Jump to content

Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower

Coordinates: 40°41′08″N 73°58′40″W / 40.68556°N 73.97778°W / 40.68556; -73.97778
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Epicgenius (talk | contribs) at 22:03, 13 November 2023 (→‎Architecture: ce). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building" redirects here. For the original building at Broadway and Driggs Avenue, see Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building (175 Broadway).

Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower
The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower as seen from Fourth Avenue on a sunny day in 2010
(2010)
Map
Alternative namesOne Hanson Place
General information
TypeResidential
Architectural styleNeo-Romanesque
Address1 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, New York 11217
Coordinates40°41′08″N 73°58′40″W / 40.68556°N 73.97778°W / 40.68556; -73.97778
Named forWilliamsburgh Savings Bank
Construction started1927
CompletedMay 1929
OpenedApril 1, 1929
Renovated2006–2007
Height
Roof512 feet (156 m)
Technical details
Structural systemSteel superstructure
Floor count41
Floor area273,186 sq ft (25,379.8 m2)
Lifts/elevators12
Grounds20,263 sq ft (1,882.5 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Halsey, McCormack and Helmer
DeveloperWilliamsburgh Savings Bank
Known forTallest building in Brooklyn from 1929 to 2009
Renovating team
Renovating firmH. Thomas O'Hara
DesignatedNovember 15, 1977[1]
Reference no.0971[1]
Designated entityFacade
DesignatedJune 25, 1996[2]
Reference no.1909[2]
Designated entityLobby and bank interior

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, also known as One Hanson Place, is a skyscraper in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Located at the northeast corner of Ashland Place and Hanson Place near Downtown Brooklyn, the tower was designed by Halsey, McCormack and Helmer and constructed from 1927 to 1929 as the new headquarters for the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. At 41 stories and 512 feet (156 m) tall, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was the tallest building in Brooklyn until 2009.

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank was originally headquartered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; its officers decided to construct a new skyscraper headquarters near Downtown Brooklyn in the mid-1920s. The bank occupied the lowest floors when the building opened on April 1, 1929, while the remaining stories were rented as offices. By the late 20th century, much of the building contained dentists' offices. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower's exterior as a city landmark in 1977 and designated the interiors of the lobby and banking spaces in 1996. The Williamsburgh Savings Bank became part of HSBC Bank USA through several mergers, and HSBC sold the building in 2004. The building's upper stories were converted to luxury condominium apartments from 2005 to 2007, while the banking hall became an event space.

The building's main entrance is through a large arch on Hanson Place. At ground level, the tower is clad with limestone above a granite dado. Above the sixth story, the building is faced in brick with terracotta decoration, and a series of setbacks taper to a clock tower and a domed roof. Inside is an entrance vestibule and lobby with ornately decorated marble and metalwork. The 63-foot-high (19 m) banking room is arranged similarly to the parts of a church, with a nave, aisles, and chancel. A basement lobby leads to Atlantic Terminal and the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station, while a mezzanine-level ladies' lounge overlooks the banking room. When the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was completed, there was commentary about both the building's architecture and its symbolism as Brooklyn's tallest building. Over the years, local residents have used the building both as a clock and as a landmark for giving out directions, and the tower has sometimes been used as a filming location.

Site

View of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower from Fourth Avenue, several blocks south. Various low-rise buildings are located on either side of the avenue.
View from Fourth Avenue

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower is at One Hanson Place, in the Fort Greene[3][4] neighborhood of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.[5][6] It occupies the southwestern section of a rectangular city block bounded by Ashland Place to the west, Hanson Place to the south, St. Felix Street to the east, and Lafayette Avenue to the north. The rectangular land lot covers 20,263 square feet (1,882.5 m2), with a frontage of 210 feet (64 m) on Ashland Place and 99 feet (30 m) on Hanson Place.[7]

Many of the surrounding buildings are row houses designed in the Italianate style.[8] The Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church is on the same block to the east,[7][9] and the Brooklyn Academy of Music is just to the north.[7][10] An entrance to the New York City Subway's Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station is inside the building. The site is also near the Atlantic Terminal mall, the Atlantic Terminal station of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), and the Barclays Center arena.[7][11]

The site is near the historic split of Jamaica Road (now Atlantic Avenue) and the Flatbush Turnpike (now Flatbush Avenue). It overlooks Times Plaza at the intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic, and Fourth Avenues in Downtown Brooklyn.[5] This site had grown into a commercial center by the early 20th century.[12][13] Prior to the tower's construction, there were eight buildings on the lot.[14] A small part of the site was previously owned by the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church.[15][16] Despite its location near the subway and LIRR terminal, the site had not attracted any major business before the tower was built, likely due in part to the proximity of the Fort Greene Meat Market.[17]

History

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank was chartered in 1851.[1][18] The bank was originally housed in the basement of a church at Bedford Avenue and South 3rd Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn;[1][19] its first annual report showed that the bank had 158 depositors and $15,000 in assets.[15][19] In 1854, it relocated to its own building across the street.[1][20] In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the bank's holdings grew considerably, and a new headquarters at 175 Broadway was constructed from 1870 to 1875.[1][21] The bank had 139,000 depositors and $212 million in assets in 1928,[15][19] making it the fourth-largest savings bank by deposits in the United States during the late 1920s.[5][22] Despite being expanded in 1906 and 1923,[23][24] the 175 Broadway headquarters was no longer sufficient for the bank's needs by the 1920s.[23]

Each savings bank in New York had been limited to one location until 1923, when the state legislature passed a law allowing savings banks to construct branches. In March 1926, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's Building Committee submitted an application to the New York superintendent of banks to build a branch in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Three months later, the bank decided to instead build a headquarters near Downtown Brooklyn's transit hub.[5] The 175 Broadway building was to be retained as a branch.[15][19]

Development

Metal silhouettes, designed by Rene Chambellan, on the banking hall's windows
Rene Chambellan's metal window silhouettes

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank anonymously acquired lots on 1–9 Hanson Place and 135–149 Ashland Place in Downtown Brooklyn over a total of 29 transactions in 1926.[25][26] After the Times-Union reported on the acquisitions in October 1926,[25] the bank announced it would open a new headquarters at the site.[27][28] Upon hearing of the plans, the City Savings Bank and the Dime Savings Bank of New York, which operated branches in Downtown Brooklyn, expressed opposition and claimed the Williamsburgh Savings Bank was "invading" their territory.[29] Though they were joined by six other banks,[30][31] New York's superintendent of banks moved to allow the Williamsburgh to open a Downtown Brooklyn branch.[24][32] The approval was contingent on the closure of a temporary branch, which the bank planned to open at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues, once the permanent building was finished.[33]

