Jamaica Savings Bank Building (Sutphin Boulevard)

Last updated
Jamaica Savings Bank Building
Jamaica Savings Bank (Sutphin Boulevard) 02.JPG
Jamaica Savings Bank Building in 2014
Jamaica Savings Bank Building (Sutphin Boulevard)
General information
Address146-21 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica, New York
Coordinates 40°42′07″N73°48′30″W / 40.70197°N 73.80820°W / 40.70197; -73.80820
OpenedApril 22, 1939
Design and construction
Architect(s)Morrell Smith
Main contractorTheodore L. Rubsamen and Company
DesignatedOctober 26, 2010
Reference no.2393 [1]

The Jamaica Savings Bank is a building at Jamaica Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The building was built between 1938 and 1939 in the Art Deco style. It replaced the Queensboro Savings Bank at 90-55 Sutphin Boulevard, which was acquired by the Jamaica Savings Bank in 1934 and demolished in 1938. The address was changed to the current 146-21 Jamaica Avenue and is a New York City designated landmark.

Contents

Context

Advertisement for the Jamaica Savings Bank, Sutphin Boulevard Branch

With the advent of the railroad and other transportation systems, Jamaica quickly developed into the economical and commercial hub of Queens County throughout the early-twentieth century. To fulfill the economic needs of Jamaica's rapidly expanding population, the President of the Jamaica Savings Bank, George S. Downing, felt that the creation of more bank branches was necessary. In December 1934, the Queensboro Savings Bank (located at 90-55 Sutphin Boulevard) was merged with the Jamaica Savings Bank. As a result, the Queensboro Savings Bank was henceforth known as the Jamaica Savings Bank; the bank with the 161-02 Jamaica Avenue address became the Main Office of the company and the Sutphin Boulevard address served as the Branch Office. The employees of the Queensboro Savings Bank all retained their positions but were then considered employees of the Jamaica Savings Bank. [2]

In 1934, Jamaica Savings Bank had a total of 50,614 accountants and was listed as fifty-seventh among the 100 largest savings banks in the United States. The officers of the Jamaica Savings Bank at that time were George S. Downing, president; Supreme Court Justice Leander B. Faber, Robert W. Higbie and George K. Meynen, vice-presidents; Charles R. Doughty, treasurer; G. Warren Smith, secretary, and Richard W. Reeves, assistant secretary. [2]

Construction

Detail of eagle over doorway JamSavBank Sutphin 20180812 122817.jpg
Detail of eagle over doorway

On August 27, 1938, George S. Downing announced that the construction of the second Jamaica Savings Bank branch was underway and was expected to be completed on February 1, 1939. Downing stated that the "decision to construct the building had been precipitated by the rapid grown of the Jamaica area" and that the "extension of the Eighth Avenue subway line to Jamaica had resulted in a 'phenomenal growth of apartments' in that section." [3]

The Sutphin Boulevard Branch of the Jamaica Savings Bank officially opened on April 22, 1939 and was designed by Architect Morrell Smith of 475 Fifth Avenue and Builder/General Contractor Theodore L. Rubsamen and Company of Jamaica. This unique art deco building featured striking decorative features; its most notable feature being the American eagle carved in a low relief and placed over the entrance. "Ornamental cast bronze doors grace the entrance which opens upon a semicircular vestibule lined with marble of black and gold...Furnishings in American walnut, bronze lighting fixtures...and carpets of and draperies of harmonious design and hue complete the interior. [4] Cladded with Indiana limestone and featuring a polished granite base, the longer frontage on the Sutphin Boulevard side hosts an emergency exit. Tall rectangular windows on the façade and a stylized Greek relief provides a motif to the building centered on the eagle above the entrance. There is an ornamental bronze doorway and windows are slightly recessed, there are spandrel panels at the tops that have stars and a geometric design in bas relief. A flagpole stands out on the roof which was part of the architects vision. [5]

Mural

Mural Jamaica Savings Bank, Sutphin Blvd. and Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, New York. LOC gsc.5a03204.jpg
Mural

The interior western wall featured a 16'x25' mural of 19th century Fulton Street with a stagecoach and wide street that was removed by Capital One Bank in 2011.

