Jamaica Savings Bank
Why it's listed
Rising four stories along Jamaica Avenue, the main business street of southeast Queens, this brick building with a limestone facade was built in 1897-98 as the home of the Jamaica Savings Bank. Architects William C. Hough and Edgar Deuell, Jr. designed it in the Beaux-Arts style, with a rusticated ground floor, bull's-eye windows, garlands of fruit, beehive motifs and a two-story central ensemble with a Rococo balcony. The steel-frame, fireproof structure cost $60,000. The bank had been incorporated in 1866 and was the oldest and most prestigious banking institution in Jamaica, which was then the Queens county seat. The building is considered one of the finest Beaux-Arts structures in the borough and helped establish the commercial standing of Jamaica Avenue. Inside, the main banking room keeps a plaster ceiling with egg and dart moldings and wall-lining writing desks. The bank merged with the Queensboro Savings Bank in 1964, and the building has been unoccupied since.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the finest Beaux-Arts structures in Queens. It was designed for the oldest and most prestigious banking institution in Jamaica, and the building and its tenant contributed to the early commercial importance of Jamaica Avenue.
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 83001774, listed May 19, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 161-02 Jamaica Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | May 19, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001774 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1897-98 |
| Architect / builder | William C. Hough & Edgar Deuell, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied since the bank's 1964 merger with the Queensboro Savings Bank, when banking operations moved elsewhere; condition listed as good and unaltered, with most furnishings removed from the banking room. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.70391, -73.79870 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 83001774.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6127333
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.