Bank for Savings

1251 Third Avenue
John Sexton and F. S. Barus
1870s; alteration: Louis E. Ordwein, 1947

Originally constructed as three four-story tenements with commercial bases, these buildings were combined and converted into a Colonial Revival style bank building clad in red brick with cast stone trim in 1947 for the Bank for Savings in the City of New York. The Colonial Revival style was chosen to reference the institution’s early history as the oldest savings bank in New York State, established in 1819. The tower and cupola, added at the time of the conversion, were inspired by the Governor’s residence in Williamsburg, Virginia. When the buildings were combined, the 45 units on the upper floors were converted to veterans’ housing. The building’s base has since been converted to retail use.

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