environment to empower people to do their best work, support their health, and encourage meaningful connections.
LJC brought this vision to life with a masterful courtyard-style design that blurs the line between indoors and outdoors, allowing nature and natural light to play a central role in the workplace experience. From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted by an open, welcoming lobby that leads to a glass atrium and an incredible four-story staircase filled with daylight and views of an outdoor courtyard.
Inside, open offices are designed to let in as much natural light as possible to give every employee a view, whether it’s of the courtyard or the surrounding landscape. Research shows that access to daylight and adaptable workspaces can boost mental health, increase productivity, and improve overall job satisfaction—and LJC always designs with people in mind! The space also features an innovation hub for team lunches, meetings, and creative collaboration, plus outdoor workspaces, a patio, and unassigned open offices that promote choice and flexibility.
This headquarters is already generating impact far beyond its walls. The building has created new jobs and economic opportunity in the St. Louis area while setting a new standard for how banks and other businesses can build with intention. It’s no surprise that the project was recently honored with the 2025 CoStar Impact Award for Commercial Development of the Year in St. Louis. During construction alone, the project engaged over 40 local subcontractors and drove economic growth across the community. Congratulations to the teams on Cobalt Construction Consulting, Brinkmann Constructors, and LJC for earning this incredible recognition.
This project speaks to the power of aligning design, construction, and corporate vision around a shared goal: to uplift communities and create lasting impact. The HQ provides a new chapter for First Bank and a blueprint for how companies can root their spaces in sustainability, inclusivity, and wellness. Great work, everyone.
Let’s keep showing what happens when teams create with care!
