Fujah - America's Stories - Missouri Culture

Photos By: Edward Biamonte

"I want to live here," Rita Baron said, a huge smile on her face as she gazed up at the glass ceiling and curtain wall at the top of Oak Star Bank in Springfield, Mo. Rita Baron, Principal/Designer of Baron Design & Associates, designed the bank with much more glass in the beginning. Even after many negotiations with the board of directors, she was left with a very bright and naturally lit bank that appeals to customers, employees and passersby alike.

The bank is open, friendly and there aren't even any tellers. "We have concierges," Jacque Wills smiled, adding, "we knew Rita's vision was unique and different, and we wanted to tailor our service to almost be boutique-ish." "You have a concierge following you at all times, and if, on the chance, there is a wait, we have an Internet Cafe, you'll usually find Fox News on the TV., and fresh cookies are made and served every morning. We have this service for our customers, they can just stop in and get a cookie, they don't even have to be doing business that day. We wanted that homey feeling," Rita enthused. Rita's vision for comfort and attention to details is evident from the structure of the building to the color of paint on the walls. "We even had the carpet custom designed to fit," she said. "From sun up to sun down this building is brilliant," Jacque added. "With the natural light, the employees aren't rushing to go home because this is a good environment," Rita added. And the key is in that natural light. With both sides of the building being primarily glass, each office is full of natural light that shines through to the core of the building. At its center, an atrium that spans three stories high is crowned by a massive glass skylight displaying sunshine, majestic clouds or tumultuous storms alike. The bank has a stainless steel and oak look to it, and Rita intended it that way.

"The stainless steel gives it a massive feeling, like this bank is here to stay," she said. And of course, the wood fits nicely as it is part of the bank's namesake. "The fixtures are all custom, the stainless steel and stone on the outside; I wanted this bank to look timeless, like a government building that will stand forever," she added. "Many of the board members were wary of a contemporary design, they were afraid it would appear cold. But contemporary can be warm. Inviting," Rita said. And another design point on the glass? "It's saying, let's be open." Open to the future, open to its customers, transparent. "People are more productive in the light," Rita said. Rita was born in Lebanon, and then moved to Las Vegas to live with her older brother when Lebanon's civil war made life there dangerous. She then moved to Palm Springs, Cali., with her husband. She again followed him to Springfield, Mo., in 1996. After work in a corporate firm that pulled its offices out of Springfield, Baron knew what she wanted in an employer, and decided to strike out on her own, with a few other coworkers from the previous firm. Baron Associates & Design was founded on the principles of working together as a team, maintaining flexibility with work schedules and no bickering or gossiping allowed, Rita noted with a smile. Rita's style has developed over the years as a designer. She is a perfectionist, and a master multitasker. She tries to look at each design and see, as a professor once told her, how she can "loosen" her designs. "I'm getting looser and looser," she said, thoughtfully. "We try to create each building different. We always want to do something that will tend to stand out and be unique. Let's give'em something to gossip about," she smiled. "And I get better and better each project because we criticize our work. Things the average person wouldn't notice in a finished building, I see as a mistake or a wrong decision, and it drives me crazy," she smiled. But that's how she improves. That, and traveling, and learning from other styles and designers.Ê "We have to see what's out there, exposing ourselves to new things. Be open more to new materials. Be open minded. There are no limits," she added, remembering, as an example, an underwater hotel in Dubai. "There are no limits if you can pay for it," she laughed. Rita's favorite material to work with is glass, though. She loves the feat of a curtain wall, a self-supporting glass wall. "It's sexy," she smiled, softly. Rita said the most exhilarating, yet terrifying time as a designer is when the pencils are put down and the physical construction begins. "I get scared to death it will not look like what I wanted to express. Then I will see it come together, then when you get the feeling of,'Oh, that's awesome.' That is such a good feeling.

"I realized," Rita said, "there is something about building... it's like having a baby." And speaking of babies, Rita has two, and yes, they have impacted her work. "They tell me what they like or don't like," she said, fondly.
"I want what I design to speak for itself," Rita began, in conclusion. "I want to make personal stories out of what we build. And not everyone will interpret it the same way. But, at the end of the day, we will do everything in our power to do our best, whatever it takes, to build something great."