The Williamsburg Bridge (1903) was the first East River bridge to be built after the Brooklyn Bridge. It was 5 feet longer and became the world's longest suspension bridge and established steel as the preferred bridge building material. That distinction may explain why the bridge meets the ground so far west in Manhattan ! Immigrants crowded out of Manhattan's Lower East Side tenements and settled in Brooklyn. The bridge became known as the "Jews' Highway." It is farthest north and thus provides an exceptional view of the midtown Manhattan skyline, especially at night. It also provides a sweeping view of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Some spectacular bank buildings are nestled within the bridge environs, especially the Neoclassical terra-cotta Williamsburg Trust Co. (1906) on S. 5th St. built by Helmle & Huberty. I find it peculiar that such a grand piece of architecture was built so close to the bridge structure. Nearby on Broadway is a large domed Williamsburgh Savings Bank (1875), certainly the most iconic of the area's buildings, built by George B. Post. Note the beautiful doors. The AIA Guide to NYC says it has "eclectic Victorian crossbreeding of Renaissance and Roman parts." This was built well before the bridge and explains the shoehorn fit. It is now occupied by HSBC. Just down Broadway is yet another bank in the French Second Empire style (1868). Bands of smooth and vermiculated Dorchester stone and slender Ionic and Corinthian columns enliven the exterior. It now houses the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center. Walking down S. 6th St. one sees a brick building with a top floor of arched windows was a theater (1891). Note the change in spelling of Williamsburgh, the "h" got dropped around 1900.
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