{"nrhp_refnum":"05000620","name":"Queens County Savings Bank","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"75-44 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Kew Gardens Hills","county":"Queens","state":"NY","lat":40.722665120000045,"lon":-73.82025942699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-06-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Georgian Revival bank branch at 75-44 Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York, built in 1953-54 and modeled on Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It was designed by architect Harold O. Carlson.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bank is a distinguished example of post-World War II Georgian Revival commercial design. It was the first financial institution in Kew Gardens Hills and has been a neighborhood landmark since opening in 1954. Its founders also treated it as a patriotic symbol of American values, with a Liberty Bell replica and school visits.","narrative":"Built in 1953-54 on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, this brick bank branch was deliberately styled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Architect Harold O. Carlson gave it a tall six-stage central tower with clock faces, a belfry and a spire, flanked by two-story gabled wings laid in Flemish bond. Inside, a one-ton Liberty Bell replica cast in France sits in the lobby, and large pictures of Revolutionary scenes hang behind the teller area. The bank was the first financial institution in a neighborhood largely developed after World War II, and its tower is visible across the community. Bank president Joseph Upton presented the design as a symbol of thrift, freedom and American values. The building opened on January 15, 1954, with patriotic ceremony and gifts, drew thousands of accounts within days, and welcomed school groups. Its rear wing originally housed a branch of the public library. It is recognized for its architecture and its role in local social history.","period_of_significance":"1953-1954","architect_builder":"Carlson, Harold O.","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals / Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a financial institution; the original windows have been replaced, and a modern drive-through canopy and ATM have been added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.594406-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05000620.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000620/b9901d5c19-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000620/b9901d5c19-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Newyorker1987","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independencehallkgh.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Newyorker1987</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independencehallkgh.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321135","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens_County_Savings_Bank","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7270757"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/queens/queens-county-savings-bank-05000620/"}