First National Bank of Port Jefferson
| Company type | Bank (historical) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Banking |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Defunct | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Port Jefferson , United States |
First National Bank of Port Jefferson is a notable historic bank edifice situated in Port Jefferson, New York, within Suffolk County. Erected in 1900, this -story brick building is distinguished by a prominent two-story turret topped with a sharply angled, cone-shaped slate roof. Initially, the main entrance was positioned beneath the turret; however, around 1949, this entryway was transformed into a window when a one-story brick extension was constructed on the building’s eastern side. Banking services at the site ended in 1948, after which the Town of Brookhaven acquired the property and finalized the addition in 1949.
In 2005, the structure achieved recognition by being added to the National Register of Historic Places. By 2010, ownership remained with the Town of Brookhaven, and the building served as the office for their tax collector.
Brookhaven officials declared in 2011 that a 15-year lease had been arranged to accommodate the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, which at that time existed exclusively online; nevertheless, this initiative did not come to fruition.
A rare ten-dollar note issued by the First National Bank of Port Jefferson was sold on EBay in 2013 for close to $5,000.
Following an extended period of vacancy, interior renovations took place in 2016 to create retail space on the ground floor alongside two upscale apartments above. Since 2017, the retail area has been occupied by Kate & Hale.
2021 Safe Incident
In 2021, firefighters came to the aid of a teenage girl who became unintentionally confined inside the Kate & Hale dressing room, formerly utilized as the bank’s vault. Fourteen-year-old Giavanna Diesso was trapped after her younger sibling playfully closed the door behind her. The Port Jefferson Fire Department responded by employing air chisels and hammer drills to penetrate the vault’s 12-inch thick wall. Using her mobile phone, Diesso documented her surroundings to help rescuers evaluate the confined space. After roughly ninety minutes, she was successfully rescued in a horizontal position.