Bank of the Metropolis
31 Union Square | also 19 East 16th Street | Union Square | built 1902
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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.
- 1902
Four workers are hurt when a derrick breaks at the Bank of the Metropolis site
Construction by the George A. Fuller Company ran into trouble in August 1902, when a derrick broke and injured four workers. The neighboring Decker Building at 33 Union Square West also needed its foundation underpinned, since it did not rest on solid rock.
“In August 1902, four construction workers were injured when one of the derricks broke.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1975
Developer David Teitelbaum wins a variance to turn the offices into 145 residences
The tower stayed mostly unchanged until 1975, when developer David Teitelbaum received a zoning variance to convert the upper office floors to 145 apartments. The $3.3 million plan stalled in 1976 when several banks declined to finance it. By 1979 the conversion was done, with mostly artists' lofts, plus four floors that housed Parsons School of Design dormitories.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1988
The Landmarks Preservation Commission designates the Bank of the Metropolis
The commission held public hearings in May and September 1985, at which forty-two witnesses spoke for designation and one took no position. It designated the bank as a landmark on July 12, 1988, citing it as a representative example of Bruce Price's neo-Renaissance commercial architecture.
“Forty-two witnesses spoke in favor of designation. One witness took no position.”
- 1996
The Blue Water Grill takes over the former bank floor and runs for 23 years
The restaurant in the old banking room changed hands in 1996 and reopened as the Blue Water Grill. It operated in the Bank of the Metropolis building until 2019, when it closed because of rising rents.
“The restaurant changed hands in 1996 and was re-opened as the Blue Water Grill. The restaurant closed in 2019 due to rising rents.”
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The Bank of the Metropolis -- No. 31 Union SquareDaytonian in Manhattan
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