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Longtime residents of East New York care about the historic bank building at 91 Pennsylvania Avenue and want to save it. A group of about eight stood in the bitter cold Tuesday to protest its planned demolition, the Village Voice reported. As it happens, the protest was sparked by our story, we were surprised to read. Residents had seen the scaffolding and netting shrouding the building but assumed it was being repaired, not demolished.

We spoke last night to one of the organizers of the protest, Chris Banks, who is the director of local community group East New York United Concerned Citizens and a member of Community Board 5. He said the owner of the building has been in touch and they plan to meet, as he also told the Voice. Banks has also reached out to local Council Member Rafael Espinal and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries for help.

We hope a new use for the building can be found that will benefit both the owner and the community. Click through to the Voice story to read what the protesters said about the building.

Residents Brave (Seriously) Bitter Cold to Fight to Preserve Historic Brooklyn Bank Building [Voice]
Historic East New York Bank Building Will Be Torn Down [Brownstoner]
Demo Has Started at Historic Bank Building in East New York [Brownstoner]


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  1. I remember having to schlep there from Corona with my parents to sign the papers for my college loan in 1979 because it was the main branch of the East New York Savings Bank, even though there was a local branch across the street from where I lived.

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