09/21/2026
Here's today's PHOTO OF THE DAY!!! This snapshot takes us to the corner of Margaret and Brinkerhoff Streets in downtown Plattsburgh as it appeared around 1940! The impressive, columned facade of the former "Key Bank" hides an interesting backstory. Construction of the new "Plattsburg National Bank and Trust Company" began over 100 years ago, with the doors first opening for business in May of 1922. Built at a cost of over $300,000 (nearly $6 million today!), the bank was considered among "the finest and most modern of its kind in the state." The new building was also widely praised for its classical architecture and beautiful interior appointments, featuring bronze Art Deco railings, crystal chandeliers, and surfaces of polished Travertine, Tennessee, Botticino, and Vermont marble. Most importantly though, the Institution advertised the "last word" in security with a state-of-the-art bank vault. According to local newspapers, the vault's massive door measured in at three feet thick and tipped the scales at some 9 1/2 tons. A notable addition to the bank's exterior came in 1956 when a large copper-clad "Westminster Clock" was installed that played musical chimes every hour. Over the years that followed, ownership changed and Plattsburgh National eventually became "National Commercial Bank and Trust," and finally "Key Bank." In March of 2020, the branch was officially closed by Key, drawing the curtain on nearly a century of operation in downtown Plattsburgh.
