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You don't have to go to Philadelphia to see a Liberty Bell. On January 15, 1954, Queensborough President James A. Lundy and Queens County Bank President Joseph Upton cut a ribbon opening the newest branch of the Queens County Savings Bank in Kew Gardens Hills. This bank was unlike any other in New York City because it was built as a replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia—Liberty Bell and all.
Capitalizing on the revival of colonial history, quill pens like the ones used by the Founding Fathers to sign important documents in the original Independence Hall were given away during opening day celebrations, along with golden metal keychains stamped with an image of the building, or a Volutpe powder compact with a custom image of the building on the front. If you opened a savings account on opening day, you could take home a pen and pencil kit.
The bank was designed by architect Harold O. Carlson from Garden City. Reporting for the Forest Hills Times, Micheal Perlman writes that Marshall Construction built it for $250,000. In 2025, that would be over 2 million dollars adjusted for inflation. It sits facing Main Street, and the back of the building faces the Dutch-named Vleigh Place, originally known as Vleigh Road. My neighbor, who lived on Vleigh Place, told me it was Kew Gardens Hills’ first bank.
Covering the bank's grand opening, The New York Times reported that the bell tower rises one hundred feet, “Dominating the neighborhood.” When I lived on 73rd Terrace, I could see the tower with the weathervane from my bedroom window. According to the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, the Queen's County Savings Bank is located on the highest point in Kew Gardens Hills, which further boosts the height of its tower. But do not look for a bell in the tower; the replica of the Liberty Bell is in the bank's lobby. I remember tapping the bell with a coin or looking under it to see the clapper as a young child. The National Park Service writes that the bell is about four feet in diameter and weighs about one ton.
Just as the bank building is not an exact replica of the historic building in Philadelphia, the Queens bell isn't the same either. You will notice in the photo above that the famous crack is missing.
Once inside the bank, there are three large paintings. One shows the crossing of the Delaware by General George Washington during the American Revolution; another shows the General on his favorite horse; the final large painting illustrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I remember these images hanging behind the tellers when I opened my first bank account with just five dollars. It was before the time of protective enclosures for the tellers.
The bank also housed the Queensborough Public Library for a time. Located at the back of the bank, the library housed an exhibition space for the Queens County Historical Society before it was moved to another location. In 2005, the Queens County Savings Bank was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
This unique building was not the first replica of Independence Hall built in Queens. During the 1939/40 New York World's Fair held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, there was a replica of Independence Hall in the Pennsylvania Pavillon. According to the Museum of the City of New York, Philadelphia's Independence Hall replica was located at the Pennsylvania exhibit, Court of States. Carlson did not design it.
Over time, the bank became more than a financial institution. The community did its banking there, but neighbors also caught up with recent events in its lobby. It was a place where you knew the tellers on a first-name basis. When giving directions, the bell tower was something to look for before the advent of GPS, and it was a familiar landmark that signaled that you were indeed home. The bank was part of the community. The same can be said of the small parcel of land next door.
Adjacent to the bank but not owned by the bank is what is today known as Freedom Square Park. When I was a kid, it was rumored that the name came from Eleanor Roosevelt, who spoke there. The only problem is, she never spoke there. It was, however, the site of Victory Gardens during World War II.
In 1954, a gas station was slated for the small parcel of land, but citizens were outraged by those plans. New York City eventually acquired the small parcel of land and designed a park there in 1957. The park was dedicated in 1960 and named Freedom Square in honor of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism—not Eleanor Roosevelt. The Queens County Savings Bank helped finance the park by donating $25,000 dollars for its construction and maintenance.
Like the bank itself, Freedom Square became a gathering place for community citizens. People bought their hot coffee from Willie’s Luncheonette and sat on the benches talking. Every morning, someone would spread bread crumbs for the pigeons, and kids like me ran through them, scaring them to flight with joyful glee. I remember playing in Freedom Square and using it as a shortcut.
Everything changes, yet it stays the same. The Queens County Savings Bank has been the Flagstar Bank for the last twenty-five years, but older neighborhood citizens still call it by its old name. In my mind, it will always be the Queens County Savings Bank. When I visit family and friends in Kew Gardens Hills, the bank's spire greets me like an old friend from a bygone era during my childhood. People still gather in the shade of the trees of Freedom Square and still feed the birds and the squirrels that call the park home. The vision of the Queens County Savings Bank was passed on to a new generation.
AJ Schenkman is an award-winning NYS author who has written several books and publications on various historical topics. His most recent publication is a children's book on Franklin Roosevelt.
