Bank of the Metropolis
Why it's listed
Rising sixteen stories at the northwest corner of Union Square West and West 16th Street in Manhattan, this limestone-faced, steel-framed tower was built in 1902-03 as a bank and office building. Architect Bruce Price designed it as a classical column, with a rusticated base, a plain nine-story shaft and an ornate top capped by a dentilled copper cornice. A bowed two-story portico with polished granite Ionic columns turns a narrow street front into a grand entrance. Lions' heads, consoles and foliated spandrels decorate the facade. The design draws on classical elements long associated with American bank architecture while meeting the demands of a tall, modern building type and a tight corner lot. The bank served businesses around Union Square and had local business figures on its board. Today the former banking hall houses a restaurant, and the upper floors have been apartments since the 1970s. Its integrity as an early skyscraper by Price supports its architectural importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally significant under Criterion C as an intact early 20th-century skyscraper by the noted architect Bruce Price. It is a columnar, tripartite tower that uses classical bank vocabulary and adapts to a narrow corner site. It was built to serve businesses around Union Square.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 03001153, listed November 15, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 31 Union Square West, New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | November 15, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03001153 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902-03 |
| Architect / builder | Price, Bruce |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Beaux Arts (described in the text as neo-Renaissance and neo-classical) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The ground floor banking hall is now a restaurant and the upper floors were converted to apartments in the 1970s; the original copper cornice survives, though the cresting was removed in 1951. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.73678, -73.99108 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 03001153.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q806695
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.