New York's Gothic-inspired skyscrapers provide a visual allusion to Gothic cathedrals echoing the stability of a past culture. The United States Realty Building and its near twin, the Trinity Building, are examples of a "Corporate Gothic" style providing positive images of prosperity. Designed by architect Francis Hatch Kimball, the United States Realty and Trinity Buildings set world records for rapidity of construction. In 1907, the two buildings were considered the costliest commercial structures ever built totaling $15 million dollars (including land). In 1912, Kimball built a footbridge of wrought iron to join the roofs of the two buildings.
Transaction Information Systems, Inc., (TIS) occupies the top floor of the United States Realty Building, the onetime home of the historic New York Lawyers' Club. Transaction Information Systems is a leading provider of systems integration, IT consulting and e-commerce products. In October 1997, Transaction Information Systems was named the 55th fastest-growing company in the country by Inc. magazine. Inc. In September 1997, the company announced the opening of FLITE; the first open software factory dedicated to building electronic commerce solutions for the financial industry. In addition to TIS, the founder of FLITE, there are approximately 20 member firms, including Digital Equipment Corporation, Foote, Cone and Belding, IBM, Lotus Development Corporation, Reuters, Sybase and Visa.
Transaction Information System's New York headquarters is a unique and fascinating juxtaposition of cutting-edge technology against stained glass windows, ornate gargoyles, high ceilings and mahogany arches. Within this architectural splendor, sales, marketing and information technology executives interact with a captivating bazaar of online trading systems, 401(k) management products, three-dimensional visualizations of financial data and other electronic commerce and interactive customer service solutions.