Bank officials considered several plans, including a bank without any office space.[27] Ultimately, bank officials decided to construct a combination bank and office tower, which was originally planned to be 16 stories tall.[25] The William Kennedy Construction Company was awarded the general contract for the new building in December 1926, at which point the building was planned to cost $3 million.[34] The Williamsburgh Savings Bank acquired land from the Hanson Place Church the same month,[16][35] and a chimney for the church was integrated into the new bank building.[36] In January 1927, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank opened the temporary location at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues.[37][38] Later that month, Halsey, McCormack and Helmer filed plans for the new edifice with the city's Bureau of Buildings,[14][39] and the bank announced that it would begin clearing the site.[39] The bureau rejected the original plans, saying that they violated the provisions of the 1916 Zoning Resolution.[40] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote that the project could be delayed by six to twelve months if the architects were forced to redesign the building.[41]

By August 1927, the Kennedy Construction Company was excavating the site to lay the foundation.[42] The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's cornerstone was laid on April 9, 1928,[43][44] and the superstructure was topped out by the end of July 1928.[45] Managing agent R. M. Dinsmore began renting out the space that year,[46] and the clock atop the building started operating in December.[47] The building's construction spurred the development of other buildings nearby even before its completion.[45][48] These included the Brooklyn Paramount Theater, several office buildings,[45] and apartment buildings on Hanson Place.[49][50]

Bank and office use

1920s to 1970s

Four hundred people attended a reception for the new bank building on March 28, 1929.[22][51][52] At the time, 75 percent of the space had been leased.[48][52] The banking offices opened on April 1,[53][54] and the building was 85 percent occupied by the time the office stories officially opened the next month.[54] The office space was particularly popular among insurance companies, with four such firms having signed leases there by June.[55] Despite the Wall Street Crash later that year, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was 94 percent occupied at the end of 1929.[54] The new building helped increase the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's business; by the bank's 85th anniversary in 1936, there were 165,000 depositors from all U.S. states and many countries.[56] Among the tenants who signed leases in the 1930s were the Bureau of Internal Revenue,[57] the United Personal Loan Corporation,[58] and Catholic newspaper The Tablet.[59]

A life insurance sales department opened at both of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's branches in 1941.[60] J. J. Roehrig of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank took over as the building's manager in 1943.[61] During World War II, the building's management instituted a policy in which only the first four floors would remain illuminated during citywide blackout orders.[62] Toward the end of the war an office for discharged service members opened within the building.[63][64] In the 1950s, the tower's tenants included architect Henry V. Murphy.[65] As Brooklyn's tallest building, the tower was also used for displays; for example, during Good Friday, some rooms were lit so the pattern on the facade resembled a cross.[66][67] The clock faces were cleaned extensively in 1957.[68] By the 1960s, the former ladies' lounge next to the banking room was converted into a mail room.[12] The banking hall also hosted events such as an American Revolutionary War exhibit by the Long Island Historical Society to celebrate the United States Bicentennial in 1976.[69] The observation deck on the 30th story, which had been open to the public since the building opened, was shuttered in the late 1970s.[70]

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the exterior of the building as a New York City landmark on November 15, 1977.[71][72] One of the bank's vice presidents said: "We did not seek this landmark status but we're rather proud of our building."[73] The designation then had to be approved by the New York City Board of Estimate, but this approval was held up when U.S. Congressman Fred Richmond accused the Williamsburgh Savings Bank of participating in redlining by refusing to give mortgages to residents of poorer neighborhoods.[73][74] The Board of Estimate finally approved the landmark designation in March 1978, when the bank pledged to allocate $10 million for loans and mortgages to Brooklyn residents.[75][76][77] The building was also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and could receive tax abatements if it were added to the Register.[74] The LPC added the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower to the Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District on September 26, 1978.[78]

1980s to early 2000s

By the 1980s, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower contained many dentists' offices.[79] The building also contained executive offices for the Green-Wood Cemetery,[80] as well as the production offices of The Tablet and one story for data-processing equipment.[79] The Williamsburgh started replacing windows in 1983 after finding that some were severely deteriorated. This bank did not seek the required approval from the LPC, saying it did not want to delay the window replacement.[81] Republic National Bank acquired Williamsburgh Savings Bank and its branches in 1986.[82] Republic announced plans to renovate the lobby, banking room, mechanical systems, and facade in 1988, in advance of the building's 60th anniversary.[79] The building was rebranded One Hanson Place during this time.[83] The project was completed that September.[84]

Following completion of the renovation, an LPC staff member contacted the bank after reading news reports of the project. The staff member found that, while most of the work was confined to the interior (and thus did not require approval), 906 of the exterior windows had been replaced. The resulting replacement was the largest violation of New York City's landmarks law at the time.[81] Instead of forcing Republic to uninstall all of the windows, the LPC ruled that the bank only needed to install muntins over the replacement windows.[81][85] At the end of 1989, the Republic Savings Bank merged with the Manhattan Savings Bank.[86][87] The building's name was not changed,[88][89] and residents unofficially continued to call it the Williamsburgh Tower.[86] By then, over 100 dentists occupied 70 percent of the office space; the dental office on floor 29 was the highest accessible point in Brooklyn. The New York Times said the building had "one attraction that even the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building can't match: as you inhale the scenery, you can get a root canal too."[90]

The LPC hosted public hearings in June 1993 to determine whether to designate the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's interior as a city landmark,[91][92] along with that of three other banks in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan.[92][a] The bank's interior was designated a New York City landmark on June 25, 1996.[2] Republic and its branches were acquired by HSBC Bank USA three years later. HSBC moved into the 7th through 11th floors, while the remaining space was 96 percent occupied by 2002. However, the relatively small dimensions of the tower were not attractive to larger tenants, which preferred more modern buildings with larger floor plans.[93] Though many of the building's dentists moved away in the 1990s and 2000s, two dozen dentists remained in 2004.[94]

Residential conversion

Sale and renovation

In mid-2004, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's owner HSBC Bank USA placed the building up for sale.[94][95] One potential buyer wanted to operate the building as an office structure, but he reneged because he could not match the bids of residential developers, who were willing to pay much more.[96] That November, the Dermot Company and Canyon Capital Realty Advisers agreed to buy the building for about $73 million.[97][98] Retired basketball player Magic Johnson was also a partner in the sale, which was finalized in May 2005.[99][100][101] After the sale, HSBC leased a bank branch at Atlantic Terminal,[102] and the building's remaining dentists had to find new offices.[103] The new owners planned to convert the building to stores and residential condominiums while preserving the facade and banking interior. H. Thomas O'Hara designed the renovation.[99][100] The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was one of several landmarked bank buildings in New York City that were either partially or fully converted into residential buildings during the 2000s.[104]

The dentists had used large amounts of mercury amalgams, which created toxic mercury vapors in their offices; a third of the offices had higher levels of mercury vapor than was allowed for residences. Consequently, the mercury vapor also had to be removed.[105] The clock faces were also temporarily disassembled for repairs, since they had become unsynchronized not only with the actual time but with each other.[106] Johnson did not plan to include affordable housing in the converted building, prompting criticism from community groups.[107] Corcoran Group, which was hired to market the building, had planned to lease the banking room to a Borders bookstore in 2006 but was not successful in doing so.[17] In June 2006, the 179 residential condominiums were placed on sale for between $350,000 and $3.5 million each.[108] The first residents finalized their purchases in 2007,[3] and the clock was re-lit that November.[109]

