Fairport National Bank

58 South Main Street, Fairport NY 14450

This article was written in 2008 and does not include any changes occurring since that time.

Built as Bank

The building was built by the Fairport National Bank and was opened for business on Monday, August 18, 1924.

The bank was founded in 1916, four months after a local banker, Dewitt Clinton Becker, died and his bank was closed. Many bank customers lost their deposits.

Renaissance Revival Style

The National Bank building was designed in a Renaissance Revival style popular at the time for important civic and commercial buildings. The architectural style represented strength, permanence and pride. The architecture uses classical elements borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome. It is a revival of sixteenth century Italian and French architecture.

The position to the street and the scale of the building make it a good example of traditional Main Street design. This structure was designated a Village landmark in June of 2008.

The Fairport National Bank and Trust Company, now the Bank of America (2019), a local designated property opened on Main Street with great excitement in 1924. It was described as being “a model of convenience, good taste and elegance throughout”. Claude M. Lumbard, was the general contractor for the project. The architect was J. Mills Plant of Rochester. The masonry work was done with tapestry-faced buff brick with Norris granite trimmings.

This building has six pilaster columns with Corinthian capitals.

The cornice over the front door has the initials of the Fairport National Bank.

"This Italian Renaissance style building has six broad pilaster columns of Norris granite, extending from the ground up to the cornice near the roof. It has a handsomely carved ornamental frieze and cornice over the door which adds still further to the beauty of the building....” The description from the Monroe County Mail - Special Bank Section, page 1, 1924, goes on to describe a fabulous building.

Interior is Two Stories High with Mezzanine

The interior of the bank features a beautifully scaled two-story high banking floor with a mezzanine at the rear and the original vault. The banking floor has wonderful natural lighting provided by monumental triple hung divided lite windows. The building has had a drive-up covered teller window and a rear door added to it in recent years. However, the architecture is largely intact and well maintained.

For more information on the FHPC and designated landmarks, go to the village preservation page or the village website.