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Frederick S. Holmes was an American
inventor
who designed the largest vaults in the world. During his career, Holmes designed hundreds of vaults throughout the United States, Canada and Japan from 1895 to 1941. The majority of Holmes designed vaults are located in New York's Financial District; many are publicly accessible and in buildings on the
Holmes' vault designs evolved over time to keep up with
standards of design
. Holmes specialized in jamb-controlled vaults where the combination locks and bolt-throwing mechanism are located inside the vault creating a solid vault door with no spindle holes. Entry requires two points of attack (door and jamb), which doubles the time required for burglars to breach the vault. In recognition of their significant contributions to the field of bank vault engineering, the Franklin Institute wrote, “Coincident with the modern development of the safe and bank vault industry was that of the profession of the Bank Vault Engineer. The industry owes much of its progress to the work done by the pioneers of this profession: William H. Hollar, John M. Mossman, George L. Damon, E. A. Strauss, Frederick S. Holmes, Benjamin F. Tripp, and George L. Remington.” Holmes collaborated with prominent architects such as
Holmes Advertisements
Holmes Biographical Info
Holmes Vault Door Jamb Controls
* Holmes Vault Inventory (200+) ''coming soon'' {{Authority control American inventors Banking Federal Reserve Bank buildings Financial District, Manhattan Locks (security device) Mechanical engineering Security engineering
safe
A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...
and vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
engineer aninventor
who designed the largest vaults in the world. During his career, Holmes designed hundreds of vaults throughout the United States, Canada and Japan from 1895 to 1941. The majority of Holmes designed vaults are located in New York's Financial District; many are publicly accessible and in buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. His name is engraved on the builder's plaques, typically located on the encased jamb controls of these vaults.
Holmes' vault designs evolved over time to keep up with safe-cracker
Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe without either the combination or the key.
Physical methods
Different procedures may be used to crack a safe, depending on its construction. Different procedures are required to open different safe ...
s or 'Yeggmen' adept at vault penetration. A Holmes advertisement reads, "Newly discovered methods of attack necessitate radical departures from hitherto acceptestandards of design
. Holmes specialized in jamb-controlled vaults where the combination locks and bolt-throwing mechanism are located inside the vault creating a solid vault door with no spindle holes. Entry requires two points of attack (door and jamb), which doubles the time required for burglars to breach the vault. In recognition of their significant contributions to the field of bank vault engineering, the Franklin Institute wrote, “Coincident with the modern development of the safe and bank vault industry was that of the profession of the Bank Vault Engineer. The industry owes much of its progress to the work done by the pioneers of this profession: William H. Hollar, John M. Mossman, George L. Damon, E. A. Strauss, Frederick S. Holmes, Benjamin F. Tripp, and George L. Remington.” Holmes collaborated with prominent architects such as
Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and We ...
and Alfred Bossom
Alfred Charles Bossom, Baron Bossom GCStJ FRIBA (6 October 1881 – 4 September 1965) was an architect in the United States who returned to his native England and became a Conservative Party politician. He also wrote books on architecture.
...
and leading vault builders including Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...
, Carnegie Steel
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel-producing company primarily created by Andrew Carnegie and several close associates to manage businesses at steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century. The company was formed ...
, Damon Safe & Iron Works, Diebold
Diebold Nixdorf is an American multinational financial and retail technology company that specializes in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems (such as ATMs and currency processing systems), point- ...
, Herring-Hall-Marvin, J&J Taylor, LH Miller Safe & Iron Works, Mosler Safe, Remington & Sherman, and York Safe & Lock.
Career
Published works
Includes copyrights, court testimony, interviews, patents, quotes, and speeches in chronological orderReferences
External links
Holmes Advertisements
Holmes Biographical Info
Holmes Vault Door Jamb Controls
* Holmes Vault Inventory (200+) ''coming soon'' {{Authority control American inventors Banking Federal Reserve Bank buildings Financial District, Manhattan Locks (security device) Mechanical engineering Security engineering