12. Bowery Savings Bank, 130 Bowery

The headquarters of the Bowery Savings Bank at 130 Bowery is heralded by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as one of the first examples of “new classicism,” a style established at The World’s Columbian Exposition, at Chicago in 1893 and that it “is a fine, dignified expression of a New York banking house and that in its skillful use of site, its good proportions, fine detail and sculpture, it reflects credit on the well-known architectural firm which designed it.” The building sits on an L-shaped lot and was designated a landmark in 1966.

At the time of its construction it was one of the city’s first savings banks and at the time of its landmark designation, it was reputed to be the only bank in New York which retained a branch on the site where it first started business. Today the former bank has has been repurposed into Capitale, a restaurant and event space.