Landmarks Preservation Commission July 19, 1994; Designation List 259 LP-1908 DIME SAVINGS BANK, FIRST FLOOR INTERIOR consisting of the eastern DeKalb Avenue entrance vestibule and lobby; the banking room, including the rotunda and dome; the mezzanine above said DeKalb Avenue entrance lobby; and the fixtures and interior floor surfaces; windows; doors; chandeliers and lighting fixtures; decorative metalwork; balustrades; clocks; tellers' counters; and attached furnishings and decorative elements; 9 DeKalb Avenue, a/k/a 9-31 DeKalb Avenue and 86 Albee Square (formerly Fleet Street), Brooklyn. Built 1906-08; Mowbray & Uffinger, architects. Enlarged 1931-32; Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, architects. Landmark Site: Borough of Brooklyn Tax Map Block 149, Lot 75 in part, consisting of the property encompassed by a line beginning at the southeast corner of the lot, running 173 '-4 1/2 11 west along DeKalb A venue, then continuing along the outer edge of the southeast side of the portico, then running 46' -103/411 northwest along the front of the portico, then continuing along the outer edge of the northwest edge of the portico, then running 202'-211 northeast along Albee Square (Fleet Street), then continuing 89'-9 1/211 southeast, 25'-011 southwest, 9'-411 northwest, 17'-211 southwest, 9'-411 southeast, 80'-9 5/811 southeast, and 68'-0 3/411 south, to the point of beginning, as indicated on the Site Map. On June 15, 1993, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as an Interior Landmark of the Dime Savings Bank FIRST FLOOR INTERIOR, consisting of the eastern DeKalb Avenue entrance vestibule and lobby; the banking room, including the rotunda and dome; the mezzanine above said DeKalb A venue entrance lobby; and the fixtures and interior floor surfaces; windows; doors; chandeliers and lighting fixtures; decorative metalwork; balustrades; clocks; tellers' counters; and attached furnishings and decorative elements; and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No. 4). The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. One witness spoke in favor of designation and no witnesses spoke in opposition to designation. A representative of the owner expressed uncertainty about the proposed designation and requested that the hearing be continued to a later date. The Commission subsequently received one written submission in favor of designation. The hearing was continued on September 21, 1993 (Item No. 4), at which time the representative of the owner did not express opposition to designation, but voiced concerns regarding the impact on banking operations, post-1930s elements of the interior, and the extent of the Landmark Site. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS Summary The home office of the Dime Savings Bank, incorporating a neo-Classical interior, was built in 1906-08 and vastly enlarged and altered in 1931-32. The building with its interior banking hall is among Brooklyn's most notable works of commercial architecture and stands as a symbol of that institution's long and significant role in the history of the borough. Founded

in 1859, the Dime has always maintained its headquarters in downtown Brooklyn and has been directed by many prominent Brooklynites who were instrumental in the historical development of Brooklyn. When the bank first acquired the unusually-shaped site on DeKalb Avenue, which it continues to occupy, it commissioned the firm of Mowbray & Uffinger to design an imposing structure. Built in 1906-08, it was articulated as a temple form encompassing a large, uninterrupted banking room interior surmounted by a central skylight. Following several decades of institutional growth, the bank building - by then serving the largest savings institution in the borough - was substantially altered in 1931-32; the new design reinforced the association of the bank with classical architecture and emphasized the visual continuity between the old and new buildings.

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