American Bank Note Company Printing Plant ca. 1925

Squeezed out of lower Manhattan by rising land prices and the need to expand and modernize its production line, in 1909 The American Bank Note Company began construction of a new plant in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx designed by Kirby, Petit & Green. Completed in 1911, the steel-framed, T-shaped building was organized along the sloped site and divided into two wings. A narrow five-story building with a crenellated tower containing the engraving and lithography departments fronted Lafayette Avenue, while the printing presses were housed in a larger interior three-story rear building with sawtooth skylights that flooded the spaces with glare-free northern light. Massive brick piers articulate the street façade, contributing to the building's fortress-like character. Two thousand employees worked in the factory which was considered the most advanced printing plant of the time. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 2009 and will be renovated for mixed office and retail uses.