South River Trust Company

 

TFPNJ Postcard Archive

The South River Trust Company was established in 1919 at the junction of Main and Ferry Streets. The building itself is small but lavish. Two large ionic columns flank the front door, supporting a terra cotta pediment with the banks name embossed into it. Though records don't exist online, the terra cotta was almost certainly manufactured at the nearby Sayre - Fisher brickworks. Steel spandrel panels separated the first and second floor windows. The entire rest of the facade was clad in limestone. 

The banking hall was a stunner. A massive stained glass tray ceiling lit the room, supplemented by large chandeliers as well as another large window at the rear of the building. The teller counter was made of beautifully veined white marble. 

The bank managers office had the best view, overlooking the banking floor. 

The bank closed in 1931, right at the start of the Great Depression. The closure was short lived though, as the bank reorganized and reopened in 1933. 

As is the case with many banks SRTC ended up merging into a bunch of other institutions before eventually being functionally  closed. The space was being utilized by Bank of America in the fall of 2013, when it closed for renovations. 

The building never reopened as a bank. Instead it stood vacant for over a decade. I would visit the structure from time to time whenever I was in the area with time to kill. The back door was always open. It blew my mind that there wasnt any vandalism inside, and that it never ended up on the "Urbex" radar. People flocked to Sayreville for years from all over the world to sneak into the old generating station along the river. The only people who ever found out about it were friends of mine who happened to be in the area with me at the time

Work finally began to convert the space into a lobby for a brand new apartment building in 2026. Considering First National Bank just a block away was demolished entirely, I consider this new future for the SRTC building a blessing. As the town continues to grow people like me will still have the opportunity to stop by and appreciate the building.

Thanks for reading!