Old Banks - New Beginnings
Artwork: designslinger]
The world's banks are teetering on the brink of - well, something. So, what happens to
old bank buildings when a financial institution goes under, or just decides their building has simply outlived
it's usefulness?
The 19th century Hibernia Bank building in San Francisco is one example. The 1892 gem
was last used as a bank during the 1980s. Designed by San Francisco architect Albert Pissis, the building was celebrated for Pissis' deft handling of Beaux-Arts detailing and became an instant landmark. But, the adaptive reuse of any building, landmark or not, is a real challenge and especially true with a bank. The San Francisco Police Department found the building useful (for a while) as the home of it's Tenderloin Task Force until they left for a better location in 2000. The building has sat vacant ever since, and according to a report by SF Curbed, has finally found a buyer. The developer in question has not revealed his plans for the site, but it will be interesting to see if he has success where others have failed.
Artwork: designslinger]
The architectural landscape of New York City is chock-full of immense banking halls, which
still serve their original purpose or have been successfully converted into new venues. One of the more remarkable adaptive reuses is the Bowery Savings Bank Building on Bowery at Grand Street in Manhattan. Designed by one of New York's most formidable architects of the late 1800s, Stanford White, the 1895 banking palazzo is another example of the explosion of Beaux-Arts styling. The former bank reopened in 2002 as Capitale, a banquet hall that has been going gangbusters ever since. From weddings to bar mitzvahs to boxing matches, the 30,000 square foot space has found a new life among the soaring columns, marble floors and spectacular amber glass ceiling.
Artwork: designslinger]
Moving to the west coast.... In the late 90s, developer Tom Gilmore purchased several
vacant commercial buildings that jump-started a loft-conversion, housing boom in downtown Los Angeles. The properties he purchased and converted, surround the 1905 Farmers and Merchants Bank at 4th and Main Streets. Designed by the premier LA-based firm of Morgan and Walls, this classical revival building is on a much smaller scale than the Old Bowery Bank, but it's architectural impact on the neighborhood is so significant that the area is called The Old Bank District. The bank itself sits empty in the midst of a vibrant residential neighborhood and primarily serves as a special events venue for parties and film location work.
Hopefully, if any grand old temples of finance become available as a result of the current
financial downturn, they will follow in the path of adaptive reuse, rather than disuse. A couple of years ago luxury grocer Balducci took over an old bank at the corner of 14th Street and 8th Avenue in New York. Maybe they should consider opening a branch in a beautiful bank building at the corner of Jones and Market Street in San Francisco.
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