Post-conversion

Refer to caption
Brooklyn Flea market inside the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's banking room

Seventy percent of the condominiums had been sold by January 2008,[110] when the first residents moved into the building[111] and the clock's hands started operating again.[111][112][113] Residential sales peaked in early 2008 before stalling for about six months.[3] Film producer CJ Follini and Noyack Medical Partners purchased the commercial section of the tower that May.[114] The commercial owners held talks with Apple Inc. and Microsoft to open an Apple Store or a Microsoft Store in the space.[115] However, they had difficulty securing a tenant for the banking room, as it was a city landmark and could not be extensively modified.[116] Furthermore, the commercial owners wanted to wait for a suitable tenant such as a "museum store" that would preserve the banking hall.[117]

Events venue Skylight One Hanson agreed to operate the banking room in July 2009.[118] Skylight One Hanson opened that September,[119] renting the banking room for events for at least $15,000 per night.[120][121] The venue was used by such events as VH1 Divas and MTV's Hip Hop Honors.[119] That December, the banking room also started hosting flea market Brooklyn Flea during weekends.[121][122] Though the building's apartments were heavily marketed, some units remained unsold, leading the developers to reduce prices several times.[3][123] The remaining unsold units—six penthouses[3]—were auctioned in May 2011 at a significant discount.[123][124][125] The clock was repaired again and relit in 2013.[126][127] In June 2015, Madison Realty Capital bought the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's 41,400-square-foot (3,850 m2) retail space, including the banking room, for $20.4 million. Madison Realty intended to convert the space into a flagship store.[116][128]

In 2017, the LPC approved a proposal by Higgins Quasebarth & Partners and Acheson Doyle Partners Architects to modify the banking room. The changes largely consisted of circulation improvements, including removing parts of tellers' desks.[129] At the end of that year, Madison Realty hired Chris DeCrosta to market the space.[130] Further alterations to the banking room's furniture were approved in 2019.[129] Skylight One Hanson hosted a pop-up attraction, themed to Netflix's adaptation of the TV series Money Heist, from December 2021 to February 2022.[131][132]

Architecture

The tower was designed by the architectural firm Halsey, McCormack and Helmer.[13][27] The building was constructed in a modernized Byzantine-Romanesque style.[6][133][b] Chief architect Robert Helmer wrote at the time of the building's opening that he wanted it "to be regarded as a cathedral dedicated to the furtherance of thrift and prosperity".[93]

Sources disagree on the tower's height. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower has 41 stories,[7] while Emporis and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat give a figure of 42 stories.[136][137][c] The building measures 512 feet (156 m) tall to its pinnacle; this made it the tallest building in Brooklyn from 1929 until 2009.[136][137][138] However, the building was not the borough's tallest structure for most of its history; that record was held by a 597-foot-tall (182 m) transmitter built atop the nearby Brooklyn Technical High School in 1938.[139] The tower remained the tallest building on Long Island until 1989, when One Court Square in Queens was completed,[70][138] and the tallest building in Brooklyn until 2009, when the Brooklyner topped out.[140]

Form and facade

There are about 935 windows.[81] The ground level of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower occupies the full site. Its upper stories contain a balanced, though not symmetrical, vertical massing of staggered setbacks in brick and architectural terracotta. These setbacks are included to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution.[13][141] For most of the 20th century, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was the only high-rise in the surrounding area. This, along with the fact that the building was near the intersection of five streets,[d] often resulted in the intensification of wind gusts around the building.[142]

Base

Decorative details of the base
Stone carvings of lions that guard the door
Lions guard the door
Stone carvings of a burglar on the facade
Burglar inset on facade

On the lower stories, each elevation of the tower's facade is arranged symmetrically around the axes of the ground story banking room.[143] At ground level is a highly polished dado veneered with veined and colored Minnesota granite.[13][144][145] Near the corner is an inscription in all capital letters.[79][e] The first six stories of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower are clad with limestone.[13][141] Embedded in the wall are square bas-reliefs; one of the reliefs depicts a burglar, who the depositor understood would be thwarted by the massive vault doors in the basement.[93]

The center of the Ashland Place elevation contains three arched windows, which measure 40 feet (12 m) tall and overlook the ground-story banking room. The center of the Hanson Place elevation has a large arch similar to those on Ashland Place. The space beneath the Hanson Place arch contains three round-arched doorways, separated by round columns.[141] The Hanson Place arch measures 24 feet (7.3 m) wide by 48.75 feet (14.86 m) tall.[144][145] To the right of the banking space's main entrance on Hanson Place is the entrance to the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center subway station, with a bronze sign reading "Subway".[146]: 7 

The frames of the large windows are ornately decorated, with half-round mullions topped by decorative capitals. The windows contain tinted cast-glass panes made by the Thomas Jones Decorative Glass Company.[147] Other carved details represent values of thrift.[138][148] These include beehives; squirrels that store nuts; the head of Mercury, god of commerce; wise owls; and seated lions whose paws protect the bank's lockbox, with the bank's monogram on the lock shaft.[93][138] Four continents are also represented in the windows' carved grilles.[148] The windows' ornate decorations contrast with the spare ornamentation of the piers on which the arches rested.[141]

At the 6th physical story (internally labeled as floor 2),[f] above the large arches, are smaller round-arched windows separated by polished-granite columns. A band of corbels runs above this story, delineating the transition to the upper section of the tower.[141][149]

Upper stories

Above the sixth story, each elevation of the building's facade is articulated by vertical piers that rise ten stories.[13] The 7th through 16th stories of the building are divided into ten bays along Ashland Place and five bays along Hanson Place. Each bay contains two windows per story; the center six bays on Ashland Place are recessed.[138] The 17th story contains round-arched windows, above which is a horizontal band of terracotta and a setback.[141][149] Above this story, the massing of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower rises in an asymmetrical cruciform shape.[150] Contrasting limestone trim is used to distinguish each setback.[149]

At the 30th story is an open loggia of arched windows, topped by another horizontal band of terracotta.[141] The abandoned public observation deck is also located at the 30th-story setback.[138] This setback is approximately 320 feet (98 m) high.[151] Visitors could access the deck only by obtaining a card from the building's security guards, which had to be returned when the visitor departed.[152] As late as the 1970s, the observation deck was open to the public during the middle of the day on weekdays, and visitors did not need to pay admission.[153][154] The observation deck was closed in the late 1970s. Bank officials in 1989 could not recall anyone having ever jumped to their death from the observatory.[70]

Clock and dome on the building's upper stories. The facade is made of beige stone, while the dome is a darker color.
Clock and dome atop the building

Above the 30th story, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's massing shrinks to a square tower with large clock faces on each side.[150] Corresponding to the 34th through 36th stories,[144][145] the clock faces originally contained bright red neon tubes.[145][47] The clock faces measure 27 feet (8.2 m) across.[47][138][155][156] At the time of the building's construction, the clock was the largest in New York City[157] and among the largest in the world.[138][g] There are dots in place of numerals, and twelve lamps illuminate each clock face at night.[157] When the clock was first illuminated in 1928, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle claimed the faces could be seen from thirty miles away.[155] During the mid-20th century, many of the borough's residents set their wristwatches to the clock.[157]

