Frederick S. Holmes

Frederick S. Holmes was an American safe and vault engineer[1] and inventor who designed the largest vaults in the world. During his career, Holmes designed hundreds of vaults throughout the United States, Canada and Japan from 1895[2] to 1941. The majority of Holmes designed vaults are located in New York's Financial District; many are publicly accessible and in buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. His name is engraved on the builder's plaques, typically located on the encased jamb controls of these vaults.

Encased controls with viewer on the vault door jamb
Frederick S. Holmes
Born
Frederick Stacy Holmes

August 27th, 1865
Boston, MA
Died≥ 1940 (age 75)
Education
  • Boston High School (Boston, MA)
  • Private Engineering Instruction (Exeter, NH)
OccupationVault Engineer
EraEarly 1900s
Known for
  • Designer of the world's largest vaults
  • Pioneer in the vault engineering field
  • Designer of jamb-controlled vaults
Political partyRepublican / Independent
SpouseKatherine E. Vincent (married 1886)
Parents
  • George W. Holmes (father)
  • Frances A. Stacy (mother)
Engineering career
DisciplineMechanical Engineering
Practice nameFrederick S. Holmes
2 Rector St. New York, NY
Significant design
Signature

Holmes' vault designs evolved over time to keep up with safe-crackers or 'Yeggmen'[3] adept at vault penetration. A Holmes advertisement reads, "Newly discovered methods of attack necessitate radical departures from hitherto accepted standards of design". Holmes specialized in jamb-controlled vaults where the combination locks and bolt-throwing mechanism are located inside the vault creating a solid vault door with no spindle holes. Entry requires two points of attack (door and jamb), which doubles the time required for burglars to breach the vault.[4]

In recognition of their significant contributions to the field of bank vault engineering, the Franklin Institute wrote,[5] “Coincident with the modern development of the safe and bank vault industry was that of the profession of the Bank Vault Engineer. The industry owes much of its progress to the work done by the pioneers of this profession: William H. Hollar,[6] John M. Mossman, George L. Damon,[7] E. A. Strauss, Frederick S. Holmes, Benjamin F. Tripp, and George L. Remington.”

Holmes collaborated with prominent architects such as Cass Gilbert and Alfred Bossom and leading vault builders including Bethlehem Steel, Carnegie Steel, Damon Safe & Iron Works,[7] Diebold, Herring-Hall-Marvin, J&J Taylor, LH Miller Safe & Iron Works, Mosler Safe, Remington & Sherman, and York Safe & Lock.

Career
1879 to 1883
(4 years)		1883 to 1887
(4 years)		1887 to 1891
(4 years)		1891 to 1895
(4 years)		1895 to 1900
(5 years)		1900 to 1904
(4 years)		1904 to 1940
(36 years)


 Mechanical Draftsman[2] General Superintendent[2]
  • Chicago Safe & Lock (Chicago, IL)
 General Superintendent
  • Damon Safe & Iron Works[7] (Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA)
 Co-Owner / Bank Vault Engineer
  • Hoyer & Holmes[8][9] - Partnership with Isaiah Wellington Hoyer (Philadelphia, PA)
 Bank Vault Engineer Owner / Bank Vault Engineer
  • Frederick. S. Holmes - private practice (New York, NY).

Bank Vault Engineer was his most common title, but similar combinations were used in published works and advertisements

A typical builder's plaque located on the encased jamb controls.

Published works

Includes copyrights, court testimony, interviews, patents, quotes, and speeches in chronological order

YearItem
1890US Patent 438,236 Electric Safe Lock (electric controlled combination locks) with William H. Hollar[6][10]
1892US Patent 467,465 Electric Lock (electric controlled combination locks)[11]
1892US Patent 477,897 Electric Lock (electric controlled combination locks) with William H. Hollar[6][12]
1892US Patent 477,898 Electric Lock (electric controlled combination locks) with William H. Hollar[6][13]
1896US Patent 557,389 Removable Sill for Vaults or Safes[14]
1899US Patent 620,073 Safe (drill resisting construction) [15]
1905The Design and Construction of Modern Bank Vaults[16]
1908US Patent 901,710 Movable Ventilator for Vaults with George L. Damon[7][17]
1910Mosler Safe Co. vs. Maiden Ln Safe Deposit Co. (trial witness)[2]
1911Vault Building - The Backward State of the Art, the Reason and the Remedy[18]
1911Vault Building Problems[1]
1911Why Insure Against Anything that Never Happens?[19]
1912A Renaissance of Vault Design[20]
1912Uncle Sam to Build the World's Largest Treasure Vault[21]
1912World’s Largest Treasure Vault (P. Harvey Middleton interview)[22]
1913That $70,000 New York Bank Vault Robbery[23]
1913Vaults - A Criticism[24]
1916Modern Practice in the Design of Bank Vaults Part 1 - Protective Principles and Construction Methods[25]
1916Modern Practice in the Design of Bank Vaults Part 2 - The Requirements of Small Banks[26]
1916New Vault Construction to Resist the Cutter-Burner (a speech by Holmes at the New York State Safe Deposit Association Convention)[27]
1916Reliability in Vaults and Safes[28]
1916The Construction of Bank Vaults (a synopsis of the Brickbuilder articles listed above)[29]
1917A New Concrete for Bank Vaults (describes Holmes's testing methods)[30]
1917The Oxy-Acetylene Cutting Torch[31]
1917Thoughts as to Erection, Arrangement and Fitting Up of a Safe Deposit Vault[32]
1921Vault Construction for Small Communities[33]
1923Harris, Forbes & Company's New Vault[34]
1923Protecting Our Great Banks by Edward H. Smith with contributions from Frederick S. Holmes[35]
1923The World's Greatest Bank Vaults by Edward H. Smith with contributions from Frederick S. Holmes[36]
1923Vault Protection[37]
1926Copyright with Ralph Moreton Hooker[38]
1927Guarding America's Wealth - A Renaissance of Bank Burglary[39]
1928Bank Vault Construction and Equipment[40]
1991The Lure of The Lock (includes the abridged article 'Bank Vault Construction and Equipment', see above)[41]
2005Monuments to Money: The Architecture of American Banks by Charles Belfoure, (includes excerpts from multiple Holmes articles)[42]

