Erie County Savings Bank


The Erie County Savings Bank building was a 10-story Romanesque Revival, office and bank branch building that was located at present day 9 Church Street in downtown Buffalo, New York.

Building history

The decorative castle-like building was completed in 1893 to serve as the headquarters of the Erie county savings bank. The building was the work of architect George B. Post whom also designed the Buffalo Statler Towers. Built of pink granite from Jonesboro, Maine, the ashlar masonry walls were backed with brick. Although the exterior walls were load-bearing, the building had an interior steel framing system. The triangular shaped building was approximately 147 feet by 157 feet, and rose to nine stories high on Main Street side; ten stories high on the Pearl Street side. The building was constructed on a lot within Shelton Square in which the "Old" First Presbyterian Church stood. The church was destroyed in 1890, the same year construction of the savings bank began.
During the building's construction Thomas A. Edison served as the consulting engineer in charge of electrical installation.
The building was demolished in 1968 together with a number of adjacent buildings as part of an urban renewal project and replaced by the Main Place Tower. The Lion statues that were located atop the building's main entrance pillars along with granite architectural remnants were saved and are now located on the Buffalo State College campus.

Building site timeline