Since 1868, Frost Bank has served Texans and our communities with integrity, placing relationships and a clear value system at the center of everything they do, from their commitment to service, to their community involvement, to their latest initiative, Opt for Optimism. For over a decade, McKinney York has helped Frost tell their story in an authentic way through the built environment.
Each Frost financial center is designed to place the customer at the center of everything. This begins with a prominent, welcoming greeter station where bankers can assist with deposits and withdrawals, answer account questions, and issue debit cards. This custom millwork piece has seen multiple iterations to keep pace with evolving services and customer needs. In many locations, a Frost Room offers self-service digital banking solutions and a waiting area in a setting more reminiscent of a living room than a bank lobby. The Frost Room represents the heritage of the bank.
Frost’s focus on putting people first extends beyond the customer into the community. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the company in 2018, Frost committed to do 150 good deeds across each of its regions. Employees volunteered 10,961 hours of their time to community service. In 2018, Frost launched its Opt for Optimism initiative to unlock the powers of optimism and make people’s lives better by building community, fostering generosity, and changing perspectives. These efforts underscore Frost’s values and accentuate their longtime tagline: “We’re from here”.
Our designs reinforce the “from here” ethos through the use of regional wood and stone finishes, as well as numerous smaller touches like curated books and artwork. We take an active role in helping to select works by Texas artists and about subjects chosen for each specific location. Many of our financial center designs also include a Community Room which is available for use by local organizations, allowing the physical spaces to participate in the neighborhoods in which they reside.
Finally, our spaces also reflect Frost’s position as an innovator in banking who embraces new technologies and features, as well as state-of-the-art security. The material palette shines here, as those traditional materials are detailed in a thoughtful and contemporary manner. We have also brought the Frost aesthetic to innovative spaces such as the Switch Van–a mobile banking center designed to introduce prospective customers to Frost–and an interactive exhibit that shares the story of Frost in the lobby of the new Frost Tower in San Antonio. A stand-alone exhibit in the lobby displays the bank’s currency collection between two layers of curved plexiglass with windows allowing you to see both sides of the paper bills.
By carefully considering the qualities and characteristics of their spaces at all scales, from building siting, to space types, to custom millwork, to materials and finishes, to the art hanging on the walls, we’re able to provide Frost with a consistent yet distinctive architectural voice that reflects who they are. These spaces go beyond typical “branded” environments to authentically tell the Frost story.
What story do you want to tell?
If you or your organization would like more information on this topic, please email us.
