New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-16
TIE PARK BANK BUILDING.
THE OPENING YESTERDAY-FULL DESCRIPTION
"te OF The ED1FICE.

women, nlbnOs, and rrccOgnizabe wild animals Conn
trymen were astOnshed OF taste were enaged' but
all could agree that there nothing like 1t on Broad
way And now, that spot In tho confer Of the block
in place Of the BRICK walls which used TO DO concealed
behind the eigy OF the terrible gorilla has risen tow
erng structure Of marble. and the EewYOrer can say
that there Is nothing like 1t Broadway. 1t
ia safe to say that man, child gifted with
eyesight has passed the Inflated Loew Bridge within
twelyeonth without having gazed at least once on the
new building OF the Park Bank
The architecture OF the building Is OF the COrinthan
ORDER highly ornainented after the italian style Tue
most prominent features OF the front are the double row.
OF columns supporting the pOrco. tho immense windows
surounted by Roman arches the colossal statuary ana
ornamented mulOns OF marble dropping from tho cen
ters OF the arches The central figure over the pofco -
Justice with her sword and scales Upon the LETT Is
Abundance, bearing sheat Of wheat a sickle, and
cornucopa Upon the right surely the genius OF specie
payment scattering COIN her right arm resting on py
amid books settled of the nation Flank
Ing the corners OF the building arc Commerce ana Indus
dustry These figures, which do not vary much from 10
feet in hight tho work OF Russian artist resi-
dent in this city, MIR. II. f. Iannitz. The windows on
each side OF the entrance are Is feet and inches wide
Yesterday was the day appointed for throwing open
the new building to the inspection OF the public ana az
the AFTERNOON from noon untll AFTER DARK stream OF
people poured up and down the salrcases and filled all
the space within the walls Ascending with this throng
night OF marble steps we pass through ha ~ leet IN
width aud having gone 50 feet fnd ourselves IN the lofty
om 5a %cn n wa sa from rp The sgaSS SoD of 81
Paus The dome above Is all that separates the bank.
solid brick, secude from the building in front The
first thing to strike the beholder. on recovering from
~
Pompean decoration of tho walls aud ceiling. Those
warm tnts arc almost Intoxicating. INSOFAR
Of the hight by which the color IS II the expression DO
allowed warmed into life. The mellow light streams
the iron dome that the ooudest days gaslight
will be required The architect, Mi. Griffith H. Thomas
position toward the sunlight which he has manifested
the arrangement of all the rooms In the binding In nd
ton Of the dome is iron The whole forms design Of
great beauty. the effect Of which the decorative artists
haxsa fhaf nnr 30 fha In
meath the dome are four medaOns representing Art,
Science, Industry, and Justice The dimensions OF
Inquiry c 1t Is C feet wide p by % feet in
dePn VIII n ,oS p, night ,o OF ., feet TO tho
scOtng is magnihcenty rich II rises to the hight OF five
feet ak inches with stiles OF dove coiored marble and
panels Of velned Tennessee marble Of reddish TINT the
whole highly polished. Between the wainscotng and
the screen behind which the business OF the Bank Is
customers OF tine Bank The screen IL not less beautiful
than the wainscot Its shelves OF black Irish marble
cast solid. and Commented with grot,s qae
medieval artist Within the screen are smaller in
clerks. secretaries, dIscountclerls, boOkkeepers,
aud other officials OF the bank. For heating
this room in addition TO tho Colds patent heaters
largo pipe along the bases OF oil tho divisions
OF the inclOsures All the desks tables aud counters
within arc Of San Domingo mahogany. From the south
side Of the bankngroon the spectator may take look
at the enormous safes OF the bank which include space
feet long. feet wide. aud 10 feet high. THIS
divided into two with separate doors, each
being 10 feet by seven feet The Iron work Of these
safes, their locks aud also tho iron work Of
the whole building was done by the Mcssrs j. b. & W.
