Brooklyn Savings

The ceiling of the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn, located in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, took me by surprise. Outside, across the street from fast-food restaurants and discount retailers, the engraving atop the entranceway is a reminder of a past when a dime meant something, the era of "Buddy, can you spare a dime," wing-tips and sharp-looking hats.

When I entered, though, I was hardly prepared for glamour of days-gone-by banking.

Seemingly unchanged since its opening, the fine hand-crafted wood and tiled fixtures, and the shiny brass and copper detailing, all herald a time when banks were symbols of prosperity and potential. All the way up to the top, to the inspiring ceiling. If you click on the photo, you'll get a much better sense of its splendor.

Inside one of the most beautiful banks I've ever seen, I waited patiently for the security guard to finish his phonecall discussing a concern about someone at one of the entrances, then I shyly asked to take a picture of the bank.

He was a sinew of a man, and his well-trimmed grey hair suggested he could have been one of the dapper men who banked here during its heyday. After sizing me up, all 5 feet of me, he diplomatically, but sternly, said: "You know I ain't allowed to do that, but one picture. One. I'm gonna walk away now, and don't know nothing about this."

Choosing that one photograph to take was difficult, but I settled on this one, wanting to honour the generosity of the security guard.

Then I withdrew some cash from the ATM, took one final look around, and returned to the reality of the day.