Kings County Savings Bank is a former bank building at 135 Broadway in the

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It is an example of French Second Empire-style architecture. Construction of the building began in 1860, to designs of

William H. Willcox William H. Willcox (Brooklyn, 26 May 1832 — Yountville, California, 1 February 1929) was an American architect and surveyor who practised in Brooklyn and New York (1850s-70), Chicago, Illinois (1871-ca. 1879), Nebraska (1879–82), St. Paul, M ...

of Brooklyn, in partnership with prominent New York architect

Gamaliel King Gamaliel King (Shelter Island, New York, 1 December 1795 — 6 December 1875) was an American architect who practiced in New York City and the adjacent city of Brooklyn, where he was a major figure in Brooklyn civic and ecclesiastical architectur ...

, working as King & Willcox. The structure was continuously occupied by banks until the 1990s. The Williamsburg Art & Historical Center has operated the building since 1996. The building became a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1966, p.222 and was added to 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 ...

in 1980.

Architecture

The Kings County Savings Bank building was built between 1860 and 1867. It is 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, King's partner William H. Willcox, is relatively unknown, the building is a superb example of the French Second Empire style. For example, the building displays the characteristic

Mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

, which conceals the fourth story attic.

History

The Kings County Savings Institution was chartered 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 The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1966, the seventh building to be so designated. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1980 "The Kings County Savings Bank is an outstanding example of French Second Empire architecture, displaying a wealth of ornament and diverse architectural elements. A business building of imposing grandeur, the Kings County Savings Bank "represents a period of conspicuous display in which it was not considered vulgar, at least by the people in power, to boast openly of one's wealth. From its scale and general character there is nothing, on the outside, that would distinguish the Kings County Savings Bank from a millionaires mansion." (from History Preserved: New York City Landmarks & Historic Districts, Harmon H. Gladstone & Martha Dalyrmple,

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

, 1974). The building remained in continuous bank ownership and use for well over a century. It ceased to be used as a bank in the 1980s.

Bank timeline

From the public records: * April 10, 1860 – New York State chartered Kings County Savings Bank * December 31, 1968 – merge with State Union Square Savings Bank, name changed to United Mutual Savings Bank * September 24, 1982 – merge with State American Savings Bank * July 29, 1983 – converted to Federal American Savings Bank, F.S.B. * December 29, 1989 – convert to State American Savings Bank * June 12, 1992 – LID Sold To

Ridgewood Savings Bank Ridgewood Savings Bank is the largest mutual savings bank in New York State and was founded in 1921. It operates 35 branches across New York City's five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester County. History The bank was chartered as Savings B ...

* October 20, 1995 – liquidated

Williamsburg Art & Historical Center

Currently the building houses the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, a not-for profit art organization founded by artist

Yuko Nii Yuko Nii (born 1942) is a Japanese artist and philanthropist. Her work has included painting, printmaking, graphic design, stage set, costume and fashion design. She has written journalism, poetry, fiction, essays and philosophy, and published tw ...

in October 1996. The Center presents art exhibitions, performances and cultural events as well as lectures, seminars and educational programs of both local and international interest. It also preserves and displays historical art and artifacts. On July 31, 2008, John B. Manbeck, the official Brooklyn Borough Historian from 1993 to 2002, said in an article in the ''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'':

Art in Williamsburg has made great strides. In fact, all Williamsburg has progressed, undoubtedly because of its attraction to artists. Much of the credit must be placed on the doorstep of the director of the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Yuko Nii. The center operates out of the former Kings County Savings Bank Building (1867) and celebrated an infusion of a $500,000 capital funding grant from the city.''Brooklyn Eagle''
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In 2009 ownership of the building was transferred to the Yuko Nii Foundation.

References

Notes

External links