01 November 2011

Village Emigrant Saving Bank for Lease


The building that holds the Emigrant Saving Bank in Greenwich Village, on Sixth Avenue, is for lease. I would have to imagine that this means Emigrant is on the way out. I've passed by this stark gray building for decades and have grown fond of its sort of charmless charm, its Soviet-like austerity, not to mention is very, very, very subtle Art Deco touches. These days, I like it because its not a glossy piece of cheap, chain-store claptrap on an avenue full of such junk. Nobody today would knowingly build a structure like this.

The listing at Walter & Samuels says the space is available immediately.

Emigrant Savings Bank is the oldest savings bank in New York City and the largest privately owned bank in the country. It is owned by the Milstein family.  


2 comments:

Ken Mac said...

another one. I too like this gray, responsible looking, handsome bank. Cant believe it. Damn. Maybe Starbucks will open, no, there's one across the street. Or maybe a Duane Reade, er, no also across the street. Grays Papaya, please?

Little Earthquake said...

To each his own - not my cup of tea, this building.

In fact, you can see its mid-century influence on modern buildings around the LES. Take a look at the bland, square windows and sterile metal framing in the lower portion of Emigrant. This soul-crushing (again, in my opinion) style is being carbon copied in ugly square boxes all over NYC.

It baffles me that people want to return to this style, but I suppose everything makes a comeback sooner or later.