Genesee Valley Trust Building

Art by: Chris Hytha

Story by: Mark Houser

Ever since its unveiling, “Wings of Progress,” the bold 42-foot aluminum sculpture capping this bank highrise, has tempted residents of Rochester to speculate on its meaning. Some say it represents maple seedpods or bat wings, others say a screwdriver or an arrowhead shattered by the city’s brutal winters.

Architect Ralph Walker, who helped to establish the canon for Art Deco skyscrapers with his Barclay-Vesey and Irving Trust buildings in Manhattan, said he wanted to convey a sense of flight and was inspired by seashells he found on the beach in Florida. Hailed by the American Institute of Architects in 1957 as “architect of the century,” Walker later resigned from the organization over an ethics controversy. He committed suicide at the age of 83, rumor has it with a silver bullet he forged for himself.

The bank moved out after a 1955 merger, and the new owner redubbed this the Times Square Building after the former name of the intersection where it stands. A dramatic red marble lobby still features the original chandelier. Stylized bas-reliefs over the front windows by New York sculptor Leo Friedlander depict two Greek goddesses representing security and trust.