The building is topped by an octagonal drum, which supports the dome above it.[158] The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's Renaissance-style dome was inspired by that atop 175 Broadway, which had been designed by George B. Post.[93][141] The original plans for the skyscraper did not include the dome.[93] However, bank officials required the dome to be included;[27][138] as Helmer noted: "Dome was required by Bank over our dead protests".[93] The dome was illuminated at night by red, amber, and green lights.[155][159][160] At the time of the building's opening, these lights faded into each other, running a full cycle every four minutes.[155] To accommodate the lighting system, the dome was made of movable louvers.[159]

Interior

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower has a gross floor area of 273,186 square feet (25,379.8 m2) and is divided into 197 ownership condominiums, 179 of which are residential apartments.[7] There is also a retail space spanning 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) across three levels.[161] The most ornate part of the interior was the banking space, with a five-story-tall banking room running parallel to Ashland Place.[143] To the south is the building's lobby and the Hanson Place entrance vestibule. The main lobby, extending the width of the Hanson Place frontage, is divided by segmental arches into eleven bays: three to the west, three to the center, and five to the east.[143] Above the lobby was a mezzanine with a ladies' lounge, overlooking the banking room.[93][143]

The building has a steel superstructure, though this is concealed on the lower stories by cast stonework. The superstructure is arranged around the columns in the banking room; the use of a portal frame enabled the construction of the office stories above.[143] Rene Paul Chambellan created much of the sculptural work for the bank's interior.[93] Masonry and metalwork are used extensively inside the bank,[93][162] including brass, bronze, copper, silver, and both cast and wrought steel.[162] Also present are 22 types of marble, ranging from red to green to purple.[138] Wood was used only for flagpoles in the banking room.[162] The ceilings are made of plaster with mosaic finishes.[162] Within the banking room and its ladies' lounge, mosaics and huge tinted windows contain silhouetted iron cutouts with vignettes of figures such as workers and students.[163] Cox, Nostrand & Gunnison manufactured the banking interiors' lighting fixtures.[22][164]

Lobby

The central section of the lobby. Ornate metalwork is visible in the lower part of the image, while a globe hangs from a blue-and-gold ceiling at the top.
Metalwork in the central section of the lobby

On the south side of the ground story, leading from the center of the Hanson Place frontage, is an entrance vestibule.[143] Three sets of doors lead north from the entrance vestibule to the middle of the main lobby; the doors are topped by metal panels that depict an arcade of seven ornately decorated arches. The west and east walls contain metal grilles with floral decorations.[164]

The entrance vestibule connects with the central section of the lobby.[143] The floor is made of marble with Cosmati-style motifs in the middle. Above the south doors are metal panels depicting arcades, similar to those in the vestibule. To the north, three double metal doors lead to the banking room.[164] Carved figures on these doors represent six types of tradesmen who might open accounts at the bank,[148][162] while floral decorations represent the months of the year.[162] The walls are made of marble.[165] The ceiling's segmental arches divide the ceiling into 11 saucer vaults, with mosaic tiles in various hues of blue, representing the sky.[138][164] Gold stars are overlaid onto the ceiling, and there are globe-shaped lighting fixtures.[148][164]

The western end of the lobby contains a stair to the safe-deposit area in the basement. To the east are the elevators, a staircase to the basement lobby, and a staircase to the former ladies' lounge.[166] There are five sets of elevator doors, originally decorated with representations of seasons, types of arts, classical elements, and skilled workers.[162] The decorative elevator doors have since been replaced with plain anodized metal doors.[12] The stairways up to the ladies' lounge and down to the basement lobby have marble walls.[165]

Banking room

View of banking room in 2010. There is a crowd of people attending a fair in the middle of the banking room. Large windows are visible to the left.
View of banking room in 2010, looking north within the "nave" toward the north wall

The banking room's ceiling is 63 feet (19 m) high.[143][160] Sources disagree on the size of the banking room,[h] which is oriented north–south.[143] The interior layout was patterned after that of a church.[93][138] The room's central nave, for clients and bank officers, was flanked to the east and west by aisles with tellers' desks. At the north end of the banking room, officers worked in a chancel separated from the rest of the space by a low parapet.[143] At the southwestern corner of the banking room, another low parapet delineated the new-accounts area, which had a fireplace.[143] The former mezzanine-level ladies' lounge is above the lobby, with a balustrade overlooking the south end of the banking room.[147]

The floors are paved in multicolored marble. The nave is arranged in a grid of Cosmati rectangles, and three general designs are used in the marble floor.[168] Low parapets run between the nave and aisles, doubling as the tellers' counters. There are metal grilles with bulletproof glass above each counter, decorated with figures of animals and the zodiac. The tops of the tellers' grilles are crested and have eagle-shaped finials. Originally, the banking room contained a circular information desk supported by multicolored columns. The new-accounts area at the southwestern corner and the officers' area to the north were shielded by screens. Additionally, there were two circular tables with glass tops and marble colonnettes.[165]

The lowest portions of the banking room's walls are made of yellow marble, while the remainders of the walls are made of cast stone.[165] On the western wall, there is a decorative fireplace and small arched windows topped by the massive arches.[147] To the south are three round arches from the lobby with decorative marble columns, which support the ladies' lounge.[147] On the north wall is a mosaic artwork depicting the Williamsburgh Savings Bank surrounded by landmarks and motifs representing Brooklyn and its history.[144][145][162] It was installed by Ravenna Mosaics[148][162][167] and is attributed to "Wagner" of Germany.[162] The north and south walls also contain balustrades with analog clocks recessed into them.[164]

Refer to caption
View of the nave's barrel-vaulted ceiling, with the west aisle visible at right. Arches separate the nave from the aisle and also span the top of the aisle.

