Broadway and the Bank of the Republic

This vintage photograph shows the "National Bank of the Republic," "National Bank Note Company" at right (corner of Wall Street), other commercial buildings, pedestrians and traffic on Broadway, Manhattan. The Bank of the Republic Building appears to be draped in mourning bands, likely for Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession. Year: 1865? Published by George Stacy. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. A colorized version below.

The Bank of the Republic opened in 1851, as a state bank. In the same year, the bank purchased the lot at the northeast corner of Wall Street and Broadway and built this five-story office building to house its headquarters. It became the National Bank of the Republic in New York in 1865. This building was replaced by the United Bank Building in 1880, demolished in 1931.

The National Bank Note Company, organized in 1859, printed all U.S. postage stamps from 1861 to 1872.