Monument Bank moves across downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Monument Bank's former space
at the Bethesda Crescent building
has closed

Monument Bank has made the big move from the Bethesda Crescent building on Wisconsin Avenue to its new home at the Garden Plaza building, at 7700 Old Georgetown Road.

If you've been following my ongoing reports on Monument's real estate moves, you'll recall that this branch will also contain auxiliary corporate offices, that will be used by high bank officials when they need to be in Bethesda.

Their actual headquarters moved to Rockville in December. But the bank wanted to continue to be in the thick of business affairs in downtown Bethesda. Hence, the remote offices that include one for CEO H.L. Ward.

They took their ATM with them

Monument Bank establishing Bethesda Regional Banking Center in Garden Plaza (Photos)

Monument Bank is in the process of moving its Crescent Building branch at 7475 Wisconsin Avenue over to 7700 Old Georgetown Road. Monument recently relocated its headquarters to Rockville, but intends to make this new Bethesda location more than just a branch.

At 7700 Old Georgetown, it also plans to open a new Bethesda Regional Banking Center, as well as house offices for several business development officers. Monument CEO H.L. Ward will have a second office here, as well as his main office in the Rockville headquarters. That is because Monument wants to continue to be an active presence and community bank in downtown Bethesda.

The bank has now posted some Coming Soon signage in the windows of its future home, which is on the ground floor of B.F. Saul's renovated Garden Plaza building. Monument Bank was founded in 2005 in downtown Bethesda, and currently employs 70 people.

MONUMENT BANK PLANNING BRANCH MOVE TO OLD GEORGETOWN ROAD IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

A branch of Bethesda's Monument Bank, currently located in the Bethesda Crescent Building at 7475 Wisconsin Avenue, may be moving to Garden Plaza, a renovated office building at 7700 Old Georgetown Road. The bank, headquartered at 7401 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda, has filed a request with the FDIC to move the branch. That federal entity, and the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation, have approval authority over the proposed move.

Interestingly, Garden Plaza had a bank in the past, and you can see the remnants of the branch there today. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Garden Plaza was originally constructed in 1986, during the initial transformation of downtown Bethesda. The renovated 8-story office tower is owned and managed by B.F. Saul Company, also of Bethesda.

Garden Plaza at
7700 Old Georgetown Road

Evidence of the original bank at
Garden Plaza