East River Savings Bank Building

291 Broadway | also 52 Reade Street | Tribeca | built 1910

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1911

    The East River Savings Bank Building is completed on Broadway at Reade Street

    Clinton and Russell designed the 19-story Beaux-Arts tower for the East River Savings Bank, with a light stone facade, carved columns and medallions around its base, and stone fencing along the roof. Construction began in 1910 and was finished in 1911. It stands 252 feet tall, with five elevators.

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 1949

    The YMCA moves its national headquarters and historical library to 291 Broadway

    The YMCA's historical library moved in 1949 to the organization's new national headquarters at 291 Broadway. The historian C. Howard Hopkins drew heavily on the collection there while writing his History of the YMCA in North America. The YMCA National Council stayed in the building until 1980.

    Source: lib.umn.edu

  3. 1980

    The YMCA moves its national headquarters to Chicago, leaving 291 Broadway

    The YMCA of the USA moved its headquarters to Chicago in 1980, ending three decades at its Reade Street tower. The new quarters had limited space and money and no provision for a library, so the library's archives were packed into temporary storage while the organization decided what to do with them.

    Source: lib.umn.edu

  4. 2026

    April 27

    A 30-foot section of stone facade falls from 291 Broadway onto Reade Street

    Decorative stone fell from between the 15th and 16th floors of the 19-story building, which was wrapped in scaffolding and netting for facade repairs. The debris tore holes in the netting, knocked part of a wooden awning off the scaffolding and landed in a crosswalk and bike lane. No one was hurt. The city had cited the site on March 11 for failing to secure the netting, and the Department of Buildings headquarters is across the street at 280 Broadway.

    Source: gothamist.com

Further reading

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All 564 buildings with stories in Tribeca