Cast-stone piers separate the aisles from the nave and are topped by carved capitals depicting elderly figures,[147] which represent "reasons to save".[138] Each pier is four stories high, with one-story-high diagonal steel beams behind each capital.[143] Above each aisle, round-arched openings and taller arches connect each pier with the nearest wall.[147] The side aisles contain barrel-vaulted ceilings, while there are cast-stone barrel vaults above the nave and the banking room's north and south ends.[165] The nave's ceiling vault also contains a blue-and-gold glass mosaic depicting an astrological motif.[138][162] The mosaic, created by Angelo Magnanti,[148][162][167] is placed on a steel mesh panel and is hung from the steel superstructure.[164] There are chandeliers throughout the room.[165]

Basement

The basement lobby is a central space accessed from the eastern part of the ground-level lobby.[143] The basement's lobby has a terrazzo floor laid in a grid pattern.[147] The walls are made of marble; the west wall contains a stairway up to the main elevator lobby. The plaster ceiling is a saucer vault containing a central chandelier.[164] The basement lobby led to the bank's vaults and the subway lobby.[143]

There were three levels of basements for the bank's vaults.[22] Originally, there were 10,000 drawers for depositors in the main vault.[144][145] The depositors' vault was sealed by 60-short-ton (54-long-ton; 54 t) doors, measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) thick, which were open to clients during banking hours.[93] Three such doors existed in total.[22][161] The steel doors were removed in the 2000s when the banking hall and basement were converted into a commercial space.[161] The subway lobby has a plaster ceiling and revolving doors flanked by metal fences. Outside the subway lobby, a passageway connects directly with the LIRR's Atlantic Terminal and the subway.[143]

Upper stories

Immediately above the banking room were three levels of offices for the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, three in front of the banking room, and four behind it.[144][145] These housed executive offices and bank transactions.[22] The remainder of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was originally rented out as offices. To maximize usable space, the architects spaced the superstructure's columns as far apart as possible. Each story had an area of 2,600 to 11,000 square feet (240 to 1,020 m2).[15] The highest office story was floor 29, right below the clock tower.[90]

At the time of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's construction, elevators in typical high-rise buildings were clustered around a central core. The presence of the ground-story banking room prevented the construction of a central core, so the tower's elevators were instead placed at the southeast corner, connecting both to the offices above and the LIRR and subway stations in the basement.[143] Twelve elevators served the upper stories,[52] including a private elevator used by the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's president.[93]

From 2006 to 2007, the offices were converted into 176 apartments with 138 floor plans, ranging from 295-square-foot (27.4 m2) studios to penthouse apartments with over 3,000 square feet (280 m2).[99] The units had a common room with a terrace, as well as a playroom and a shared business center.[169] One example of a larger unit is a three-bedroom apartment on the 28th story with beamed ceilings, wooden floors, and nine windows on two elevations.[170] Some of the penthouse units cover a full story, and there is a duplex unit adjacent to the former observation deck.[3] The largest unit is a 3,263-square-foot (303.1 m2), four-story penthouse on the 30th-story setback.[125][123] Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects redesigned the penthouse for its resident over eight years, combining some bedrooms and rearranging other spaces.[171]

Impact

Architectural commentary

View of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower from Flatbush Avenue. There is scaffolding on parts of the tower. The Atlantic Terminal shopping mall and train station is located in front of the tower.
For many years, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower was Brooklyn's tallest building.

After the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's groundbreaking, the New York Daily News said the tower would be "the pioneer skyscraper of unusual beauty in this vicinity",[44] while the Brooklyn Times-Union stated that the building's construction would unite Brooklyn's and Manhattan's skylines.[172] When the tower was completed, the Brooklyn Citizen said that the tower was not only a monument to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank but also one of several major commercial developments near Atlantic Terminal.[144] Within a year of completion, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said the tower had led to the establishment of a business hub around the LIRR terminal.[50]

A New York Times writer characterized the building in 1972 as "possibly America's funniest skyscraper" and likened its interior to an ornate movie set.[173] Christopher Gray of the Times wrote that the designs of the lobby and banking hall were intended to give each of the bank's clients a sense of grandeur and opulence.[81] In a book about Brooklyn's buildings, historian Francis Morrone described the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower as among the city's greatest skyscrapers, saying that it even surpassed Halsey, McCormack and Helmer's design for the neighboring Hanson Place Church.[174] Some observers compared the massing to a phallus: the 2010 edition of the AIA Guide to New York City called the dome "New York's most exuberant phallic symbol",[6] and the author Jonathan Ames created a "Most Phallic Building" contest after writing in Slate magazine that the tower was the most phallic building he had ever seen.[175]

The tower had been intended as the first of a series of skyscrapers near Downtown Brooklyn.[13] In the decade prior to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's completion, four buildings had held the record of Brooklyn's tallest building.[176] Eric Nash wrote in 2005 that the building was supposed to compete with Manhattan's skyline both financially and aesthetically.[138] The onset of the Great Depression had led to the cancellation of other high-rise projects nearby.[13] Despite this, Paul Goldberger wrote for the Times in 1988 that the lack of nearby skyscrapers did not negatively affect the cityscape,[177] and the Times described the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower as one of the few structures in Brooklyn's skyline that could be recognized from afar.[178] It was only in the 2010s that several taller skyscrapers in Brooklyn were built,[179] and the record for Brooklyn's tallest building was broken repeatedly.[176] The largest of these is 9 DeKalb Avenue, which at about 1,066 feet (325 m) is more than double the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower's height.[180]

Through the late 20th century, local residents used the building both as a clock and as a landmark for giving out directions.[156] A 1982 article for the Daily News described the Williamsburgh Savings Bank and its tower as a symbol of the bank's leadership of Brooklyn.[181] The high concentration of dentists as tenants led the Daily News to call the building "the mecca of dentistry" in the 2000s.[99] The New York Observer said in 2006 that the tower and the Brooklyn Bridge were likely the only recognizable landmarks on Brooklyn's skyline.[108]

