A prominent building in the Aspinwall business section has been drawing people to the corner of First Street and Brilliant Avenue for nearly 100 years.
The red-brick building is a well-recognized cornerstone, initially home to financial institutions before transforming into a retail hub. Known originally as the Bank of Aspinwall, then Commonwealth Bank and Trust, it changed to Union National in 1964.
Nearly 30 years later, it was bought by Integra Bank.
According to the Aspinwall Centennial publication in 1992, many of the bank’s customers had been walking to the community spot since they opened their first savings accounts as children.
“Many remember the 1936 flood, when there was about 2 feet of water in the bank,” according to the book.
A marker outside the corner doors depict the exact depth.
After two more name changes — National City and PNC — the banks closed, and an Indiana Township resident stepped in and purchased the building in 2014.
Jim Mitnick, an advisory board member at Cooper-Siegel Community Library, welcomed retail spaces to the first floor and office rentals to the second floor.
He later got the green light from council to remodel the landmark building with a 3,000-square-foot third-floor addition.
Today, the ground level attracts people from across the region with two distinct shops: Spark Books and Tonic Salon.
