Supporters claimed that buildings needed protection after City approved Jamaica rezoning in 2007. On October 26, 2010, Landmarks designated the Jamaica Savings Bank and the Queens General Courthouse as individual landmarks. Both buildings were subjects of public hearings on February 9, 2010, and received broad support from the community and preservationists, who argued that the area’s historic buildings needed protection after the City rezoned the area in 2007.

Constructed in 1939, the onestory Moderne-style Jamaica Savings Bank at 146-21 Jamaica Avenue features limestone cladding and a polished granite base. The Morrell Smith-designed building retains much of its original ornamentation, including decorative entablature bands and an eagle above the castbronze entrance doors. At the hearing, representatives of the building’s owner, Capital One, opposed designation. Capitol One’s attorney, Thomas Wassel, conceded that the bank was “a beautiful building,” but stated that landmarking would be “an infringement, and an inconvenience at best” on the future operations of the bank. The Historic District Council’s Ed Kirkland commended Landmarks for surveying the neighborhood’s historic resources following the 2007 “upzoning.” (read more…)

Landmarks cites newly found political support behind the designation of 110-year-old Beaux Arts-style building. On February 12, 2008, Landmarks voted to designate the former Jamaica Savings Bank, located on Jamaica Avenue in Queens. This is the third time Landmarks had voted to designate the building. In 1975 the Board of Estimate rejected Landmarks’ designation, and in 1990 the City Council did the same. In both instances, the failure to designate was motivated by the opposition of the building’s owner and the local Chamber of Commerce.

The 1898 building, designed by the architecture firm Hough & Duell, is one of the few remaining examples of the Beaux Arts style in Queens. The ornate facade of the four-story building remains largely intact, despite it lying vacant for several years since it ceased to function as a bank in 1964. (read more…)

Jamaica Savings Bank had been denied landmark status in 1974 and 1992. On May 15, 2007, Landmarks held a public hearing on the Jamaica Savings Bank, an 1898 Beaux-Arts style building prominently located on Jamaica Avenue near 161st Street in Queens. Landmarks designated the building twice in the past, but the Board of Estimate overturned the 1974 vote and the City Council denied Landmarks’ second attempt in 1992. The owner of the building opposed designation both times and the community split over its merits, with some calling the abandoned building an eyesore.

Designed by Hough & Deuell, the four-story limestone facade features a carved stone beehive, a traditional symbol of industry, thrift and prosperity found on many bank buildings.

Support for the designation came from Queens Community Board 12 Chair Gloria Black, who explained that the area suffered from urban decay and now, with City Planning’s proposal to rezone 368 blocks of the district, she finally Volume 4 CITYLAND June 15, 2007 envisions new possibilities for her neighborhood. A representative of the Jamaica Center BID testified, saying that the BID traditionally remains neutral on land use applications, but, with this proposed designation, its members believed it should speak out in support of the building’s preservation. Several Queens preservation groups also testified in support. Ed Kirkland of the Historic Districts Council remained “cautiously happy” about a third attempt, adding that he feared this could be a “third strike and out.”

Landmarks closed the public hearing without a full discussion of its commissioners.

LPC: Jamaica Savings Bank, 161-02 Jamaica Avenue (LP-2109) (May 15, 2007).

CITYLAND Comment: Landmarks has not yet contacted the current owner of the Jamaica Savings Bank.

The Planning Commission held its public hearing on the Jamaica rezoning plan on May 23, 2007. A vote is expected in June.

Objections by building owner and lack of positive support by council member sank designation. On October 27, 2005, the City Council overturned the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the 1966-built, former Jamaica Savings Bank on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst. Landmarks designated the bank in June 2005, calling it a striking example of 1960s popular modernist architecture. 2 CityLand 92 (July 15, 2005). The bank, designed by William F. Cann, features a 116-foot long curved copper clad roof that rises from a low floor-to- ceiling height to a 43-foot height along the Queens Boulevard facade. Landmarks found the roof reminiscent of Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport.

The owner, BA Property LLC, argued against the designation at the Council’s hearing before the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses. BA claimed that Landmarks, under pressure from preservationists to designate more modern architecture and buildings outside of Manhattan, arbitrarily chose the bank, offering it as a “consolation prize.” BA claimed the bank’s high ceiling and unique design made heating, cooling and repair costs exorbitant, and flooding issues required “six double gallon pumps going 24 hours a day.” BA complained that designation would deprive it of its right to add over 25,000 sq. ft. of as-of-right commercial space. (read more…)

Building is bold expression of mid-twentieth century engineering. On June 28, 2005, Landmarks designated the former Jamaica Savings Bank located on a diamond-shaped parcel at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 56th Avenue in Elmhurst, Queens. The unique building, constructed in 1966-68, features a 116-foot long curved copper-clad roof that rises from a low floor-to-ceiling height to a 43-foot height at the Queens Boulevard facade. At the public hearings, North Fork Bank, the owner, strongly opposed the designation and provided expert testimony relating to its flooding and structural problems. 2 CityLand 43 (Apr. 15, 2005). In approving, Landmarks noted the building was a standout in terms of shape and unique design and a striking example of 1960’s popular modernist architecture. (read more…)