In media

Several television series and movies have used the tower as a filming location. These have included the film Prizzi's Honor,[70] the TV series Gotham,[182] and the film Going in Style.[183] It was also the fictional setting of a romantic sequence in the film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. [184]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ The others were the Dime Savings Bank Building, Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building (175 Broadway), Brooklyn Trust Company Building, Bowery Savings Bank Building (130 Bowery), and Bowery Savings Bank Building (110 East 42nd Street).[92]
  2. ^ The City of Williamsburgh was annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1854; the resulting neighborhood is known as "Williamsburg", without the h.[134] The bank retained the City of Williamsburgh's old name.[135]
  3. ^ Due to the height of the five-story banking room, as well as empty spaces on the topmost floors, the building has been described as having as few as 34 stories. This figure counts the banking room as one story and excludes the empty upper-story spaces.[22]
  4. ^ Namely Ashland and Hanson Places and Flatbush, Fourth, and Atlantic Avenues.
  5. ^ The inscription says: "To Our Depositors Past and Present This Building Is Dedicated. By Their Industry and Thrift They Have Built Homes and Educated Children, Opened the Door of Opportunity to Youth and Made Age Comfortable Independent and Dignified. By Those Sturdy Virtues They Have Obtained Their Ambitions, Swept Aside the Petty Distinctions of Class and Birth and So Maintained the True Spirit of American Democracy."[79]
  6. ^ The banking room rises to the top of the northern elevation's fifth story, so the physical count of stories differs from the floor numbers. Therefore, Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 2 counts the sixth story as floor 2; a similar discrepancy exists on higher floors.
  7. ^ The center of each clock face is 430 feet (130 m) above the street. Each hour hand measures 9 feet (2.7 m) long.[156][157] Each minute hand is variously cited as 12.5 feet (3.8 m)[156] or 15.75 feet (4.80 m) long.[157] The hour hands each weigh 294 pounds (133 kg), and the minute hands weigh 523 pounds (237 kg).[70][157]
  8. ^ Though the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission cites the room's footprint as measuring about 112 by 73 feet (34 by 22 m),[143] other sources give dimensions of 128 by 72 feet (39 by 22 m), including the ladies' lounge on the south wall.[138][160][167][51]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 1.
  2. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barbanel, Josh (April 14, 2011). "Brooklyn Penthouse Units Slated for Auction". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Lamb, Yanick Rice (October 15, 1989). "If You're Thinking of Living in: Fort Greene". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 2.
  6. ^ a b c White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 637. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "1 Hanson Place, 11217". New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  8. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1978, p. 4.
  9. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1978, p. 11.
  10. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1978, p. 13.
  11. ^ "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center (B)(Q)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 8.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, p. 544.
  14. ^ a b "New Williamsburg Bank Building Plans Filed at Building Bureau". The Chat. January 29, 1927. p. 55. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Lay Cornerstone of W'msburg Bank on Its Birthday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 8, 1928. pp. 47, 48. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Hanson Pl. Church in $150,000 Deal". Times Union. December 20, 1926. p. 45. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Vandam, Jeff (June 11, 2006). "For Brooklyn's Beacon, the Luxe Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  18. ^ North 1951, p. 29.
  19. ^ a b c d "Brooklyn's Highest Skyscraper Soon To Be Completed: Cornerstone of Williamsburg Bank Building Will Be Laid To-morrow". New York Herald Tribune. April 8, 1928. p. D1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113362388.
  20. ^ North 1951, p. 37.
  21. ^ North 1951, p. 43.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g "Notables Attend Private Opening of Tallest Bank". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 28, 1929. p. 44. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b North 1951, p. 45.
  24. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 9.
  25. ^ a b c "16-story Bank in Hanson Place". Times Union. October 19, 1926. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Real Estate News". New York Herald Tribune. February 8, 1927. p. 35. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113516259.
  27. ^ a b c d Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 3.
  28. ^ "Williamsburg Bank to Open Branch". The Chat. October 23, 1926. p. 52. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "New Savings Bank Branch Protested". Times Union. October 20, 1926. p. 4. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Williamsburgh Savings Bank Branch Vigorously Opposed". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 3, 1926. p. 23. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Williamsburgh Bank Confident of Victory". Times Union. November 1, 1926. p. 52. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Bratton, David (November 9, 1926). "Ten Banks Renew Williamsburgh Branch Battle". Times Union. pp. 47, 48. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, pp. 9–10.
  34. ^ "New Brooklyn Skyscraper To Cost $3,000,000". New York Herald Tribune. December 9, 1927. p. 42. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1133356962.
  35. ^ "Hanson Pl. Church Gets $150,000 for Unused Bit of Land". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 20, 1926. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 10.
  37. ^ "Savings Bank Opens Branch". The New York Times. January 6, 1927. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  38. ^ "Bank Opens Branch". New York Herald Tribune. January 6, 1927. p. 29. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113505325.
  39. ^ a b "Start Skyscraper of Williamsburgh Bank Next Month". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 25, 1927. p. 23. Retrieved November 2, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Bank Skyscraper Plan Turned Down". Times Union. January 28, 1927. p. 21. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Bank Will Appeal Building Rejection". Times Union. February 12, 1927. p. 26. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "Kennedy Construction Company Enters New Era of Prosperity". Times Union. August 1, 1927. p. 27. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Williamsburgh Savings Bank Lays Cornerstone in Brooklyn: Br. Cadmati Delivers Chief Address, Praising Thrift as Basis of Political Stability; Building on Hanson Pl. Will Rise 512 Feet; Sullivan's Books Sealed In". New York Herald Tribune. April 10, 1928. p. 25. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113358779.
  44. ^ a b "Brooklyn's Empire Sweeping Skyward". New York Daily News. April 10, 1928. p. 42. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  45. ^ a b c Kirk, Vincent R. (July 29, 1928). "Skyscraper Bank Marks Hub of New Business Center". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 43. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "Williamsburg Bank; Many Rentals Being Made in New Building on Flatbush Avenue". The New York Times. October 21, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  47. ^ a b c "Big Illuminated Bank Clock Started". The New York Times. December 25, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  48. ^ a b "Brooklyn Provides More Office Room; New Williamsburgh Bank Build ing Opens in Well-Rented Condition". The New York Times. April 7, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  49. ^ "New Bank to Serve Brooklyn Heights". The New York Times. March 30, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Depot Area Seen as Greatest Business and Apartment Center". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 23, 1930. pp. 41, 42. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  51. ^ a b "Williamsburgh Savings Bank Reception Attended by 400". Times Union. March 31, 1929. p. 67. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  52. ^ a b c "Savings Bank Pays Tribute to Employes". The Brooklyn Citizen. March 29, 1929. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  53. ^ "The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Opens Its Central Office in New Skyscraper". The Chat. April 6, 1929. p. 19. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  54. ^ a b c "Space Well Rented in Brooklyn Area: Williamsburgh Bank Building Influenced New Activity in Midtown Section". The New York Times. April 24, 1932. p. R2. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 99674307.
  55. ^ "Insurance Companies Like New Williamsburg Bank Building". New York Herald Tribune. June 9, 1929. p. D13. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1111979870.
