Kings County Savings Bank

The Kings County Savings Bank building stands as a relic of a time when financial institutions were designed to project absolute permanence and untouchable wealth. Completed in eighteen sixty-seven, the structure features a facade of Dorchester sandstone that was intentionally modeled after the opulent townhouses of millionaires to project stability during a period of intense economic growth. Its architects, Gamaliel King and William H. Willcox, employed the French Second Empire style, complete with a Mansard roof that hides a full attic level, ensuring the bank appeared grand from every angle. When you look at the building, you are seeing a structure that was purposely built to look like a private palace, signaling to all of nineteenth century Williamsburg that their deposits were held within a fortress of prestige.