Columbia building slated for sale

Will Astor//April 28, 1995//

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The Resolution Trust Corp. will open sealed bids May 22 in a sale of the Columbia Banking Federal Savings Association’s former East Main Street headquarters.
The four-story, 30,000-square-foot building is fronted by a piece of local history–the first time-and- temperature sign to go up in downtown Rochester.
Columbia was dissolved after the federal government seized the former Rochester savings and loan association’s assets in 1992.
Last year, several banks including Rochester Community Savings Bank, Syracuse-based ONBANCorp Inc. and the Albany-headquartered KeyCorp snapped up 25 branches in 11 counties that Columbia had owed.
KeyCorp acquired the rights for Columbia’s headquarters and for a time occupied the downtown building. It later consolidated operations there with an existing Key branch two doors away.
The structure currently stands empty.
Several parties have viewed the property, but so far no banks are among prospective purchasers, said Is Levy, president of Is Levy Realtors Inc.
Levy, a foreclosure-sale specialist, is running the sale for the RTC.