Landmarks Preservation Commission October 26, 2010, Designation List 434 LP-2393 Jamaica Savings Bank, 146-21 Jamaica Avenue (aka 146-19 to 146-21 Jamaica Avenue, 90-32 to 90-44 Sutphin Boulevard), Queens Built 1939; Morrell Smith, architect Landmark Site: Borough of Queens Tax Map Block 9676, Lot 37 On February 9, 2010, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation of the Jamaica Savings Bank and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No. 1). The hearing was duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. Four people spoke in favor of designation, including representatives of the Historic Districts Council, Queens Preservation Council, and Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance. The Commission also received letters in support of designation from Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, State Senator Shirley L. Huntley, and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. Two representatives of the owner spoke in opposition to designation. Summary The Jamaica Savings Bank was constructed in 1939 for the oldest and most prestigious banking institution in Jamaica, Queens. Designed by the noted architect Morrell Smith, the building is an excellent example of the Moderne style, with simple but well- designed details and dignified proportions. Incorporated in 1866, Jamaica Savings Bank was founded by a consortium of local citizens. The growth of the Jamaica Savings Bank paralleled the growth of the borough of Queens. The bank prospered, and established several branches to better serve customers. By 1939, the Jamaica Savings Bank had opened their main office in downtown Jamaica and another branch in Queens Village. This lot was purchased in 1934 in anticipation of the expansion of downtown Jamaica as a result of the erection of the general court house on Sutphin Boulevard, and the extension of the Eighth Avenue Subway line. Architect Morrell Smith, celebrated for his designs of commercial bank buildings, designed this branch of the Jamaica Savings Bank in 1939. Set on a trapezoidal lot, the monumental one-story building faces the intersection with an angled façade and corner entrance. It is clad in Indiana limestone with a polished granite base. Tall rectangular windows create a vertical rhythm across the façades and a stylized Greek entablature provides a crown to the building. The slightly recessed windows have spandrel panels at the top ornamented with stars and geometric designs in low relief. An ornamental bronze doorway surmounted by an over-scaled eagle marks the entrance to the bank. The Moderne style bank displays an elegant handling of materials with abstracted classically-inspired ornament. In 1939, the Chamber of Commerce of the Borough of Queens awarded the bank first prize in an annual architectural award for a commercial building showing excellence in design and construction. Smith utilized the most modern building design and construction methods of his time for the building, from the state-of-the-art air-conditioning system designed specifically for the structure, to the introduction of new sound absorption materials. The Jamaica Savings Bank still functions as a branch bank, and serves as a reminder of the growth and expansion of Jamaica during the twentieth century.

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS Development of Jamaica1 Jamaica, one of the oldest settlements within the boundaries of New York City, developed into the leading commercial and entertainment center of Queens County, and one of the most densely populated areas in the borough. The southern part of the area was inhabited by a Native American tribe called the Jameco, when the first Europeans arrived there in 1655. In 1656, Robert Jackson applied to Governor Stuyvesant for a patent and “purchased” ten acres of land from the native tribe,2 and called the settlement Rusdorp. Following the transfer of power from the Dutch to the English in 1664, Rusdrop was renamed Jamaica, after the origin

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