Capital City Bank - Architects Lewis + Whitlock

Capital City Bank

Blending Tradition with Modern Design

Designed to embody 130 years of building tradition and the bank’s mission for community engagement, the new Apalachee Parkway building welcomes visitors with a light-filled lobby and a dynamic upturned cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof. The project debuts this sustainable material for Tallahassee, where it’s used efficiently as both a structural deck and finished ceiling, uniting the drive-through and walk-in experiences under one roof. Inside, a transparent, airy lobby connects with the landscape, with raised planting beds that slide through the front glass and guide visitors to the entry. The deep front overhang becomes the classical portico as a cantilevered front porch. The detailing reinforces the idea of confluence of connections being held in suspension. Running trims create both clean traditional moldings and others modern reveals – where some elements feel grounded others appear to float.

Orientation is key in creating a sun-shaded north-facing lobby with heat-blocking sunshades. On the building’s east and west sides, regular window patterns activate daily to shade the glazing and cast beautiful shadows as the sun makes its way across the North Florida sky.

The lobby shares the CLT ceiling with the drive-through, linking the pedestrian and vehicle experience. Interior noise-mitigating perforated wood panels help keep banking machines and voices quiet and secure.

The new building is rooted in rich tradition, designed for today, and built to support the Bank’s mission well into the future.

Client/Owner

Capital City Bank

Location

Tallahassee, Florida

Project Type

Office + Workplace
Retail

Project Size

3,400 sf

Services

Architecture
Interiors

Team

Contractor: Culpepper Construction Company
Civil: Moore Bass Consulting
MEP: FSM Engineering

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Awards & Publications

AIA Tallahassee Honor Award of Excellence – New Work, 2025

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“I’ve had the privilege of working with ALW on two distinctly different projects. One, the Ignite Tallahassee lab at Innovation Park and another, a retail bank facility in Tallahassee. One was highly technical and complicated and the other may be the best looking and most functional banking office in the city! ALW did admirable work on both.”

Tom Allen
Executive Vice President, Real Estate
Management, Capital City Bank

Visual transparency and openness to the street create an inviting place with a clear connection from outdoors to interior space for in-person pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

The building is small in footprint but needed to be institutional in presence, therefore a balance was to be made between maintaining a prominent urban presence and encouraging community engagement through visual openness.

The design unifies the experience for both vehicle and pedestrian patrons, by using one roof to cover both drive through and main lobby.

This image highlights the CLT deck and custom steel frame that is both exterior and interior ceiling finish. Lighting is placed at the intersection of the beams and roof deck to illuminate the ceiling and allow the roof to hover over the beams.

In the foreground, the central pipe of each 3-pipe grouping is the roof drain from above. The integration of this required element and the post-lights at the drive-through island were important to developing a unifying system for individual functioning components.

Acoustic wood panels line the lobby to absorb the sound of banking equipment and quiet voices for security. The white oak trim work in the office spaces looked to a minimalist version of American Arts and Crafts detail and proportions. A thin wood trim at door head heights wraps the corridor and office spaces to create a datum for material and color transitions. Windows are cased in matching white oak.