New York City Landmark

The legacy of the Jamaica Savings Bank lasted for nearly a century until the bank was acquired by North Fork Bank in 1999, which itself was acquired by Capital One Bank in 2008. [6] At the time, the bank served the New York City metropolitan area with over 350 branches and around $60 billion in assets. As of this writing, the Sutphin Boulevard branch of the Jamaica Savings Bank building is a Capital One Bank branch. The main office Jamaica Savings Bank building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and a New York City Landmark in 2008. [7] The second branch building on Sutphin Boulevard was dedicated as a New York City Landmark in 2010. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica, Queens</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Rochdale Village to the southeast; South Jamaica to the south; Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park to the west; Briarwood to the northwest; and Kew Gardens Hills, Jamaica Hills, and Jamaica Estates to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport station is a two-level station on the IND and BMT Archer Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway. It is located at the intersection of Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. It is served by the E and J trains at all times, as well as the Z train during rush hours in the peak direction. This station has four tracks and two island platforms, with two platform levels: E trains stop on the upper level while J/Z trains stop on the lower level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Jamaica, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

South Jamaica is a residential neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, located south of downtown Jamaica. Although a proper border has not been established, the neighborhood is a subsection of greater Jamaica bounded by the Long Island Rail Road Main Line tracks, Jamaica Avenue, or Liberty Avenue to the north; the Van Wyck Expressway on the west; Rockaway Boulevard on the south; and Merrick Boulevard on the east, adjoining the neighboring community of St. Albans. Other primary thoroughfares of South Jamaica include Baisley, Foch, Linden, Guy R. Brewer, and Sutphin Boulevards. The 180th Street Business Improvement District is responsible for the development of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hills–71st Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Forest Hills–71st Avenue station is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway, located on Queens Boulevard at 71st (Continental) Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens. It is served by the E and F trains at all times, the <F> train during rush hours in the reverse peak direction, and the R train at all times except late nights. It serves as the terminus for the latter service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarwood station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Briarwood station is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 84th Drive, Main Street, Queens Boulevard, and the Van Wyck Expressway, in Briarwood, Queens, bordering Kew Gardens, it is served by the F train at all times, the E train at all times except rush hours and middays, and the <F> train during rush hours in the reverse peak direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica–Van Wyck station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Jamaica–Van Wyck station is a station on the IND Archer Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located on the west side of the Van Wyck Expressway between Metropolitan Avenue and 89th Avenue on the border of Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill, Queens. It is served by the E train at all times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutphin Boulevard station (IND Queens Boulevard Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Sutphin Boulevard station is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Sutphin Boulevard and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, it is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the reverse peak direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens, New York

Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Broadway and Fulton Street, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood. Physically, East New York Avenue connects westbound to New York Avenue, where East New York Avenue changes names another time to Lincoln Road; Lincoln Road continues to Ocean Avenue in the west, where it ends. Its eastern end is at the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho Turnpike to serve the rest of Long Island. The section of Jamaica Avenue designated as New York State Route 25 runs from Braddock Avenue to the city line, where Jamaica Avenue becomes Jericho Turnpike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Plaza (Queens)</span> Plaza in Long Island City, Queens, New York

Queens Plaza is a plaza straddling the western end of Queens Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens, between 21st Street and Jackson Avenue/Northern Boulevard. The Queensboro Bridge starts near the middle of the plaza. It has a New York City Subway stop for the E, ​F, <F>, and ​R trains, the Queens Plaza station below ground along the eastern edge, and another stop for the 7, <7>​​, N and ​W trains, the Queensboro Plaza station above the west central part of the plaza on elevated tracks.

