CHAMPAIGN – Downtown Champaign is welcoming two new companies to its business district.

On Monday, the engineering firm Clark Dietz will move into the ground floor of the Church Street Square building at Church and Randolph Streets. And earlier this week, First Bank opened a branch in the former Great Impasta restaurant at 114 W. Church St.

"We wanted to be part of downtown. We're committed to Champaign-Urbana and we thought downtown was a good place for employees," said Chip Craddock, senior vice president and office manager at Clark Dietz.

Clark Dietz will take up the entire ground floor, about 12,000 square feet, of the Church Street Square. The firm took over space previously occupied by Pavlov Media, which moved to the second floor of the building.

The interior was "gutted and we replaced everything on the first floor," Craddock said.

"It's a very open space, made to enhance collaborative efforts. It was designed with the goal of helping people work together and work more efficiently," he said.

About 45 people will work in the downtown office, including a variety of engineers, such as civil, electrical and mechanical engineers.

The company previously rented the building at 1817 S. Neil St. for about 22 years, Craddock said.

"This is a real growing area," said Kari Snodgrass, marketing coordinator for First Bank, which opened this week in a building across the street from the Church Street Square.

The bank purchased the building of the Great Impasta restaurant, which relocated to Lincoln Square Village in Urbana, and started a $1.3 million renovation earlier this year.

The bank's parent company, First BancTrust Corp., is based in Paris. Other area branches are in Savoy and Rantoul.

"The space is modern to fit the motif of the downtown experience," Snodgrass said.

Offices are in the lobby, which also features a coffee bar and televisions.

The downtown Champaign bank has 13 people working there, including four new employees. The bank also hired new employees for the bank in Savoy to compensate for some staffers moving to the Champaign bank, Snodgrass said.

Parking is available on the west side of the bank as well as in the Hill Street parking deck north of the bank. Sidewalks are open on the west side of the building and those on the east side will hopefully be done in the near future, Snodgrass said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be this Tuesday and a grand opening is planned for 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12.

The bank's lobby hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Drive-up hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. There are ATMs inside and outside the lobby. The bank can be reached at 398-0067.