Northside Savings Bank

Northside Savings Bank

Near the western terminus of Grand Street sits the small 600 square foot Northside Savings Bank building (built 1889). Designed by Brooklyn architect Theobald Englehardt, the bank utilizes a rusticated stone facade with large arched windows typical of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. In addition, the building has a cast-iron cornice rarely seen in Williamsburg structures.[1] Some of Theobald Englehardt’s other Brooklyn buildings include the Greenpoint Home for the Aged, Saint Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church, and one of the buildings in the Pencil Factory Historic District.[2]

The Northside Savings Bank sits near what was once the focal point of a street that used to be the dominant commercial route through the neighborhood. Where Grand Street meets the East River, at what is now Grand Ferry Park, there used to be a ferry landing that helped to make the street the main thoroughfare. However, when the Williamsburg Bridge opened, the primary commercial route shifted to Broadway. 

Cast Iron Cornice

Above the arched windows sits the cast iron cornice. If you enlarge this photo, you can see where the bank's moniker used to span the center portion of the cornice.

Northside Savings Bank Interior

The interior of the building has a beauty equaling that of the facade. Cast iron columns support wood beams and joists and the large windows are bordered with ornate carved wooden frames. The size, location and aesthetic of the old bank building seems make the structure an ideal place for a Brooklyn boutique. The outdoor recreational products seen in the photo above belong to the bank building's current tenant, Poler, a Portland based outdoor gear company. Whatever the future of the building will be, one can only hope that the architectural integrity of the structure will continue to be celebrated and preserved by its owners and tenants.

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References:

1. "Neighborhood at Risk: Williamsburg" Historic Districts Council. 
2. Montrose Morris "Walkabout: Theobald M. Englehardt, Architect" Brownstoner. 12, October, 2010