# Converted banks as other buildings **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456 "2017-08-23T13:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/21 "2017-08-23T20:06:30Z")
There are two banks in Cleveland, Ohio which have been converted to other uses - one a restaurant, and the other a nightclub. I’ve been in both and they’re very nice. [https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/08/1925-bank-vault-swanky-eatery-story-clevelands-crop-bistro/2991/](https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/08/1925-bank-vault-swanky-eatery-story-clevelands-crop-bistro/2991/) > **[Welcome to Vault](https://www.vault9cle.com/)** > > The century-old bank vaults beneath the Cleveland Trust Rotunda are home to an upscale, handcrafted cocktail lounge and event space. Enjoy handcrafted cocktails fashioned by resident mixologists, small plate menu offerings and exceptional service in... ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/22 "2017-08-23T20:12:18Z")
The Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto is in the old Bank of Montreal head office. It’s apparently haunted by a former bank employee too: > **[Hockey Hall of Fame ghost revealed at last](https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2009/10/30/hockey_hall_of_fame_ghost_revealed_at_last.html)** > > For more than 50 years an unknown ghost has haunted the Hockey Hall of Fame. We reveal her identity and her story. There’s a Holiday Inn in Baltimore that was built around an old bank building. We stayed there a few years ago, pretty cool. > **[Pet-Friendly Downtown Baltimore Hotels | Holiday Inn Express Baltimore-Downtown](https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/baltimore/balgy/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-ex-_-USEN-_-balgy)** > > Official site of Holiday Inn Express Baltimore-Downtown. Stay Smart, rest, and recharge at Holiday Inn Express - Best Price Guarantee. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/23 "2017-08-23T20:23:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > There are two banks in Cleveland, Ohio which have been converted to other uses - one a restaurant, and the other a nightclub. I’ve been in both and they’re very nice. > > [CityLab - Bloomberg](https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/08/1925-bank-vault-swanky-eatery-story-clevelands-crop-bistro/2991/) > [https://www.vault9cle.com/](https://www.vault9cle.com/) Oh, and a supermarket, too: > **[Heinen's opens downtown supermarket in renovated Cleveland Trust Building...](https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2015/02/heinens_opens_downtown_superma.html)** > > The new downtown Heinen's opened as scheduled in the historic Cleveland Trust Building, a beloved and long off-limits landmark that has found a surprising and eagerly awaited second life. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/24 "2017-08-23T22:01:13Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There are a lot in Manhattan. > > [Trinity Place Bar & Restaurant](http://www.trinityplacenyc.com/index.html) > > Actually, here’s an entire web site full of them (incuding friedo’s CVS): > [Former Banks of NYC Repurposed into Drugstores, Ice Cream Parlors, and Pop-Up Stores](http://untappedcities.com/2013/08/02/former-banks-nyc-repurposed-into-drugstores-apartments-pop-up-stores/) Heh, I was going to post a link to photos of that CVS as that’s the one I always go to. Also Second Stage Theatre on 43rd St has their [box office](http://fda-online.com/uploads/2702nd_Stage_5.jpg)inside the vault. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/25 "2017-08-23T22:31:52Z")
Some banks have been converted into single-family homes. [Here’s one.](http://circaoldhouses.com/property/quirky-restored-douglas-county-bank/) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/26 "2017-08-23T23:18:33Z")
The touristy downtown section of Cambria, Ca. has an art gallery in a bldg that was clearly once a bank. The vault is just another section of the gallery with art displays in it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/27 "2017-08-23T23:18:36Z")
The Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Edmonton, Alberta is in a converted bank. It offers private dining in the vaults. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/28 "2017-08-24T01:31:40Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Same use in an ice cream parlor in Harvard Square. Sadly, Herrell’s closed their Harvard Square shop in 2009 and was replaced by a pub. No idea if they kept the vault. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/29 "2017-08-24T01:49:17Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Some banks have been converted into single-family homes. [Here’s one.](http://circaoldhouses.com/property/quirky-restored-douglas-county-bank/) That’s pretty cool. Except for the requirement that you have (or at least do a good job of faking?) a business in the building for zoning purposes. I wonder if you could fake a “by appointment only” consulting service for $10,000 an hour. The main thing that I’ve learned is that, if you have an old bank, you’ll probably turn it into a restaurant/pub of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/30 "2017-08-24T02:57:58Z")
A century-old bank in downtown Sacramento will soon be re-opening as a [“culinary palace”](http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article137841488.html). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/31 "2017-08-24T05:32:41Z")
