49 Chambers Condominium (New York City, New York)

 condominiums, high-rise, apartments, 1912_construction, Beaux-Arts (architecture)

17-story Beaux-Arts office building completed in 1912. Designed by Raymond F. Almirall for the Emigrant Savings Bank. It is laid out in an H-plan, providing light and air to almost all office spaces. The interior was decorated by Herman T. Schladermundt with metalwork by Gorham Co.

The Emigrant Bank was organized in 1850, under the auspices of Roman Catholic bishop John Hughes and the Irish Emigrant Society, to protect the savings of newly arrived Irish immigrants. In 1908, the bank commissioned designs for a new limestone building that would front both Chambers and Reade Streets.

The base is composed of a series of double-height rusticated piers and engaged columns, forming nine bays, resting on an basement story and supporting an entablature. The double-height windows of these nine bays light the 2-story banking hall within. Panels at their base are adorned with large, high-relief swags; at the top of each bay is a stylized keystone with large guttae; palm frond reliefs adorn it on either side.

The piers and engaged columns sit atop a tall basement story adorned by a stone course carved with an oversized Green fret design. The entablature at the top of the base includes a frieze of carved floral patterns in panels inset over each window bay, three on the east and three on the west. In the central section there is instead a large panel with the bank's name (Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank) and its date of founding (MDCCCL) and construction (MDMVIII). The entablature ends in a heavy projecting cornice supported on modillions.

There are three entrances, a single-story one at either end set in the basement story, and a double-story central entrance rising into the upper portion of the base. The two smaller entries have plain granite surrounds with a small amount of stylized ornament and the bank's street address at the top. The central entrance, besides a similar plain granite surround, is topped by a segmental pediment enclosing cornucopias and the word "Entrance"; from it, carved wreaths descend on either side of the entrance surrounds. This central entrance has heavy bronze doors. In the narrow window bays on either side of the central entrance bay are original bronze torcheres. The central entrance is further demarcated, above the entablature, by a large stepped pediment; seated on either side is a large sculpted human figure, male on the west and female on the east, each surrounded by sculpted swags. In the center is an enormous coat-of-arms, with the figures of a colonist and a Native American, and the shield of Nieuw Amsterdam, topped by an eagle. The whole pediment grouping is dramatically set off against the deep recesses of the H-plan towers behind it.

Above the large base, the H-shaped plan gives the impression of twin towers from the street, each three bays wide. The towers are linked to the base by a transitional floor with carved geometric designs surrounding the windows. For the next ten floors the building rises in a regular rhythm of copper-framed paired windows, slightly recessed behind flat limestone piers. Each of the three bays of the towers contains square-headed windows, while the fenestration pattern in the recessed area of the building varies from flat to rounded and angled bays, each window of the nine bays projecting out slightly more from the facade than the one beside it.

The towers are capped visually by an elaborate carved ornamental treatment on the attic stories and roof. On either wing, the 11th floor in the tower serves as a transition from the tower shaft to the roof. The windows are framed below by a small cornice from which descend heavy sculpted floral swags, and above by a very heavy cornice supported by paired brackets. The attic floor is composed of three large, deep windows set in stone surrounds with elaborately sculpted swags. A heavy pediment above the central window frames an oval beehive with three copper bees (an old symbol of industry and creativity). Above the central pediment, an enormous stone eagle spreads its wings; it is framed by a stone parapet, which is in turn topped by large stone urns. Similar ornament is carried around the upper level of the H-plan recess between the towers.

The side walls are plain brick with minimal fenestration. On each side wall is a large painted sign advertising the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank. These date from the late 1960s, but replace earlier signs in the same location. The rear of the building, on Reade Street, is similar to (if modified and less ornate) the Chambers Street facade. Three entrances on the ground floor are plainer than those on opposite side. Three small windows with iron grilles are set between each door. Double-story window bays above light this end of the banking hall within; they are separated by flat pilasters into a wide central section with three bays on either side. Unlike on Chambers Street, each of the bays in the tower section have an angled tripartite bay window. White brick piers rise between each bay. The recess between the towers has a varied pattern of flat, angled and rounded bays. Above the base, set off against the recess of the H-plan towers, is a small triangular pediment spanning the opening. The brick facade of the towers continues up beyond the top of the building to a straight, simple parapet with inset panels.

The richly decorated former banking hall has marble walls and floors, bronze grilles, original tellers' cages, and a series of stained-glass skylights with allegorical figures representing mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and other modes of employment. Both the exterior and interior lobby are New York City landmarks.

In 2016, the building was converted to a condominium by Woods Bagot with interiors by Gabellini Sheppard Associates for the Chetrit Group while retaining the ornate lobby as an events space.

streeteasy.com/building/49-chambers
www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/realestate/historic-bank-bui...
s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1438.pdf
s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1123.pdf
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007001301&v...
digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/emigrant-saving...
www.gabellinisheppard.com/architecture-design-interiors...