Metropolitan Savings Bank Building
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Savings Bank Building opened on May 22, 1867 at the northeast corner of Third Avenue (Manhattan)
– now Cooper Square
– and East 7th Street, in New York City
. The building, which was designed by architect Carl Pfeiffer
in Second Empire style, is four stories high, 45 feet (13.7 m) wide and 75 feet (22.9 m) deep, and was considered at the time it opened to be one of the most finely constructed edifices, "from garret
to basement." Its facades were composed of white marble, with the upper floor being enclosed by a mansard roof
. The building was fireproof
, as no combustible materials were used during construction, either internally or externally. The entire cost of the structure was $150,000.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, and was added to the National Register of Historic Place
in 1979. It has an alternate address of 61 Cooper Square.
Black walnut
was used inside for building desks, chairs, and stairways. The office furniture evoked a simple design and reflected excellent taste The President's room, located behind the banking house proper, was less spacious, as offices were given the maximum space. Another feature of the interior was its immense safe
.
Assessor of Internal Revenue. The third floor, unlet when the building first opened, was rented for a decade by the Eastern Star Lodge of Freemasons.
Third Avenue (Manhattan)
Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Cooper Square north for over 120 blocks. Third Avenue continues into The Bronx across the Harlem River over the Third Avenue Bridge north of East 129th Street to East Fordham Road at...
– now Cooper Square
Cooper Square
__notoc__Cooper Square is a junction of streets in lower Manhattan, New York City located at the confluence of the neighborhoods of The Bowery to the south, NoHo to the west and southwest, Greenwich Village to the west and northwest, the East Village to the north and east, and the Lower East Side...
– and East 7th Street, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The building, which was designed by architect Carl Pfeiffer
Carl Pfeiffer (architect)
Carl Pfeiffer was a United States architect.-Biography:He came to the United States at age 16 and resided several years in the west...
in Second Empire style, is four stories high, 45 feet (13.7 m) wide and 75 feet (22.9 m) deep, and was considered at the time it opened to be one of the most finely constructed edifices, "from garret
Garret
A garret is generally synonymous in modern usage with a habitable attic or small living space at the top of a house. It entered Middle English via Old French with a military connotation of a watchtower or something akin to a garrison, in other words a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered...
to basement." Its facades were composed of white marble, with the upper floor being enclosed by a mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
. The building was fireproof
Fireproof
-Track List for Original 2002 Release:# "Fireproof" – 3:46# "Just 2 Get By" – 4:17# "Echelon" – 3:25# "Stay Up" – 3:40# "Behind Closed Doors" – 2:55# "Epidemic" – 3:14# "Hindsight" – 2:57# "Light at My Feet" – 3:28# "A Shame" – 3:17...
, as no combustible materials were used during construction, either internally or externally. The entire cost of the structure was $150,000.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, and was added to the National Register of Historic Place
National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street
List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th StreetThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan below 14th Street, which is a large portion of New York County, New York...
in 1979. It has an alternate address of 61 Cooper Square.
Interior design
The main hall was 53.5 feet (16.3 m) in length, and 36.83 feet (11.2 m) wide. Its height was 17.33 feet (5.3 m). Its acoustic properties were excellent.Black walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central...
was used inside for building desks, chairs, and stairways. The office furniture evoked a simple design and reflected excellent taste The President's room, located behind the banking house proper, was less spacious, as offices were given the maximum space. Another feature of the interior was its immense safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
.
Leasees
The fireproof construction of the Metropolitan Savings Bank enabled the rapid renting of any free space not used by the bank. The basement and cellar beneath it was leased for ten years to the Stuyvesant Safe Deposit Company. The floor just above the bank was leased by the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assessor of Internal Revenue. The third floor, unlet when the building first opened, was rented for a decade by the Eastern Star Lodge of Freemasons.