{"nrhp_refnum":"03000849","name":"Harlem Savings Bank","other_names":["Apple Bank for Savings"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"124 E. 125th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.803744264000045,"lon":-73.93856016599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story, temple-front Classical Revival bank building clad in granite at 124 East 125th Street in East Harlem, Manhattan, erected in 1906-07 and designed by Bannister & Schell.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an architecturally distinguished example of a Classical Revival bank scaled for a local community institution. It also reflects the history of one of Harlem's earliest financial institutions, founded in 1863, and East 125th Street's rise as Harlem's main commercial thoroughfare. The exterior retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Located on the south side of East 125th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, this granite-clad bank was built in 1906-07 for the Harlem Savings Bank, which was chartered in 1863. Bannister & Schell designed it as a three-story temple front with a central portico of Ionic columns, pediments over the entrance and side windows, and a dentiled entablature. Wakeman & Miller served as general contractors. Inside, a banking hall features Famosa marble wainscoting, pilasters and a marble vault, although a drop ceiling now hides the original skylights. The building was considered significant as a modest-scale example of Classical design, a style widely used for banks to suggest security and stability. It also marks the bank's move to 125th Street as that street became Harlem's principal commercial corridor. The exterior has changed little apart from a shortened stair, a new clock and a new sign. The building has operated continuously as a bank branch for nearly 96 years.","period_of_significance":"1907-1953","architect_builder":"Bannister & Schell, architects; Wakeman & Miller, general contractors","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still operating as a bank branch (Apple Bank for Savings); the exterior is little altered and the interior has been altered, though much of the marble decoration remains.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.930903-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03000849.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319582","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/harlem-savings-bank-03000849/"}