Bank gets a new face

Village notables gathered outside 41 Front St. on May 29 to officially welcome Valley National Bank to Rockville Centre.

The Wayne, N.J.-based Valley National, which merged with State Bank of Long Island in December 2011, will continue the building’s long tradition as a financial center. The historic limestone building, which was built in 1926, has previously been home to branches of the Nassau County National Bank, Franklin National Bank and Citibank.

The building, which has been vacant since April 2012, will undergo internal renovations before its grand reopening, which bank representatives said they hope will take three or four months. The acquisition represents a major change for Valley National’s Rockville Centre branch, which has been biding time in a temporary office on Maple Avenue since last year.

Mayor Francis X. Murray chatted with Gerald H. Lipkin, the bank’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, before the announcement of the renovations. Lipkin and the bank received a mayoral citation for the upcoming work.