The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower
1 Hanson Place

Constructed: 1927-1929
Architect: Halsey, McCormack & Helmer Developer: RR Dinsmore
General Contractor: Wm. Kennedy Construction Company
Original Owner: Williamsburgh Savings Bank
Original Tenant: Williamsburgh Savings Bank
Current Owner: Dermot Companies / Canyon Johnson
Current Tenant: HSBC,
Republic National Bank
Height: 156 m 512 ft
Floors: 34

At the busy intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush stands the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, dividing the low-rise Brooklyn neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, and Park Slope. At 512 feet, the building is the tallest in Brooklyn; once the tallest structure between Manhattan and Paris. Built between 1927 and 1929 for the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, the building boasts a four-sided clock face, the largest in the world until 1962. (It was surpassed by the Allen-Bradley Clocktower in Milwaukee.) Against the architect’s wishes, the client insisted on a golden dome, meant as a nod to the Bank’s pre-existing building in Williamsburg (the neighborhood is spelled without the ‘h’). Along with the copper dome, the Spanish detail gives the art-deco style a neo-Moorish flavor.

Ownership of the building changed over the years through mergers and acquisitions, as Williamsburgh Savings first became a part of the Republic National Bank and was later acquired by Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Company (HSBC). “The Willie”, as it is affectionately known, is now poised to be converted into luxury condominiums by co-developers The Dermot Companies and Magic Johnson. A restaurant is planned for the magnificent ground-floor banking hall. The ornamented hall, with a mosaic mural of Brooklyn, 63-foot ceilings and 40-foot windows, will be vacated on September 30, 2005 as new ownership takes over.

Although still the tallest building in Brooklyn (though perhaps not for long with the planned conversion of the Atlantic Yards), the Williamsburgh Savings Bank is not the tallest structure. This honor belongs to a 597-foot radio and television tower at nearby Brooklyn Tech High School.