The famous dome of the Old Stone Bank Building (150 South Main Street). Old Stone Bank opened its doors in 1819; this headquarters was built in 1854 and enlarged in 1898. It is now owned by Brown University.

Bowing to government pressure and reassurances, Old Stone bailed out Rhode Island Federal Savings & Loan in 1984. In 1989, regulators decided their plan to keep the S&L industry afloat was a bust, and Congress enacted legislation reversing some of the provisions that had enabled banks like Old Stone to come to the rescue without risking collapse. Old Stone was crippled, quickly losing two thirds of its assets. For the next few years the bank sold anything it could to stay afloat, but the situation worsened and regulators became concerned with Old Stone itself. On Friday afternoon, January 29, 1993, armed federal marshals seized Old Stone and its assets, summarily ending its proud 174-year history.