| Kings County Savings Bank |
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Information AboutKings County Savings Bank |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT KINGS COUNTY SAVINGS BANK | |
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ARCHITECTURE The Kings County Savings Bank building was built between 1860 and 1867 . It is 43 1/2 by 81 feet on the outside dimension and is constructed of Dorchester sandstone. It has three main floors, each a single large room. On the first and second floors, the main rooms contain six tall Corinthian columns, formed of cast iron, while the third floor is entirely open. The first floor retains its massive gas chandeliers and ornately carved woodwork. Although the designer of the bank, William H. Wilcox of the Brooklyn firm King & Wilcox, is relatively unknown, the building is a superb example of the French Second Empire style. For example, the building displays the characteristic Mansard Roof , which conceals the fourth story attic. HISTORY The Kings County Savings Institution was charted on April 10 1860 . It carried out business in a building called Washington Hall until it purchased the lot on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Broadway and erected a permanent home. The Kings County Savings Bank has long been considered a landmark of Williamsburg. By 1900, during the construction of the Williamsburg Bridge , the neighborhood had changed, and the Bank building was already seen as an icon of "old Williamsburg." It remains one of the most important historical landmarks in Williamsburg, and was recognized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966, the seventh building to be so designated. The building remained in continuous bank ownership and use for well over a century. During the early 1990's, after the building ceased to be used for banking, it was occupied by a pair of eccentric artist "time travelers," McDermott & McGough . They wanted to show that all time was "now time." They dressed in 19th century garb and kept a fashionable lifestyle of the 19th century. Currently the building houses the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center , a not-for profit art organization founded by Yuko Nii in October 1996. BANK TIMELINE From the public records:
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