HISTORICAL TIMELINE

PIVOTAL FACTS

※ The 110,000 square ft Genesee Valley Trust building was one of the last designs by Ralph Walker (1889-1971), an esteemed Art Deco architect, who was recognized as the "Architect of the Century" by the American Institute of Architects in 1957. He was the most awarded and revered of the time, called "The only other honest architect in America" by Frank Lloyd Wright.

※ Bas-relief stone carvings designed by celebrated New York City sculptor Leo Friedlander flank the main entrance. Friedlander's work can also be seen in Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Arlington Cemetery Memorial Bridge and the Capitol Building in Washington DC. 

※ The chandelier and lighting fixtures were designed by esteemed Edward F. Caldwell & Co., of New York City. Mr. Caldwell was the premier designer of electric light fixtures from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. His fixtures can be seen in famous structures such as The White House, The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, The J.P. Morgan Residence, The New York Public Library and The Flatiron Building in New York City.

※ The ceiling of the bank hall included hand-painted abstract geometric ornaments interweaving with stylized wheat stalks.

※ The Southeast corner of the main floor was designed to be the president's suite and includes an antique marble fireplace taken from central France.

※ Walls on the main level are marble from Valencia, Spain and Lombardy, Italy.

※ At one time, the basement functioned as a Safe Deposit Department with two vaults for securities, including an escape route. The main vault, still intact, weighs 38 tons with the door weighing 16 tons alone.

※ A time capsule was concealed on September 29, 1930 and contains various items from 1929. The copper time capsule is intended to be opened on September 29, 2029. 

※ The four wings, made of bronze, rise nearly 260 feet from the sidewalk and are 42 feet tall. They are buttressed by 55 feet of buff Indiana limestone and supported by a podium of perforated bronze screens crested by sunburst-clad shields.