> **[The Bank Tower in Pittsburgh](https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2013/06/21/the-bank-tower-in-pittsburgh/)** > > As developers invest in historic buildings or build new office towers, Downtown Pittsburgh grows more vibrant. At the time I was going to that location a lot (they had a great cinema) there was a jewelry store in the vault. An old bank in Forty-Fort PA was turned into a antique shop with the vault open and some of the odder/creepier items displayed in it. It has closed from that use as well and I believe it was turned into a home. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/32 "2017-08-24T09:01:55Z")
Had a small bar and grill called The Distillery in a bank building in tiny Hanover, IL. We figured it would be a great tornado shelter. We sheltered there a lot, even in winter.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/33 "2017-08-24T17:01:22Z")
Friends of mine own a small town bakery, in what used to be a bank. The lobby/teller space is now the selling/table area. The old vault is the office. Baking is done in an addition in the back. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/34 "2017-08-24T19:35:19Z")
A friend of mine rents space in a tower block in Daytona (Florida) which used to be a bank. The vault is just used as basement storage; each tenant has a separate area with a lockable metal door. The walls of the vault aren’t hardened or anything, as far as I can tell; they’re the same concrete block construction as the rest of the lower levels of the building. The vault door is still there, but the locking mechanism has been deactivated - I assume by removing some of the gearing. The locking handle just spins without doing anything. I suspect most bank vaults are of similar design; outside major-city-downtown areas, most banks are not going to be keeping millions on reserve. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/35 "2017-08-25T00:38:06Z")
I used to work in a building that housed a Wells Fargo cash vault. Roughly 30x50 foot room used as cafeteria seating. The building was gutted and redone from an office building to a dental college recently. No idea what they’re doing with the vault now or if they managed to demolish it as part of the remodel. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/36 "2017-08-25T02:24:11Z")
The _Bank & Blues Club_ in Daytona Beach is a nightclub that was a bank built in the 1920s. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/37 "2017-08-25T04:09:18Z")
Philly has [Del Frisco](http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/pennsylvania/unique-restaurant-pennsylvania/)’s, [Union Trust](http://finleycatering.com/union-trust/), & a bespoke suit shop that used to be a restaurant after retiring as a bank. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/38 "2017-08-25T05:50:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Our favorite pizza place in town is in a converted bank building. It looks like they just took off the door to the vault and turned that space into part of the arcade. The vault is generally left – the walls are usually concreted directly into the structure & the ground. Removing them would often involve demolishing the whole building. So they’re generally left alone. The vault door can be removed without much difficulty (though it’s big & heavy). The door & the lock mechanisms inside have sellable value. And they’re often in fairly standard sizes, so usable in a new bank elsewhere. Plus if you leave the door there in a public area, you will have to spend money rendering it physically unable to close & lock. Better to just sell it. > [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I’ve always wanted to buy an old branch building and convert it into a Subway and put the sandwiches into the pneumatic tube for my drive-thru. > > Surprised I’ve never actually seen one IRL i can see some real problems with that. First, those systems are designed to transport papers & cash – dry things. Sandwiches have liquid parts, which could drip out – that would foul up the transport tubes, and those are usually built into walls & ceilings; not easily accessible. Also, the usual Subway sandwich would exceed the weight limit of most systems. Secondly, health regulations would probably require washing the containers between each order. And the current containers aren’t designed to be food-grade washable. Might even have to be stainless steel to meet health codes, which could make them too heavy for a pneumatic system. Finally, it’d be difficult for a Subway store. Much of their appeal is that your sandwich is made individually, with a choice of the bread and them choosing each of the other ingredients you want added. Trying to do that over a lo2w-fidelity drive-thru speaker system would be slow & awkward. Probably that’s why few Subway stores offer drive-thru windows. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/39 "2017-08-25T07:20:42Z")
There is a defunct bank close to me that has become a dental office. It still has the drive-through booths and lanes. For some reason I find that hilarious. Drive-thru dentistry! (They use them as parking spots. How mundane.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456/40 "2017-08-25T12:36:17Z")
**Rockafellas** in downtown Salem MA is in a converted bank (right across the street from the statue of _Bewitched_’s Samantha Stevens). As in others listed above, they turned their vault into part of the dining area. [http://www.rockafellasofsalem.com/](http://www.rockafellasofsalem.com/) Down the pedestrian mall from them is another bank that served for a time as a church for a strange New Age-esque congregation. God only knows what they did with the vault. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/converted-banks-as-other-buildings/794456.md?page=3)