Genesee County Savings Bank

The Genesee County Savings Bank is an office building located at 352 South Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.[1]

Genesee County Savings Bank
Genesse County Savings Bank c. 1924
Location352 S. Saginaw St., Flint, Michigan
Coordinates43°1′1″N 83°41′32″W
Built1919 (1919)
ArchitectHodgson Brothers
NRHP reference No.100001836[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 27, 2017

The Genesee County Savings Bank was founded in 1872. In 1915, the bank opened a new headquarters at the corner of Kearsley and Saginaw Streets.[2] In 1916, the bank consolidated some business aspects with the First National Bank of Flint. Due to Flint's booming economy, both banks were outgrowing their headquarters, and in 1919, Genesee County Savings Bank constructed this new building only a block from their old headquarters. The building was designed by Hodgson Brothers of New York City.[3] Over the rest of the 1920s, the bank grew tremendously, and in 1929 fully merged with the First National Bank, renaming itself the First National Bank and Trust Company. However, the 1930s also brought the Great Depression, and in 1933 the bank merged with the Union Industrial Savings Bank in order to remain open. However, both banks soon entered receivership. Liquidation of the First National Bank and Trust Company's assets, including this building, began in 1934, and was not completed until 1940.[4]

As of 2017, the building was long vacant, and Uptown Development Corporation planned on redeveloping the building into a 100-room hotel.[5] Renovation began in 2019, and is expected to be complete in 2020.[6]

Description

The Genesee County Savings Bank is an eleven story building[6] with a limestone exterior, located on a lot on the corner of Saginaw and Kearsley. Multiple cornices run around he building, emphasizing its length. The upper floors contain large windows to let natural light into the interior. The top two floors consist of executive offices, with a colonnade running around the building. Above these is a deep cornice. The lower levels of the Saginaw Street façade appear to have been remodeled in an Art Modern style, inconsistent with the Kearsley Street façade.[3] The addition of a rooftop deck is planned during renovation.[6]

References
  1. National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List, National Park Service, December 1, 2017, retrieved October 10, 2018
  2. WOOD (1916), HISTORY OF GENESEE COUNTY MICHIGAN, pp. 534–537
  3. Ron Campbell; Jackie Hoist. "BUILDINGS, BRICKS and BRIDGES TOUR" (PDF). AIA/Flint. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  4. Heather DeKorte (January 27, 2004), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: First National Bank and Trust Company Building
  5. Oona Goodin-Smith (September 20, 2017). "100-room Hilton hotel, restaurant proposed for downtown Flint". MLive.
  6. Ron Fonger (May 21, 2019). "Flint Hilton hotel project gets time to secure historic designation for downtown site". MLive.
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