Former home of Yorkville Bank to get landmarked?

An Upper East Side preservation group is looking for the city to landmark a commercial building that is home to a Gap and an Equinox gym, DNAinfo reported.

The Related Companies-owned building at 1511 Third Avenue between 85th and 86th streets was constructed in 1905 and was the site of the Yorkville Bank, which had a large German immigrant shareholder base, even shareholders of German descent. Robert Maynicke, a German-born, Cooper Union-trained architect designed the four-story building out of granite, limestone, brick and terracotta. The building is also known by local residents for its large bronze entrance doors.

The Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts refers to the building as “a prime example of the graceful architecture that was designed, constructed, owned and frequented by German-Americans” in a testimony submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday. [DNAinfo]