Bank for Savings in the City of New-York
The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York was one of the earliest U.S. banks and the first savings bank in Manhattan. It was founded in 1816 and advertised as “a bank for the poor,” with the goal of providing a safe place for workers to save and earn interest. It was incorporated by the New York State Legislature on March 16, 1819.
Its first location was Chambers Street, where the first Egyptian mummy in the United States was shown in 1824. It moved to Bleecker Street on April 10, 1856 and became known as the Bleecker Street Savings Bank. During the Civil War it was seen as a sign of prosperity, with more than $11 million in deposits and many working-class customers. After a fire, the bank moved on August 15, 1894 to 280 Fourth Avenue at 22nd Street, in a large white marble building designed by Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz. Later the headquarters were on Park Avenue South.
In August 1963 the Bank for Savings acquired the New York Savings Bank, becoming the New York Bank for Savings. The merger allowed more branches; its 10th branch opened in 1966.
Founders and early directors included Thomas Eddy, William Bayard Jr., DeWitt Clinton, Archibald Gracie, Cadwallader D. Colden, John Pintard, Matthew Clarkson, Peter Augustus Jay and Brockholst Livingston. Bayard served as the first president. Other notable directors included Frederic James de Peyster and Hamilton Fish, who left the board when he became U.S. Secretary of State.
The bank merged with Buffalo Savings Bank in 1982 and became Goldome. It failed in 1991 and is no longer in existence.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:50 (CET).