Construction began in May 1930, directed by Detroit contractors, Walbridge and Aldinger, who were under strict instructions to employ local firms and labor for the project. The exterior is constructed of the almost 2,000 tons of gray Bedford (Indiana) limestone. To avoid any crack and crumbling like had occurred in other skyscrapers, special angles were cut into the stones so that each slab rested directly on the steel framework of the tower itself. The base of the building is trimmed with black granite, the only use of this material in Michigan, outside of Detroit, at the time of construction.

Battle Creek's only "moving stairway" was a leading attraction for bank patrons. The escalators, originally made of wood, could carry 4,000 patrons an hour at a speed of 90 feet per minute. Made and installed by Otis Elevator Company, this was believed to be the first escalator installed in a bank building. The grilled aluminum gateway at the foot of the escalator was removed by a simple clever manner during business hours two wings fold toward the center of the gate and the whole elaborate contrivance sinks slowly into the floor, operated automatically by electrical devices.

Richly grained red Levanto marble from Italy surround the "finely engraved and burnished" cast aluminum elevator doors. The original bank plans included a 13th floor, which was rented to a group of physicians. The doctors were not superstitious, but apparently the patients were, they began to express fears. As the directory next to the elevator indicates, the offending floor 13 disappeared from the building. The 19-½ story building was to accommodate the bank, retail businesses and rental space for professional clients.

The location of the building, in the center of the business district, made the ground floor highly desirable for rent-producing occupancy for the banking purposes. The great bank room dome and financial offices occupied the second through the fifth floor. Other rental spaces began on the 6th floor and were supplied with "compressed-air, gas and special electrical current for X-ray and similar devices." The Athelstan Club rented the 17th through the 19th floor for their dining and clubrooms.

The safe deposit vault located on the ground floor, consisted of a vault door, more than three feet thick, a two-ton blockade of stainless steel. The entrance protected by Swedish iron grillwork and inside the vault area more than 5,000 safety deposit boxes were available for patrons. The latest in safety and anti-theft measures were installed, including the "most sensitized system known to science - an alarm system operated by sound waves." To tamper with this vault merely invited a free ride in the "Black Maria," to the nearby police station.

The walls of the four-story banking room were covered with 110 tons of Golden Travertine marble from Czechoslovakia. The murals, with motifs of fruity, animals and cereals used soft pastel colors and gold leaf to bring warmth into the room. The architects and Alexander Rindskopf of Chicago designed the artwork. An army of artisans worked for months to stencil and hand paint the designs on the walls and ceiling.

The floors of both the ground floor and the banking room are paved with blocks of Roman Travertine marble. The 1,200-pound light fixture suspended from the dome are raised and lowered for maintenance by an innovative pulley system. The "check desks, ventilating grills, gates and metal fences" were constructed of "Swedish white iron" manufactured by the General Bronze Corp. of Minneapolis.

Cast aluminum, a "new idea in the use of aluminum was used for the desk lamps, ash trays and ornamental pieces." During the Depression, the bank was forced to close its doors. On June 11, 1935, it was reopened as the Security National Bank. In 1978 the tower was named the George C. McKay Tower. The name was changed in 1980 to the Security National Bank and Trust.

Two years later Comerica Inc purchased the bank. In 1993 the building was purchased by Dore Industrial Development, Inc. and renamed to The Heritage Tower. The total cost of constructing this magnificent structure was a little more than $1.7 million, a fraction of the cost to replace it today. August 15, 1931 the moving stairway opened for the very first formal public opening.

On April 24, 1998, 67 years later, The Heritage Tower brought back the ambiance of the darkened dome. The breathtaking 2nd floor now known as The Heritage Dome Center once again lowered the grilled gateway to welcome the public to enjoy the beauty and elegance for their own personal banquets, receptions or company events. With new life now brought back into the building, all the staff is ecstatic in knowing that we can be part of your special day and leaving you with memories for a lifetime.