East River Savings Bank

Amsterdam Avenue and 96th Street

The East River Savings Bank, designed by Walker & Gillette, demonstrates the typical monumental style of bank architecture in the early 20th century. The building includes an Ionic portico of five immense columns facing the avenue and an imposing colonnade along West 96th Street. Although the branch opened in 1927, the facade also features the date, 1848, signifying the year of the East River Savings Institution’s foundation. The parapet displays carved quotations from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. The building was sold in 1998 and has been converted for commercial use.