References
  1. Bankers Magazine. (1911). United States: Bradford Rhodes.
  2. "Supreme Court Case on Appeal.(1910).(n.p.)".
  3. B and O Magazine. (1914). United States: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
  4. Construction: A Journal for the Architectural Engineering and Contracting Interests of Canada. (1918). Canada: H. Gagnier Limited Publishers.
  5. Journal of the Franklin Institute. (1910). United Kingdom: Elsevier.
  6. Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography: Illustrated. (1914). United States: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  7. Toomey, D. P. (1892). Massachusetts of Today: A Memorial of the State, Historical and Biographical, Issued for the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. United States: Columbia publishing Company.
  8. "Directory of the Principal Office Buildings in Philadelphia.(1896).United States:Waldeck Publishing Company".
  9. "Boyd's Co-partnership and Residence Business Directory of Philadelphia City.(1897).United States:Boyd's Directory Office".
  10. U.S. Patent 438,236
  11. U.S. Patent 467,465
  12. U.S. Patent 477,897
  13. U.S. Patent 477,898
  14. U.S. Patent 557,389
  15. U.S. Patent 620,073
  16. Bank Buildings.(1905). United States: Bates and Guild Company.
  17. U.S. Patent 901,710
  18. The Bankers Magazine.(1911). United States: Warren, Gorham & Lamont, Incorporated.
  19. The Bankers Magazine.(1911). United States: Warren, Gorham & Lamont, Incorporated.
  20. United States Investor.(1912). United States: Frank P. Bennett & Company.
  21. "New York Times (1857-1922); Aug 4, 1912; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times pg. SM4".
  22. The Technical World Magazine.(1912). United States: Technical World Company.
  23. United States Investor.(1912). United States: Frank P. Bennett & Company.
  24. The Bankers Magazine.(1913). United States: Bradford-Rhodes & Company.
  25. The Brickbuilder.(1916). United States: Rogers and Manson Company.
  26. "The Brickbuilder.(1916). United States: Rogers and Manson Company".
  27. New York State Safe Deposit Association Bulletin.(1916). United States: (n.p.).
  28. Coast Banker. (1916). United States: Coast Banker Publishing Company.
  29. "The construction of bank vaults.(1916). Journal of the Society of Architects, 1907-1922, 9(105), 187-188".
  30. Bankers Magazine.(1917). United States: Bradford Rhodes.
  31. New York State Safe Deposit Association Bulletin.(1917). United States: (n.p.).
  32. New York State Safe Deposit Association Bulletin.(1917). United States: (n.p.).
  33. New York State Safe Deposit Association Bulletin.(1921). United States: (n.p.).
  34. Architecture and Building.(1923). United States: W.T. Comstock Company.
  35. Scientific American.(1923). United States: Munn & Company.
  36. The Burroughs Clearing House. (1923). United States: Burroughs Corporation.
  37. Bank Reference Number.(1923). United States: Rogers and Mason Company.
  38. "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [B] Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series.(1927).(n.p.):(n.p.)".
  39. "Bankers Magazine.(1927). United States: Bradford Rhodes".
  40. "Architectural Forum: The Magazine of Building.(1928). United States: Time, Incorporated".
  41. Hopkins, A. A.(1991). The Lure of the Lock: A Short Treatise on Locks to Elucidate the John M. Mossman Collection of Locks in the Museum of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in the City of New York, Including Some of the "Mossman Papers"; with 500 Illustrations. (n.p.): Edwards Bros.
  42. Belfoure, C.(2011). Monuments to Money: The Architecture of American Banks. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
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