Completed in 1928 at the climax of the Roaring Twenties, the building's namesake bank failed in 1933 after the start of the Great Depression.

[2] Its main entrance on State Street consists of multiple, set-back arches that rise one-and-a-half stories up the facade.

Unlike the north and west, the south and east facades are relatively unadorned; the central window bays on the southern side are recessed causing the entire building to take on a "shallow 'U'-shape" when viewed from above.

[8][7] Six murals by New York painter Edward A. Turnbull depicting events from Erie history were located on the first floor; five remain, but were hidden by renovations.

[9] The 14th floor offers views of Presque Isle State Park, Lake Erie and, on clear days, Long Point, Canada.

[11] The economic boom following World War I set off a flurry of building activity in downtown Erie, including a ten-story skyscraper at 12th and State Streets.

A year later, the stock market crashed sparking the Great Depression, and, by 1933, the Erie Trust Company went bankrupt.