Erie County Savings Bank

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Erie County Savings Bank, looking West


Photo courtesy Wikimedia, Library of Congress, Mark Paradowski

Location

16 Niagara Street Buffalo, NY 14202
On Shelton Square
Bank faced northeast on Niagara Street. Bounded on the west by Pearl Street, on the south by Church Street, and on the east by Main Street.
Current parcel is known as 350 Main Street.
Google Bird's Eye View
Ellicott Council District
SBL: 111.13-15-4.1
Erie County Property Info
County Tax Map (loads GIS page)
City of Buffalo Parcel Viewer
Across from St Pauls Episcopal Church, Guaranty Building, 156 Pearl Street, Underhill Building, Shea's Garden Theatre, DS Morgan Building, Kremlin Block, 194 Pearl Street, Iroquois Hotel, Bank of Buffalo at Shelton Square, and 311-333 Main Street block

Owner

VIOLET REALTY INC C/O MAIN PLACE LIBERTY GROUP per propertyviewer
NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

Ten story Richardsonian Romanesque building with red and pink granite facade; located on a corner parcel.

Current Condition

Demolished 1967. Parcel joined with the former terminus of Niagara Street and buildings on the other side to form the Main Place Mall and Tower

History

  • September 1, 1854 - The bank incorporated at a temporary location, before moving to Main and Erie Streets for a decade.
  • 1867 - The bank constructed its first building at Main and Court Streets.
  • 1889 - The bank purchased the preceeding First Presbyterian Church, which relocated to Symphony Circle, and demolished the church for bank construction
  • 1890-1893 - $1,000,000 construction of bank building
    • Designed by architect George B. Post , who won a competition held among 24 architects.
  • 1967 - Demolition of bank building for the Main Place Mall and blockage of Joseph Ellicott's radial street grid at Shelton Square
  • 1977 - The bank changed its name to the Erie Savings Bank
  • 1982 - Its name changed to Empire of America, aka "The Big E."
  • 1989 - The bank failed under the acquition of troubled savings and loans institutions and was taken over by the federal Resolution Trust Corporation.
  • 1992 - M&T and KeyBank acquired its remaining deposits and the bank disappeared into history.
History courtesy WNY Heritage Press and BuffaloAH

Recent Events and Actions Taken

Other Pertinent Facts

  • The engineer overseeing electrical installation was Thomas Edison

Links



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Added 2013-01-08 • Last changed 2016-10-09