  56. ^ "Williamsburgh Savings Bank Marks 85th Anniversary". Times Union. June 6, 1936. p. 30. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  57. ^ "Federal Unit Rents in Brooklyn". The New York Times. December 12, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  58. ^ "State Banking Rulings; Loan Group to Move in Bronx and to Open Branch". The New York Times. November 11, 1939. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  59. ^ "Heads Publishing Board; Mgr. C. J. Canivan of Oyster Bay New President of Tablet". The New York Times. October 22, 1938. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  60. ^ "Bank to Sell Life Policies". The New York Times. October 1, 1941. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  61. ^ "To Manage Bank Skyscraper". The New York Times. June 7, 1943. p. 24. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 106792706.
  62. ^ Watson, John (April 29, 1942). "Midtown Lights Ablaze Despite Army's Order: Times Square Aglow, but Downtown Co-operates, Coney Boardwalk Dark". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1263604059.
  63. ^ "Veterans' Problem Agency Will Open: First Branch To Open In Boro For Service Men Will Assist Them In Problems Relating To Progress In Civilian Life". New York Amsterdam News. June 23, 1945. p. 3B. ProQuest 225987210.
  64. ^ "Veterans' Office in Brooklyn". The New York Times. August 9, 1945. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  65. ^ "St. John's Plans Science Building; It Will Be Second of Fourteen Structures in $25,000,000 Expansion of University". The New York Times. June 26, 1953. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  66. ^ "To Depict Crucifixion; Skyscrapers' Windows to Form Crosses on Good Friday". The New York Times. March 27, 1956. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  67. ^ "Good Friday". New York Daily News. March 23, 1951. p. 462. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  68. ^ "Offering Brighter Face to the World". New York Daily News. September 27, 1957. p. 73. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  69. ^ Clinton, Audrey (June 12, 1976). "Weekly Guide". Newsday. p. 29. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  70. ^ a b c d e Castro, Laura L. (May 10, 1989). "Toasting a Brooklyn Landmark". Newsday. p. 55. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  71. ^ Miele, Alfred (November 16, 1977). "Landmarks in 3 Varieties". New York Daily News. p. 232. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  72. ^ "Interior Parts Of Met Museum Now Landmark". The New York Times. November 16, 1977. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  73. ^ a b Kaiser, Charles (February 3, 1978). "Action on Bank's Landmark Status Delayed in Dispute Over Redlining". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  74. ^ a b "'Redline' Bank's Designation as Landmark". New York Daily News. February 3, 1978. p. 438. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  75. ^ Kaiser, Charles (March 3, 1978). "Williamsburgh Bank Gets Status As Landmark After Loan Pledge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  76. ^ Kappstatter, Bob (March 3, 1978). "Redline Compromise Gets Bank Landmark Status". New York Daily News. p. 432. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  77. ^ "Bank Named a Landmark". Newsday. March 3, 1978. p. 10. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  78. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1978, p. 1.
  79. ^ a b c d e "A Brooklyn Landmark to Undergo Restoration". Newsday. June 3, 1988. p. 34. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  80. ^ Freudenheim, Betty (March 3, 1988). "Tapestries Warm Up Modern Buildings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  81. ^ a b c d e Gray, Christopher (November 12, 1989). "Streetscapes: Williamsburgh Savings Bank; Resolving the Case of Missing Muntins". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  82. ^ Berg, Eric N. (December 25, 1986). "Republic in Brooklyn Bank Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  83. ^ McKeown, Frank (January 22, 1989). "Building boost". New York Daily News. p. 341. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  84. ^ McCallister, Jared (September 15, 1989). "Bank puts on a happy face". New York Daily News. p. 271. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  85. ^ Moritz, Owen (November 29, 1989). "Apple Sauce". New York Daily News. p. 110. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  86. ^ a b Steinmetz, Greg (December 20, 1989). "Republic Stands Taller After Takeover". Newsday. p. 60. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  87. ^ Quint, Michael (December 19, 1989). "Republic In Savings Bank Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  88. ^ McNatt, Robert (January 22, 1990). "Republic's Latest Deal a Natural and It's Cheap". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 6, no. 4. p. 3. ProQuest 219171509.
  89. ^ "Bank's New Name Irks Brooklynites". The New York Times. January 7, 1990. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  90. ^ a b Yarrow, Andrew L. (May 9, 1991). "Downtown Brooklyn Journal; Lean Back, Open Wide And Say, 'Holy Cow!'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  91. ^ "A choice between landmarks and ATMs". New York Daily News. July 9, 1993. p. 178. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  92. ^ a b c Dunlap, David W. (June 20, 1993). "Postings; Landmarking Enters the Jet Age". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  93. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Newman, Andy (September 20, 2002). "My Brooklyn; A Tower of Dentists Wears a Golden Crown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  94. ^ a b Son, Hugh (June 16, 2004). "Dentists Fear Being Rooted Out". New York Daily News. p. 1. ISSN 2692-1251. ProQuest 305891268.
  95. ^ Neuman, William (June 6, 2004). "Big Deal; After Next-Door Angst, Sales Begin at New Meier Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  96. ^ Farrell, Bill (June 27, 2004). "Watching Price Rise Developers in Downtown Buying Frenzy". p. 1. ProQuest 305890796.
  97. ^ Neuman, William (November 21, 2004). "Park Views and a Fancy Shower Available at the San Remo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  98. ^ Steele, Lockhart (November 15, 2004). "Brooklyn Bank Tower Update: More Condos Now!". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  99. ^ a b c d Son, Hugh (May 18, 2005). "Bank on Condos NBA Great in $71m Tower Deal". New York Daily News. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  100. ^ a b Albertson, Joshua (May 17, 2005). "Magic Johnson Closes on Giant Brooklyn Tower". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  101. ^ Joshi, Pradnya (May 18, 2005). "Taking a shot on B'klyn landmark". Newsday. p. 38. ISSN 2574-5298. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  102. ^ Croghan, Lore (January 22, 2005). "HSBC Is Moving Next Door in B'klyn". p. 40. ProQuest 305947061.
  103. ^ Barry, Dan (May 28, 2005). "A Brooklyn Tower Packed With Dentists, and They All Have to Come Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  104. ^ Hughes, C. J. (December 17, 2006). "Homes Above the Tellers' Windows". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  105. ^ Shin, Paul H. B. (November 9, 2005). "Mercury Brings High Anxiety in Brooklyn". New York Daily News. p. 3. ISSN 2692-1251. ProQuest 306009212.
  106. ^ Mindlin, Alex (September 9, 2007). "The Clock That Vanished". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  107. ^ Hays, Elizabeth (April 4, 2006). "Magic feels housing heat". New York Daily News. p. 85. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  108. ^ a b Calderone, Michael (June 19, 2006). "Brooklyn Magic!". Observer. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  109. ^ "Williamsburgh Savings Bank clock tower still has the bright stuff". New York Daily News. November 29, 2007. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  110. ^ Buck, Andrew (January 21, 2008). "Brooklyn building boom skews housing stock". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 24, no. 3. p. 18. ProQuest 219156618.
  111. ^ a b Sederstrom, Jotham (January 17, 2008). "Williamsburgh Clock Tower Ticks Back to Life After Fixup". New York Daily News. p. 1. ISSN 2692-1251. ProQuest 306172140.
