Fidelity Trust Building

The Fidelity Trust Building at 284 Main Street is a ten-story office structure featuring engaged Roman Ionic columns and a projecting cornice along its facade. A western wing was added during renovations in 1926, creating a total of roughly 160,000 square feet of office space.

The building was constructed in 1909, about 17 years after the company was founded in 1892. It replaced the Weed Block that had previously occupied the site, which once housed the law office of former U.S. President Millard Fillmore.

The interior features hand-painted ceiling murals and decorative plaster work that show early 20th-century tastes in office design. Walking through reveals ornate details like Corinthian capitals that were considered marks of quality and refinement.

The building sits in the Joseph Ellicott Historic District, a downtown area featuring multiple historic structures from the same era. The neighborhood is walkable and allows visitors to observe Renaissance Revival architecture alongside other period buildings in the surrounding blocks.

Two local figures, George V. Forman and George Williams, made a daily ritual of walking together to this building each morning. These regular walks became part of their everyday routine and show how structures can shape local habits and traditions.

Location: New York

Inception: 1909

GPS coordinates: 42.88210,-78.87590

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:06