Wells Fargo building in downtown La Crosse to close this summer

For more than 20 years, Wells Fargo has had a bank branch in downtown La Crosse, but that is about to change.

Wells Fargo has informed its customers that its main La Crosse branch, at 5th and King, will close in July. The bank, its drive-up lanes and big parking lot take up nearly an entire city block.

The building will close its doors permanently on July 26. In a letter to customers, Wells Fargo says their accounts will not be affected, and they can continue to use the Onalaska branch of the bank, near Valley View Mall.

Wells Fargo Advisors, currently located in the main bank, will move to the Onalaska location. Those with safe deposit boxes will get a separate letter telling them they will need to empty those boxes before the bank closes.

The bank building has been a fixture in downtown for decades, operating as Wells Fargo since 1998 when it merged with Norwest Bank. Before Norwest, it was the First National Bank, which opened in La Crosse in 1876. The future of the downtown building is not clear.