Sutphin Boulevard is a major street in the New York City borough of Queens, Its northern end is at Hillside Avenue in Jamaica and its southern end is Rockaway Boulevard on the border of South Jamaica and Springfield Gardens. It comes from the Dutch name Sutphin, which is derived from the Dutch city of Zutphen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica Savings Bank</span> Historic commercial building in Queens, New York

The Jamaica Savings Bank was a bank incorporated in 1866 in the Jamaica section of the borough of Queens in New York City. It had four branches across Queens before it was acquired by North Fork Bank in 1999, which itself was acquired by Capital One Bank in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Cemetery (Queens)</span> Historic cemetery in Queens, New York

Prospect Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in the Jamaica section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was established in 1668 and known as the "burring plas." The cemetery's original main gate was on Beaver Road which led from Sutphin Boulevard to Jamaica Avenue. The cemetery was generally known as the Presbyterian burial ground and is one of the few remaining Colonial cemeteries in Queens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockaway Boulevard</span> Boulevard in Queens, New York

Rockaway Boulevard is a major road in the New York City borough of Queens. Unlike the similarly named Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Rockaway Freeway, it serves mainland Queens and does not enter the Rockaways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Hospital Center</span> Hospital in New York, United States

Queens Hospital Center (QHC), also known as NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens and originally called Queens General Hospital, is a large public hospital campus in the Jamaica Hills and Hillcrest neighborhoods of Queens in New York City. It is operated by NYC Health + Hospitals, a public benefit corporation of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q60 (New York City bus)</span> Bus route in Queens, New York

The Q60 bus route constitutes a public transit line running primarily along Queens Boulevard in Queens, New York City, extending from Jamaica, Queens, to Midtown Manhattan via Queens Boulevard and the Queensboro Bridge. It is city-operated under the MTA Bus Company brand of MTA Regional Bus Operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sven (development)</span> Residential skyscraper in Queens, New York

Sven is a residential building located at 29-59 Northern Boulevard in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York City. At 762 feet (232 m) tall, Sven is the second-tallest building in Queens behind Skyline Tower, as well as one of the tallest buildings in New York City outside of Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q20 and Q44 buses</span> Bus routes in Queens and the Bronx, New York

The Q20A and Q20B and Q44 bus routes constitute the Main Street Line, a public transit line in Queens, New York City, running primarily along Main Street between two major bus-subway hubs in the neighborhoods of Jamaica and Flushing. The Q20A/B terminates in College Point at the north end of Queens. The Q44 continues north into the borough of the Bronx, terminating in the West Farms neighborhood near the Bronx Zoo. The Q44 is one of two Queens bus routes to operate between the two boroughs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis</span> Hospital in New York, United States

Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis or Triboro Tuberculosis Hospital, later simply Triboro Hospital and now known as "Building T" or the "T Building", is a former municipal tuberculosis sanatorium and later a general hospital located on the campus of Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. Completed in 1941, it was merged with the adjacent Queens General Hospital to form Queens Hospital Center in the 1950s, and converted into a general hospital by the 1970s. Now primarily used for administrative purposes, several plans have been proposed to reuse the site, or to preserve the building as a historic landmark. On January 31, 2019 the hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jamaica Savings Bank (New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-09. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  2. 1 2 "Two Jamaica Savings Banks are Merged" Queensborough-Published by the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens, December 1934. Retrieved from the Archives of the Queens Public Library
  3. "Jamaica Savings Bank to Build New Home; Demolition of Old Structure is Started" New York Times, August 28, 1938. Retrieved from the Archives of the Queens Public Library
  4. "Jamaica Savings Bank Opens New Sutphin Blvd. Building" "QueensBorough", Published by the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens, April, 1939. Retrieved from the Archives of the Queens Public Library
  5. "2/9: Jamaica Savings Bank, Grace Episcopal Church Memorial Hall & Queens General Court Building to be heard at LPC | HDC". 5 February 2010.
  6. "Jamaica Savings Bank | Queens Modern".
  7. "Former Jamaica Savings Bank (New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2019-02-10.