The Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 gave impetus to the spread of Renaissance forms in America. Gibson was well prepared to take up the call. The popularity of the new style caused Gibson to repeat his formula a number of times. The Bank of Buffalo, although disfigured today by a veneer covering pant of the original stonework, has a dignified air. The original organization of the facades is known from early photographs.
Piers anticipate the three bays of each facade.
Bold horizontals the raised basement, water table, string courses , attic story, balustrade , and, perhaps most importantly, the layering of rusticated and ashlared stonework play against vertical forms. Overhead, atop an octagonal, terra-cotta drum, rises the hemispherical dome. Its original patterned surface once echoed the highly varied textures below. The arched entrance with its elongated voussoirs and ornamental keystone , as well as the Serliana flanked by carved reliefs on the upper story, distinguish the principal Main Street facade. The Seneca Street facade is scarcely less opulent, with a large arched window in the central bay surmounted by a trio of smaller windows.