By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo
Thirty-five years ago this week, The News began celebrating the 100th anniversary of the paper’s starting a daily edition.
In the special section called One Hundred Years of Finance and Commerce, The News recounted the history of a handful of Buffalo’s financial and commercial industries and provided ad space for many companies involved in those industries to tout their own contributions.
Before the 1982 finality of the closure of Bethlehem Steel, there was hope in Buffalo surrounding the revitalization of the Theatre District, the light rail installation on Main Street, and the building going on at near the waterfront — specifically the Hilton, the WKBW-TV studios and the small boat harbor.
Buffalo Savings Bank was getting ready for the next 100 years by adding onto its classic Beaux Arts gold-domed headquarters, getting ready for what was expected to be a New Buffalo. It was also buying up other banks around the country, and later, in 1983, changed its name to Goldome Savings Bank.
Goldome became caught up in the nation’s Savings and Loan crisis. In 1991, it was sold off to M&T.