  112. ^ Eligon, John (January 17, 2008). "Clocks of Brooklyn Building Are Ticking, and in Sync". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  113. ^ "Brooklyn Gets its Famous Clock Back". WNYC. January 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  114. ^ Dolce, Natalie (May 19, 2008). "Noyack Medical Partners Snags Office Condo". GlobeSt. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  115. ^ Kuntzman, Gersh (May 3, 2008). "Apple of their eye: Microsoft 'banks' on Brooklyn for first store". Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  116. ^ a b Clarke, Katherine (July 8, 2015). "Exclusive: New owner shells out $20M for Williamsburgh Savings Bank retail with plan to attract major brand to iconic Brooklyn tower". New York Daily News. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  117. ^ Sheftell, Jason (April 24, 2009). "Best of Brooklyn: Real estate deals, neighborhoods, quirks and more". New York Daily News. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  118. ^ McLaughlin, Mike (July 1, 2009). "Williamsburgh Savings Bank to be a wedding hall". Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  119. ^ a b "The Closer: Ben Stiller on the hunt for a whole building to buy in NYC". New York Daily News. September 25, 2009. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  120. ^ Gray, Christopher (June 10, 2010). "When Banks Looked Like a Million Bucks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  121. ^ a b Brown, Stephen (December 23, 2009). "Flea of the lords!". Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  122. ^ Clott, Sharon (December 20, 2009). "Brooklyn Flea Moves Winter Market to Skylight One Hanson". The Cut. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  123. ^ a b c Cardwell, Diane (May 16, 2011). "A Perch Above Brooklyn, Going Once, Going Twice ..." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  124. ^ "Six penthouses at One Hanson Place to be auctioned off". The Real Deal New York. April 14, 2011. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  125. ^ a b Khan, Bilal (May 16, 2011). "One Hanson Place Penthouses Sell for $1.35M to $2.55M at Auction". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  126. ^ "Lights on again at famed clock tower". Brooklyn Eagle. March 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  127. ^ Chin, Heather (March 21, 2013). "Williamsburgh Savings Bank clock is repaired and will tick on". The Brooklyn Home Reporter. Archived from the original on January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  128. ^ Pasquarelli, Adrianne (September 7, 2015). "This old house is the new storefront". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 31, no. 36. p. 1. ProQuest 1710724379.
  129. ^ a b Hubert, Craig (June 26, 2019). "Small Modifications to the Landmarked Interior at One Hanson Place Approved by LPC". Brownstoner. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  130. ^ "Chris DeCrosta to lease One Hanson; Resnick welcomes Westside Market". Real Estate Weekly. December 18, 2017. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  131. ^ Schneider, Michael (November 29, 2021). "Amazon Prime Video CMO on the Return of Pop-Up Experiential Events for Premieres and FYC Campaigns". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  132. ^ Weaver, Shaye (June 7, 2021). "A fully immersive Money Heist experience is coming to NYC". Time Out New York. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  133. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
  134. ^ Williams, Keith (June 1, 2017). "Williamsburg's Short, Crooked Life as a City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  135. ^ Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1999). New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age. Monacelli Press. p. 954. ISBN 978-1-58093-027-7. OCLC 40698653.
  136. ^ a b "One Hanson Place". Emporis. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  137. ^ a b "One Hanson Place". The Skyscraper Center. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. August 24, 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  138. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Nash, Eric (2005). Manhattan Skyscrapers. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-56898-652-4. OCLC 407907000.
  139. ^ Schneider, Daniel B. (February 27, 2000). "F.Y.I." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  140. ^ Chapman, Ben; Belenkaya, Veronika (June 10, 2009). "Developer says Brooklyner is now the borough's tallest building". New York Daily News. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  141. ^ a b c d e f g h Landmarks Preservation Commission 1977, p. 2.
  142. ^ Bahrampour, Tara (February 2, 2003). "Neighborhood Report: Fort Greene; Outside This Famed Bank, Everyone Knows It's Windy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  143. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 4.
  144. ^ a b c d e f g "New Bank Skyscraper Shows Possibilities of L. I. Depot Section". The Brooklyn Citizen. June 30, 1929. p. 18. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  145. ^ a b c d e f g "Open Skyscraper as Williamsburgh Bank's New Home". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 31, 1929. p. 19. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  146. ^ "Atlantic Avenue Subway Station (IRT and BMT)". Records of the National Park Service, 1785–2006, Series: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013–2017, Box: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, ID: 75313347. National Archives.
  147. ^ a b c d e f g Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 6.
  148. ^ a b c d e f Dolkart, Andrew; Postal, Matthew A. (2004). Guide to New York City Landmarks. Guide to New York City Landmarks. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-471-36900-4. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  149. ^ a b c Environmental Impact Statement 1986, p. 7.
  150. ^ a b Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, pp. 544–545.
  151. ^ Environmental Impact Statement 1986, p. I-8.
  152. ^ Mara, Margaret (July 21, 1952). "Boro Skyscraper Coolest Spot". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  153. ^ Goldberger, Paul (July 9, 1976). "The Skyscraper is King, but the Streets Are for Strolling". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  154. ^ Sleed, Joel (January 4, 1976). "Visitors move up to see sights of NYC". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 25. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  155. ^ a b c d "Huge Bank Clock Starts Ticking". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 26, 1928. p. 17. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  156. ^ a b c d "Tallest Clock in World Keeps Brooklyn Ticking". New York Daily News. June 16, 1974. p. 239. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  157. ^ a b c d e f Gordon, David (February 18, 1973). "Timely Reminder For Brooklynites". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  158. ^ Morrone 2001, p. 191.
  159. ^ a b "Dome of the Central Branch Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building, Brooklyn, N. Y." (PDF). Pencil Points. September 1929. p. 69. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  160. ^ a b c Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, p. 545.
  161. ^ a b c Mooney, Jake (June 8, 2008). "A Cathedral to Cash, Up for Rent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  162. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 5.
  163. ^ Friedman, Joseph; Berenholtz, Richard (1992). Inside New York. New York, NY: HarperCollins. pp. 26, 125. ISBN 978-0-06-016940-4.
  164. ^ a b c d e f g h Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, p. 7.
  165. ^ a b c d e f Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, pp. 6–7.
  166. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, pp. 4–5.
  167. ^ a b c Morrone 2001, p. 190.
  168. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1996, pp. 5–6.
  169. ^ Peltz, Jennifer (August 17, 2008). "Apartments pile on amenities; Luxury extras such as pet-sitting, in-home massage and room service lure tenants". Los Angeles Times. p. C.12. ProQuest 422186914.
  170. ^ Vries, Susan De (November 19, 2021). "Expansive Fort Greene Clock Tower Condo With Three Bedrooms, Views Asks $3.5 Million". Brownstoner. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  171. ^ McMullen, Troy J. (December 3, 2021). "Inside a Historic Brooklyn Penthouse That Took Years to Remodel". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  172. ^ "Our New Skyscraper". Times Union. January 20, 1928. p. 6. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  173. ^ Davis, L. J. (May 21, 1972). "A Treasure of Victoriana Abounds in Brooklyn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  174. ^ Morrone 2001, p. 189.
  175. ^ Ames, Jonathan (July 17, 2003). "Entry 4". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  176. ^ a b Paletta, Anthony (July 15, 2013). "Brooklyn's Bid for Higher Buildings Fails to Impress". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  177. ^ Goldberger, Paul (October 23, 1988). "Architecture View; Alone in Queens, an Unlikely Tower Scrapes the Sky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  178. ^ Newman, Andy (July 9, 2001). "Last Days for Brooklyn's Giants; Twin Tanks Carry a Love-Hate Reputation to the End". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  179. ^ Kusisto, Laura (December 12, 2011). "Developers Launch Battle Of Brooklyn". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  180. ^ Chaban, Matt A. V. (February 17, 2016). "73-Story Tower Would Be Brooklyn's Tallest by Far". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  181. ^ Lombardi, Frank (October 17, 1982). "Who's in charge here anyway?". New York Daily News. p. 200. ISSN 2692-1251. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  182. ^ Leon, Alexandra (February 28, 2017). "Fake Bomb to Detonate at Williamsburgh Bank Tower for 'Gotham' Shoot". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  183. ^ Chin, Heather (September 21, 2015). "Film Shoot With Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, And Alan Arkin Takes Over One Hanson Place This Week". Bklyner. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  184. ^ Paredes, Andrew (June 2, 2023). "Review: Across the Spider-Verse just showed us the future of the superhero movie". ANCX. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower.
Records
Preceded by Tallest building in Brooklyn
1929–2009 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Williamsburgh_Savings_Bank_Tower&oldid=1184992690"