When Herb Cummings went to work for Citizens Bank in 1969 it had a single office in Providence and $300 million in assets. It also faced five major competitors: Industrial Bank, Hospital Trust, Old Stone, Old Colony and Peoples.

Cummings was back at the bank Tuesday evening. He was one of about 120 people invited to get a close look at the new Citizens Campus in Johnston.

Citizens president Keith Kelly said it was the first community tour of the corporate campus that sits on 123 acres and provides 423,000 square feet of office space. There may be more tours, but on Tuesday the focus was on telling the Citizens story and taking stock of how far the institution has come. As it turned out, most of the guests were happy renewing acquaintances instead of looking at all of the amenities.

Besides, Michael Knipper, executive vice president and head of property who oversaw construction of the campus for the bank, gave visitors the pertinent details such as no work area is more than 43 feet away from a window and natural light; that there are 3,000 desk seats as well as 3,000 collaborative seats (meeting rooms, training), meaning seats not assigned to a particular employee. There is also outdoor seating for employees, who with access to Wi-Fi are encouraged to work outdoors. Corporate offices of the bank remain in Providence and there are other operational offices in Warwick and elsewhere in the state.

Knipper said the concept of the campus was born in January 2016 and that designs started a month later. He said he was warned nothing happens quickly in Rhode Island and that he should be prepared for delays. But that didn’t happen. In order to succeed, the project required federal approval of off- and on-ramps to Route 295; extension of sewers by the Narragansett Bay Commission; and town approvals for use of the land as well as building approvals. Knipper noted how officials from the governor to Peter Alviti, director of the Department of Transportation, and on down came through. On his list, too, was Dimeo Construction that actually completed the job before its scheduled completion.

Knipper, who has worked on multiple building projects, said he never has had the governor call regularly to ensure that everything was coming together. He spoke of some of the features of the campus including a wellness center, fitness center with the latest equipment, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, playing fields and a 5K trail. He didn’t overlook the cafeteria, its chefs and the brick oven that beats any pizza in Rhode Island.”

Knipper said employees haven’t been fans of all the changes the new campus has brought. He cited his directive to do away with desk-side wastepaper baskets. It’s not that employees are expected to not have trash, but to get up from their work areas and move around. An added benefit, he noted, is that it takes less time to collect the trash at the end of the day.

Kelly observed the amenities of the campus are open to all colleagues and the community. Nonprofits have held events on the campus and leagues use the fields and courts.

“This is truly a community campus,” Kelly said.

It was all amazing to Cummings, who was at the helm as Citizens outlasted or bought out its competitors. The bank bought Old Stone and Old Colony.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “This place keeps growing and growing.”

With $161 billion in assets, Citizens Bank, founded in 1828, now employs about 18,000 and has 1,100 branches in 11 states.