Franklin Street forms an intersection with Greenpoint Avenue, and at 144 Franklin- an ornate residential building greets modern visitors on the northeast corner.

Built in 1895, the lushly decorated Mechanics and Traders Bank of Brooklyn flaunts elegant “Renaissance Revival” style terracotta work and arched bay windows on the uppermost floors.

The bank itself merged with another institution, the Corn Exchange Bank in 1902. This would later merge with  Chemical bank, and go on to become Chase Manhattan, though by this time the Mechanics and Traders Bank had long since ceased being a bank.

The Mechanics and Traders Bank failed during a banking panic in 1911 amid great scandal. It later became home to a number of Polish organizations and is now a private residence.