W. Cornell, No l35 Contre-st
For short distance along the north SIDE and along the
easand south sides OF the banking room there CALLER
les and 10 feet in width in which desks 10 be placed
for the accommodation OF customers They will also 0e
convenient places for consultation. Upon the north gall
lcry opens the bOOk-roOm which extends tho whole
length OF the Anust entrance being 90 feet cngh by
feet In width THIS II already auked on both sides by
formidable array Of account books, tho record OF few
Of those accomplished writer's which tho BANK
Saerv wa enter the ppaoT room Wer S on oea
days, those aut0crats at AT solid table ia solid chairs
powerful as European m0narchs AT least ns those o
the present age Inc royal encct further ig9Ihci
Wy beautiful monogram, composed Of the letters
N. i. b." Ia red, white and blue, which appears on
each chair. THIS room, which be compared 70
nothing less than room IN palace. Is p by " feet
Is DO made OF II has hot yet been decided The style OF
Oramennton may here be said Is the same Ia AL tho
on the rlsn the main ntrance from Broadway aud
conuecting win The Bankiugroom iy broad pIs.agp
way, In which stands CouHihlu column. j. tho Bank
parlor-a room having front OF ~ feet 90 broadNny
this and the Drecors room are covered with elegant
velvet pile carpets, furnished by hessrs A. Stewart
Co. The uch wuiuscotiug OF tbs room j. ~ black wal
nut with panels Of the root Of the saline tree The hro
places OF tns well Of the Dlrcciors' aud other
rooms. beyond the descriptive powers " ~, writer
They are lei u be SAID, lrnc.G-pcr.aps te yrhd
what the crchant princes Of NewlOrk are yet Hcus
toned TO- Tho beaulnl dreDfttlOhA on al ue W"na 81
tho building by Mcssrs harcOft Co. md thc furui
has been designed and constructed by Mr. ieftcr
We now descend spiral rOH-staiicasc Ike that 10 the
bOcIToOm 81 an ocean steamer 10 TIE underground ie
feet below the sidewalk of Broadway. Fon this depth
they carried ny n wall ~ solid blne--tone masonry,
safety Deposit Vaut-wich will presently be described
there Is mass o. soid nason-w work ~ - fcei ana
u feet I'm hight The walls of tAs yauit l'ct arc " I'M
mrnse blocks Of gauitc forning an outside shoil two
feet thckncs' Tho Foundation o. tho mont wall Of
the building i- II feet IN thickness. Down III thcse Sub.
tcrranean rcgi0ns IL mighty maze OF walls but not
without plan. We discover gas pipes and motors.
engine two boilers for tho steam-heaicrs, and
day The nto three horse power caoflo en-,
CINE bearing II the stamp OF Ercssons genius In its
inscrutabc mechanism, throws water up 9' feet into two
large tanks IN the attic These tanks hayo capacity OF
$500 gallons and supply The Croton TO tho whole bud
ing except the rooms the fret floor. The little punp
nR engine will ni these tanks IN four hours In these
confines Mr. Morgan Jones, who let's us into all
that tint TOO, il admirable OF the two boilers one sup
plies heat for those parts OF tho building used ~ Tie
The Safety Deposit vault deserves longer Description
than give 1t here IL contains $50 safes OF the
best construction which arc rented from 20 70 so per
nnnum. according 10 their size nv. James W. DOninck
ia the manager Of this department aud Informs us that
Of these safes as heen ALREADY engaS ~ inc IIlO
Association The access TO this yanlt by nm easy
flight Of stairs leading directly from the banking room
The vault is well lighted and ventilated that soeuri
ties and deposits may be easily examined without leav
tured by the New-Britain Lock Company. They OF
Pilards patent. aud Of two kinds They are opened by
KEYS which must be set TO certain combinations, the
rst Kind OF numbers. the second OF both numbers and
letters OF the numbers there are 1900 combinations OF
which the holder may select any which caution or
fancy Dictates; OF the letters there are about 1000 pos
sble combinations In u community ess highly civilized
aud Ingenious than own, II would be impossible 10
instruct the average citizen In the methods OF turning
tna complicated machinery TO the bolts. Like
the fair rex, they easily you hit upon the right
way to move them; and vee rersa' II you don't they
won't, and there's the end VI It,
EOf the front basement rooms tho southern ono Is
already taken by Mcssrs Gre6nbam Bros Co.. bankers,
branch OF the Chicago house Of Henry Grecnbaum Co
The northern IS not yet let These rooms arc 70
trout by 20 feet depth The room on the right Of
the main entrance, already stated, is used for the
bank parlor That the left room 20 feet front by 30
In depth already occupied by tho National Life Intur
ance Company. The whole second floor OF tho
building. consisting Of shaped room, OF &c
feet front. 80 feet deep and IL feet high, 10