The Project
GreenPoint Bank had a large quantity of mortgage records and other legal documents on paper that required a new expandable fire protected vault. Being a successful and expanding financial institution, they also needed a vault that they could relocate to keep up with their growing record archive.
The Solution
A FIRELOCK® Class 350-Four Hour Fire Vault gave GreenPoint Bank what they were looking for. The GreenPoint senior officer in charge of this project, Mr. Joseph Passalacqua, said, “We chose FIRELOCK® for the combination of the benefits of a modular design with their fire protection capability.” Also, “the concept of using ceramic insulation is an innovation that is superior to conventional vault construction methods.”
As expected, by 1996, GreenPoint had tripled the volume of their record holdings and outgrew their original office location in the Flushing, NY area. Mr. Passalacqua stated, “We knew we were moving and did not want to build a vault (at the Flushing location) and then leave it behind.” They found a larger office complex in Lake Success on Long Island and carefully planned their moving procedure. To protect the vital records at all times, the new expanded FIRELOCK® Vault section was shipped to the new site and installed by FIRELOCK®’s installation crew. After the vital records had been moved and safely stored in the new location, the FIRELOCK® installers disassembled the original vault in the Flushing office and transported it to the new Long Island location. The original vault was then reassembled and joined with a new vault section (the new section was designed to precisely match the original vault) to complete the relocation and expansion of GreenPoint’s vital records vault. One additional factor concerning increase in the volume of their records is that in the future, some of these records may be converted to magnetic media. The flexibility of the FIRELOCK® System will allow them to upgrade their vault to Class 125-One Hour by merely adding an inner door to the vault.
If GreenPoint Bank had built a vault of conventional construction materials like concrete and block, they would have had to leave that vault behind and start from scratch at the new location. This would have been more costly and is not permissible in many leased office facilities. By planning ahead, GreenPoint was able to take their vault with them and keep their vital records protected at all times. Such forward-thinking by GreenPoint is what makes them one of the most competitive banks in one of the world’s toughest markets: New York, New York.