CLEVELAND, Ohio -- KeyCorp on Tuesday celebrated the 125th-anniversary of its downtown Cleveland branch by unveiling recently discovered paintings and other artifacts from the historic Ameritrust building.

The paintings appear to be rough drafts of murals done for the Ameritrust building by renowned painter Francis Davis Millet, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. It's believed the paintings were done between 1900 and 1905.

The actual large-scale murals are in what's now on the rotunda of the Ameritrust building, now Heinen's downtown grocery, at 9th and Euclid. It was built between 1905 and 1908.

Key (which was then Society) bought Ameritrust in 1991. That was at the same time the bank's 57-story tower at 127 Public Square was completed, making it the tallest structure between Manhattan and Chicago. The tower originated as a 10-story structure and branch in 1890.

When Key bought Ameritrust, it apparently never opened the crates and boxes from the Ameritrust building. They were simply stored deep in a section of the Public Square branch's vault. Only in the last six months did Key discover what was inside.



"This is something they stumbled across," said Matt Wyner, regional retail leader at KeyCorp. The crates "look like something you would find at the bottom of the ocean."

Most of the artifacts are believed to be from the period of 1890 to 1905.

Among the most interesting items are paintings done by Millet as apparent trial-runs of the large beautiful murals in the Ameritrust building. The original paintings are roughly 18 inches tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. The murals in the building are huge.

You can actually match the paintings with murals in the Ameritrust building.

Other items include reel-to-reel films from the Cleveland Trust, shot in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Ameritrust, which Key bought, was established in 1894 as the Cleveland Trust. Key officials don't yet know what's on the films; they're in the process of trying to restore and play them.

Other discoveries include old bank manuals from around 1900 that talked about how to handle loans of $5.

KeyCorp is considering ways to display the items to the public. The bank is also working with the Western Reserve Historical Society to determine what will happen to the items next.

Kip Clarke, Key's Cleveland market president, said the downtown branch's 125th anniversary was a good time to showcase the historic items.

When that branch opened in 1890, it had a grand total of $9,500 on deposit, from 130 depositors.

"It's always great to celebrate continuity," he said, adding that he believes Key's history and principles have served as a "real rudder" for the community.

"Being Cleveland's hometown bank is a source of great pride," said Chairman and CEO Beth Mooney. "Our oldest branch is reason to celebrate, as it sits on Public Square, the heart of downtown Cleveland, and its presence is symbolic of our commitment to this great city.

"We thank our hardworking employees, who are the heart of this bank, and our clients for their loyalty throughout the years," she added.