After more than 75 years in the Indianian building, Lake City Bank was bursting at the seams. The old building also desperately needed to be modernized to accommodate vast changes in technology since it was built, so while it conducted business as usual, the bank remodeled.

The update was complete just in time to celebrate Lake City Bank’s 80th anniversary in 1952. At an open house, the public got to see the dramatic results. Outside, a granite and glass façade replaced the original brick front. A fifty-foot extension was added to the back, including a full basement underneath. Finally, the expanded interior was completely rearranged to better suit each department’s needs.

But it wasn’t enough for long.

By 1960, the bank clearly needed more space. With no more room to grow in the Indianian, the bank started construction on a new building. It was located at Indiana and Center streets and offered several new features. Drive-up teller windows and a heated night depository vestibule aimed to make banking more comfortable for customers. The list of upgrades also included space for electronic processing machines, elegant materials for the interior, and a public meeting room.

Finally, it would have a fortified, underground vault. Besides storing Lake City Bank’s records and some for the recorder of Kosciusko County, the vault would support the bank’s role in the national civil defense organization. It would house records for other Elkhart-district banks so, in the event of a major disaster, they could still conduct limited banking business.

Lake City Bank moved its operations to the new location on June 15, 1961. Times were good, and growth came quickly.