History Hunt – Week 5 Answered
It’s Tuesday. Time to answer the History Hunt riddle. The correct response for week 5 of the contest was 77-79 Delancey, former home of the deceptively-named Bank of the United States. The building currently houses White Slab Palace and Fisk in the ground level. Congratulations to John Lavelle, who has won a copy of Flapper, by Joshua Zeitz.
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The iconic structure was erected in 1914 as headquarters of the Bank of the United States. At the time, many immigrants mistakenly believed the NY-chartered bank was a federal government institution. Despite such confusion, business prospered, with the total number of depositors ballooning to 400,000. The success was short-lived, however, as the bank was one of the first casualties in the crash of 1929. It finally succumbed in 1932.
Shortly thereafter, the building became headquarters for the venerable Hebrew Publishing Company. Founded in 1891, the company released a wide range of secular and religious publications in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish. It occupied the building until 1976.
Here is the recap of clues:
Clue #1: There is a palace in my presence. Who am I?
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Clue #2: I had a terrible crash in 1929 and never recovered. Who am I?
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Clue #3: I was the Bank of the United States back in the day. Who am I?
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See ya next time!
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