CLEVELAND | Project Rundown

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http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/11/a_dose_of_wow_for_fairfax_edit.html

PNC Connection provides a dose of wow for Fairfax: editorial

Published: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 7:33 PM Updated: Sunday, November 11, 2012, 7:34 PM
By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board

The physical transformation on the southwest corner of East 83rd Street and Carnegie Avenue has been dramatic and unmistakable, both to residents of Cleveland's proud Fairfax neighborhood and to the thousands of East Side commuters who zip by daily. The nondescript brick building -- most notable because it once housed a pizza shop and a dry cleaner -- has been transformed by New York architect Edward Schlossberg's imaginative use of glass and dancing lights into something eye-catchingly special.
But what's really special about the PNC Fairfax Connection is what goes on inside.

Its 6,400 square feet are stocked with the latest computer technology, the better to help bridge the digital divide. But all the gizmos and whiteboard walls simply provide the platform for programming -- financial literacy classes and small-business counseling -- presented by the bank and a long list of partners that includes the Boys and Girls Club, the Cleveland Browns and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

If you're looking for bank services beyond an ATM, this isn't the place to go. PNC Regional President Paul Clark says the idea is to forge a different relationship with a neighborhood. Fairfax was chosen because it had needs, but also enduring anchors such as Karamu House and deeply rooted churches.

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pnc.com