Erie County Savings Bank

The Erie County Savings Bank at Sheldon Square was once considered the heart of the commercial district in Downtown Buffalo. The Bank was constructed between 1890 and 1893. Designed by renowned architect George B. Post, who was also responsible for the design of the Statler Hotel, the Bank was constructed from pink granite brought in from Jonesboro, Maine. The Erie County Savings Bank’s rugged texture, massive stone walls and dramatic semicircle arches were all indicative of the Richardson Romanesque style of architecture popular at the time of construction. Located at 16 Niagara Street, this ten story building housed generations of hard-earned savings. In 1967, the Erie County Savings Bank at Sheldon Square closed and moved to a different location at the Main Place Mall, where it continued to operate until its closure in 1992. The building at Sheldon Square was demolished shortly after the Bank’s closure.

Prior to Erie County Savings Bank’s closure in 1967, asbestos-containing materials were utilized in construction and maintenance at the Erie County Savings Bank at Sheldon Square in Buffalo, New York. Inhaling dust and particles from the application and removal of asbestos-containing materials placed workers at risk for developing serious health problems, such as mesothelioma. Even those who were not in direct contact with asbestos materials remain at risk for the development of asbestos-related diseases. If you or a loved one once worked construction or maintenance at the Erie County Savings Bank at Sheldon Square in Buffalo, New York, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer or another asbestos-related disease, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.

* Image above provided by: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey, Reproduction Number HABS NY,15-BUF,3–1