Building of the Day: 1281 Fulton Street
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy. Address: 1281 Fulton Street, between Nostrand and Bedford Avenues Name: Former Brevoort Savings Bank Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant Year Built:…
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy.
Address: 1281 Fulton Street, between Nostrand and Bedford Avenues
Name: Former Brevoort Savings Bank
Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant
Year Built: 1931
Architectural Style: Neo-Classical
Architects: Halsey, McCormack and Helmer
Landmarked: No, but may need to be
Why chosen: Halsey, McCormack and Helmer were among the foremost bank designers of their day. They are responsible for some of Brooklyn’s most iconic bank buildings, including their enlargement and interior of the Dime Savings Bank , downtown on DeKalb Avenue, and of course, the Williamsburg Savings Bank Building on Hanson Place. They also designed smaller banks, most notably, the wonderful Kings County Savings Bank on Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Ave, as well as this one. The Brevoort Savings Bank was founded in 1890 to serve the Bedford district, and its first branch opened in 1892 at 1192 Fulton St, near Bedford. Henry L. Brevoort, a descendant of the prominent early Dutch settler, was on the board. The bank soon grew to include many branches across Brooklyn. This bank was built much later, in 1931, replacing a 1912 Montrose Morris designed bank that used to stand around the corner, on Nostrand and Macon St. Banks were designed to either impress and awe customers, or reassure them that their money was safe, and this small, but elegant bank did that well. The well known architectural photographer FS Lincoln shot a series of photographs in all of H, M & H’s banks in the 1940’s, and captured the interior of this bank well, with its elegant ceiling and stately fixtures. The Brevoort Savings Bank existed until 1970, when it merged with Metropolitan Savings Bank. This bank became a busy branch of Carver Savings Bank until just last year, when Carver moved to Restoration Plaza. Toys R Us is a temporary tenant. We, in the community, hope that the buyer of the building does not plan to demolish it, or significantly change the interior, which remains pretty much as in the photo. This building is an important part of the business history of Bedford Stuyvesant.
(Photo: by FS Lincoln, collection of NY Public Library)
Sevenden, So what is the alternative? That we tear down everything when it is no longer deemed useful by the standards of today? That is the kind of thinking that demolished Penn Station and replaced it with what we have now. Utilitarian, yes, but any more than that? I don’t think so. And here we are, less than 50 years from the destruction of Penn Station bemoaning the fact that our forebearers in city planning were so short sighted and irresponsible towards our architectural treasures. A lot of regret, far too late.
I have no problem with the bank being used as a pop up store, as I’m sure the owner is glad for the revenue. I am also sure there is a lot of upkeep needed on an 80 year old building, most of which cannot be seen from the outside. That is not a good enough reason to dump it. Bedford Stuyvesant is as good a neighborhood as the Heights, and should be as proud of its commercial buildings, and should be doing as much to preserve them.
I never said that building had to remain a bank. We have several other bank buildings in the neighborhood, which have been repurposed for other retail. Specifically, the former Savings Bank/Citibank/VIM on Nostrand and Herkimer. When I moved here, that was my Citibank branch. We can argue if VIM is a good steward of the space, but at least they are preserving the historic building by being there. Personally, I’d love for the Brevoort bank to become a Barnes and Noble, or Borders, a much needed kind of business for our book starved community. Or one of many other kinds of businesses. It only takes a vision, and financial commitment by someone, ideally with deep pockets, to make this come true. I hope it does.
I recently saw this well researched article on this building. I am a big fan of old builings in this city and great architecture. But I am also a fan of buildings that fulfill their commercial purpose by delivering much needed tax revenue and commercial service to the community and this city.
From a practical standpoint the former bank took over this location from a previous bank. The property was under utilized in its current form for many years. The rest of this building which you don’t see and your reporting does not share with the audience is in need of repair.
Banking has changed and this shrine to banking is no longer required to assure customers that the bank is sound and there won’t be a run for the money now we have something called the FDIC. Folks like ATM’s and banks that look like convenience stores. The practical aspects of this bank are long outmoded. This property needs a tremendous amount of work to bring it back to it’s former glory,just so that we all can write pretty fluff pieces about it. How would the Brownstoner propose it does that without a revenue base? Move it to Brooklyn Heights? Wait, they have well over two dozen banks there.
While we can all wish and ponder desire to maintaining or preserve the little architectural heritage we’ve got, let’s face the facts, this property needs a sound long term tenant that can benefit the community as well as pay for the maintenance and up-keep of this property or the possible rehab required for this building to get upto city code.
How would the Brownstoner propose it does that, while preserving the impractical aspects of what made this bank great in the 1930’s today?
Whoops, Montrose Morris, you’re right! Sorry!
rf, I think the credit union was down on the corner of Bedford, in the building that now has the Rent-A-Center in it. I used to have an account with them, and remember going into that building.
Beautiful building- the interior reminds me of the Chase Bank on Montague.
The building was recently home to Carver Federal Savings bank. Carver recently sold the building and moved to the old Washington Mutual space on Fulton Street in Restoration Plaza. Carver Bank was founded in 1948, one of the first Black banks in the country. The bank is a federally chartered because NY state would not would not grant the bank a charter based on the colour of the founders. The first branch of the bank was in Harlem,eventually expanding to Bedford Stuyvesant and Queens. Carver is the largest Black owned bank in the country,
During the late 80s/early 90s this was a branch of a big bank–Chase or Chemical I think. Then it was home to a Bed-Stuy community credit union, now defunct I think.
Is this also the firm that designed the neo-classical bank on Washington Avenue right off of Eastern Parkway?
toys is a pop up so we’ll see what we get next