The Bowery Savings Bank is one of the first buildings to reflect the classical influence of the Chicago Fair of 1893. It is a fine, dignified example of a New York banking house, with a skillful use of al L shaped site.
The interior is an early example of the Roman Revival style which was to become standard for savings bank buildings, and was intended to express both simplicity and grandeur. The skylit, eighty-foot square, steel-framed banking room has details that closely follow Roman prototypes and it compares in scale to the grandest buildings of ancient Rome.
The banking room is a prime example of a type which evolved in the second half of the nineteenth century characterized by a symmetrical arrangement and a prominent, axially-placed freestanding bank vault in a large centralized space organized with a peninsular layout of the tellers’ area to accommodate male and female depositors. In response to contemporary sanitary concerns, the interior was designed with durable, easily cleaned, surfaces and the building’s form was exploited to provide effective natural ventilation.
STATUS Designated Exterior and Interior Landmark
The Neighborhood
Tribeca
The area now known as Tribeca was originally developed in the early 19th century as a residential neighborhood close to the city’s center in Lower Manhattan. Its street grid was laid out at right angles off of Greenwich Street and on a diagonal off of...
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