bank

Smithsonian Hall, the only cast-iron building in Greenpoint, was built by Edward Smith, of Smith, Gray & Co. Gray tapped William F. Gaylor, architect for Smith, Gray & Co.'s Broadway cast-iron buildings, as the architect for this project.1

Bushwick Savings Bank was founded in 1868, but appears to have struggled in its early years.

Constructed in 1889, this bank was ideally located at the foot of Grand Street across the street from the Grand Street Ferry terminal. With the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903, traffic on the ferry quickly waned, and by 1912 the bank had relocated its headquarters to Havemeyer Street, facing onto the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza.

In 1912, bank buys property on Havemeyer, with plans to relocate Broadway/Lorimer branch. Eventually planned to replace Grand Street building as the bank's headquarters.1 By the time of the opening, the bank had officially decided to make the Havemeyer building its headquarters and the Grand Street building was relegated to branch status. Directors in 1913 include Horace Havemeyer and Lewis E.