Bar Building
Why it's listed
Rising 125 feet above Main Street in downtown White Plains, the Bar Building is a steel-frame office tower completed in 1926. New York architect Benjamin Levitan gave it brick walls, terra cotta trim, and Neo-Gothic and Art Deco ornamentation on the south and west sides, with a crenellated parapet that makes its two-story penthouse read as extra floors. The penthouse originally held the City Club of White Plains, with a terrace above the tenth story. The building replaced the Newal Theater and was the tallest in Westchester County when it opened. It was built mainly for lawyers, who were clustering near the county courthouse across the street, and early tenants also included architects, insurance and real estate brokers, and the Chamber of Commerce. Much of the surrounding legal and financial district was lost to urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s, so the Bar Building is one of the few large historic commercial buildings left in the city. It was listed for its architecture and its role in local development.
Significance in brief: The building is presented as a distinctive and intact early twentieth-century high-rise commercial building in Westchester County (Criterion C). It also meets Criterion A for community planning and development as one of the most important buildings erected in White Plains in that period. It was the tallest building in the county when completed and served the legal and business community around the county courthouse.
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 07000331, listed May 17, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 199 Main St., White Plains |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | May 17, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000331 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1926-54 |
| Architect / builder | Levitan, Benjamin I.; builder Court Realty Company of New York City |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Commercial Style (described as Art Deco with Neo-Gothic ornament) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior described as in excellent condition (2006); the lobby has been renovated, and the building is still used as offices. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.03253, -73.76765 (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 07000331.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4857916
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.