Brooklyn Trust Company

Brooklyn Trust Company Building
Brooklyn Trust Company Building, January 2007
Location: 177 Montague St., Brooklyn, New York
Area: 66,315 square feet[2]
Built: 1916
Architect: York & Sawyer
Architectural style: Italian Renaissance
Governing body: Private
NRHP Reference#: 09000632[1]
Added to NRHP: August 20, 2009

The Brooklyn Trust Company was a New York City bank.

The company was chartered in 1866.[3] In 1873 it had difficulties resulting in a brief suspension of operations.[4][5] Between 1913 and 1930 the company acquired five other banks through mergers. The company merged into the Manufacturers Trust Company on October 13, 1950.[6] At the time of the merger the Brooklyn Trust Company had 26 branches.[7]

Headquarters building

The former headquarters of the Brooklyn Trust Company is a historic bank building located at the corner of Montague and Clinton Streets in Brooklyn Heights. The Italian Renaissance-inspired headquarters was built between 1913 and 1916 by the famous architectural firm of York and Sawyer. It was modeled after the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona.[8]

The building was built on the same site as the bank's previous headquarters.[3] Marc Eidlitz & Son Builders N.Y.C. constructed the building in two phases. The first half was begun at the corner of Clinton and Pierrepont Streets in late 1913 and was finished in September 1915. The second phase began in October 1915 and was completed in August 1916. The entire construction process was photographed monthly by Irving Underhill.[8]

The main interior space is inspired by ancient Roman and Italian Renaissance architecture. The banking hall has large chandeliers hanging from vaulted, coffered ceilings, arched windows, and a Cosmati-style mosaic marble floor. The building was landmarked in 1996. The interior is also landmarked.[9] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.[1]

The building was sold for $9.7 million in 2007 by JPMorgan Chase,[10] the successor to the Brooklyn Trust Company through the Manufacturers Trust Company.[6] It was bought by Brookfield Asset Management who in turn sold it to Stahl Real Estate Company. The building is occupied primarily by a law firm but Chase Bank still leases the ground floor to maintain a retail banking branch.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List Of Actions Taken On Properties: 8/17/09 Through 8/21/09. National Park Service. 2009-08-28. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20090828.htm. 
  2. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 11, 2008, accessed June 27, 2011
  3. ^ a b Summary Of Statement January 1st 1907 To The State Banking Department, New-York Daily Tribune, January 1, 1907, accessed June 26, 2011
  4. ^ "The Defalcation", The New York Times, July 22, 1873, accessed June 26, 2011
  5. ^ "Meeting Of The Stockholders — The Institution To Resume Business", The New York Times, August 6, 1873, accessed June 26, 2011
  6. ^ a b http://www.banking.state.ny.us/histb.txt
  7. ^ The History of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company, Chase Alumni Association, accessed June 26, 2011
  8. ^ a b Nathan Riddle, Jennifer Morris, and Amy Crader (April 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration:Brooklyn Trust Company Building". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=102870. Retrieved 2011-02-20.  See also: "Accompanying 25 photos". http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=102899. 
  9. ^ Andrew Dolkart and Matthew A. Postal, Guide to New York City Landmarks, New York: Landmarks Preservation Commission, pp. 232-233
  10. ^ a b Big Bank on Montague Street, brownstoner.com, accessed June 27, 2011
Lists by county


Lists by city
Other lists