Chase Bank plans a new $2.8 million branch building at 3607 Gulf Fwy in Texas City. A state project registration outlines 3,455 square feet of new construction, adding a banking project to the city’s Gulf Freeway corridor.
The filing lists construction from February 1 through September 1, 2027. Those are estimated construction dates, rather than an announced opening date.
Behind the familiar blue sign is a less familiar story. One of the companies in Chase’s family tree once delivered water through wooden pipes. Its banking business outlasted the waterworks by a very long stretch.
What the Chase Bank filing outlines
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registration, project TABS2027000711, describes a privately funded, new bank building. It lists an estimated construction cost of $2.8 million and a floor area of 3,455 square feet.
The registration does not identify a drive-through layout, ATM configuration or branch-specific services. It also does not establish whether the project will replace an existing location. For now, the confirmed plan is a new building at the Gulf Freeway address.
Before bank branches, there were wooden pipes
According to JPMorganChase’s official history, its earliest predecessor, the Manhattan Company, formed in 1799 to supply water to New York City. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr helped present its charter, but Burr included a provision allowing excess capital to fund a bank.
Within six months, the directors voted to open that bank. Meanwhile, the water business laid six miles of wooden pipes during its first year. The company stopped supplying water in 1842, after New York established a municipal system. Banking carried on.
In 1955, the Bank of the Manhattan Company merged with Chase National Bank to form Chase Manhattan. A merger with J.P. Morgan & Co. followed in 2000. That makes the modern company’s history a family tree of institutions, with a water utility among its earliest roots.
What Chase Bank offers today
Today, Chase’s personal banking lineup spans everyday checking, savings, credit cards and borrowing options. It also offers accounts designed for children and teenagers, alongside business banking and access to J.P. Morgan investing services.
Its mobile app handles tasks such as depositing checks and paying bills. The bank also offers in-person appointments, and some accounts—including its teen checking account—require a branch visit to open. That gives physical locations a role even when much of everyday banking happens on a phone.
Those are company-wide offerings. The service mix, staffing and hours for the planned Texas City branch have not been confirmed.
A new address on Gulf Freeway
For Texas City readers, the local takeaway is straightforward: Chase has registered plans for a new, purpose-built bank on Gulf Freeway, with construction scheduled for 2027. The opening announcement and building details will give residents a clearer picture of what to expect at 3607 Gulf Fwy.