First National Bank & Trust Company (Downtown Ossining Historic District)

The First National Bank and Trust Company Building was constructed in 1930s was the most prominent commercial bank in Ossining at that time. It is architecturally significant as the best example of 1930s Art Deco architecture within the Village. It is a pentagonal stone structure situated on a triangular lot at the intersection of Highland and Croton Avenues. The distinctive exterior of the four story building exhibits well maintained elements of the Art Deco and Neoclassical architectural styles. When the Ossining First National Bank and Trust Company ceased operations, the building served as a branch of Barclays Bank of New York. The building in 2023 is home to Emigrants Savings Bank. The Ossining First National Bank and Trust Company is included in the Downtown Ossining Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The First National Bank and Trust Company Building was constructed in 1930s and was the most prominent commercial bank in Ossining at the time. The company’s previous building at the site, constructed circa 1850, was demolished to construct a new bank in the popular Art Deco style. The architectural firm Hoggson Brothers of New York City designed the structure, which is the sole Art Deco structure within the Downtown Ossining Historic District. Following the closure of First National Bank and Trust Company, the building hosted a branch of Barclays Bank of New York for a period of time. After a number of years of vacancy, it was purchased by Emigrant Savings Bank, who now own and operate the building. 

The First National Bank and Trust Company structure has a stepped design, with a four story, hexagonal-shaped main wing and a one story northern secondary wing. The upper three stories of each of the four facings contains four bays of one over one metal sash casement windows, with carved stone detailing between each window bay, carved gargoyle sculptures at each façade’s corner, and additional ornamentation along the upper frieze. The front façade also contains a raised parapet inscribed with the founding date for the First National Bank and Trust and the behind the façade. The front entryway draws slightly from classical styles with its fluted columns, and is set back from the street by a series of steps on Croton Avenue. The lintel above the doorway was originally inscribed with First National Bank and Trust Company, but is now inscribed with Emigrant Savings Bank to reflect the current owner. The Bank’s exterior walls are made of limestone. 

The Ossining First National Bank and Trust Company is included in the Downtown Ossining Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

Special thanks to Joyce Cole, Ossining Village Historian, for her research and contributions to this entry.

1. “Ossining Downtown Historic District #88001827.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. Aug 9, 1989. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323005.  
2. “Ossining Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase) #12001133.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. Jan. 2, 2013. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323007.  
3. Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historical Society. 2003.