A little late today…
A clock stands on a pole reminding us of the time. It’s not the only 4-sided clock in downtown.
A little ways away, this floutist plays as if time stands still. Where am I?
Yesterday: I don’t know who Shorty Raymond or Donald Kolek were, but I’m grateful for the bench next to the F & M Building. F & M stands for Farmers and Mechanics Bank which later became Lockport Savings Bank. Today that bank is a fast-growing financial chain known as First Niagara Bank. Despite moving their headquarters to Buffalo recently, they are a local success story that started out small here.
too funny…donald kolek is actually dale’s mom’s uncle or step uncle i think..he died several yrs ago..and dan and ruth actually were in the lockport paper in a pic when they dedicated that bench…small world!
Farmers & Mechanics–isn’t that one at Main and Locust–Lockport’s “skyscraper”? I don’t remember this clock as being there, although I remember one at Main and Pine in front of another bank.
Somebody opened a savings account for me at the F&M when I was born and I had about $20 in it when I went to college. I worked in there for a lawyer, Paul Seaman, for six months in 1959.
I did not know that Lockport SB had once been Farmers & Mechanics. I do hope that they keep the old building. A lot of buildings like that make good office space, even though they need a lot of renovating inside for modern utilities such as air conditioning, etc. So much of “historic” downtown Lockport has been torn down. What do they think people will come to see?
Mary – Yes, the Farmers & Mechanics Savings Bank became Lockport Savings Bank about the time they opened the “new” office at Main & Washburn Sts. Of course, it’s now known as First Niagara Bank a name change that took place when they went from a savings bank to a publicly-held bank. Ever since, they’ve been on an expansion kick, buying up small banks all over. The latest was National City Bank of Pittsburgh. They’ve grown so big, they built an office complex in Pendleton, which apparently, they have already outgrown, because they just took over the Larkin Building in Buffalo to move their headquarters to a bigger city.
Fran – I also had an account there when I was young. When I had a paper rout with the US&J, they opened an account in your name and added a small amount to your bill each week as a sort of security deposit, in case you quit and didn’t pay your bill. When you left your route and were paid up, they gave you the passbook.
I remember going there to use my account. It was a big, ornate, intimidating bank, sort of like what you’d see in a movie just as the mobsters came in to hold it up.
It had the high ceilings, teller cages, marble floors and stations to fill out your deposit slips that you would have expected of a bank in those days.
The awning on the side of the building, led to a bar/nightclub in the basement that I visited a few times in my twenties. It went by several names over the years, but I always remember it as being too small and crowded.
Stephanie – Yes, it is a small world. Well, Lockport is a small town, anyway. I know my Father-in-law had mentioned knowing the names on the bench, but I never heard the story.
Ha ha, my captcha is Dr Skid. sounds like some new superhero!