Gilsey House

Last updated
Gilsey House Hotel
Gilsey House from down Broadway.jpg
a view from down Broadway (2010)
Gilsey House
Location1200 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates 40°44′46″N73°59′18″W / 40.74611°N 73.98833°W / 40.74611; -73.98833
Built1869-1871
Architect Stephen Decatur Hatch
Architectural style Second Empire
NRHP reference No. 78001872
NYCL No.1039
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 14, 1978
Designated NYCLSeptember 11, 1979

Gilsey House is an eight-story, 300-room former hotel [1] at 1200 Broadway at West 29th Street in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contents

History

Gilsey House from 29th Street, taken from a stereoscopic view (prior to 1900) Gilsey House, Broadway, New York, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views crop.jpg
Gilsey House from 29th Street, taken from a stereoscopic view (prior to 1900)

Gilsey House was designed by Stephen Decatur Hatch for Peter Gilsey, a Danish immigrant merchant and city alderman [2] who leased [2] the plot – which included the grounds of the St. George Cricket Club – from Caspar Samlar for $10,000 a year. [2] [3] [4] [1] It was constructed from 1869 to 1871 at the cost of $350,000, [1] opening as the Gilsey House Hotel in 1872. [4] [5] The cast-iron for the facade of the Second Empire style building was fabricated by Daniel D. Badger, [3] [1] a significant and influential advocate for cast-iron architecture at the time; [2] the extent to which Badger contributed to the design of the facade is unknown. [1]

The hotel was luxurious – the rooms featured rosewood and walnut finishing, marble fireplace mantles, bronze chandeliers [4] and tapestries [1] – and offered services to its guests such as telephones, the first hotel in New York to do so. [3] It was a favorite of Diamond Jim Brady, Aimee Crocker and Oscar Wilde, Samuel Clemens was a guest, [6] [4] [7] [8] and it attracted the theatrical trade [3] at a time when the area – which became known as the "Tenderloin" – was becoming the primary entertainment and amusement district for New York's growing population, [9] with numerous theatres, gambling clubs and brothels. [2]

Gilsey House closed in 1911 after legal conflict beginning in 1904 between the operator of the hotel, Seaboard Hotel Company, and the Gilsey estate over the terms of the lease. [10] Parts of the facade, such as cast-iron columns, which went over the property line were removed, and the building deteriorated, with rust, water damage and sagging floors. [4] In 1925, plans were filed to rebuild the structure as an ordinary loft building of brick and stone, but were never carried out, [1] although the ground-level storefronts were modernized in 1946. [2] The building's future was decided when it was purchased in 1980 by Richard Berry and F. Anthony Zunino and converted into co-operative apartments [4] after a cosmetic cleanup of the exterior, which won a commendation from the Friends of Cast Iron Architecture. [1] The facade was finally almost fully restored in 1992 by Building Conservation Associates. [9]

The building, with its "extraordinary" three-story mansard roof   [9] and its "vigor that only the waning years of the 19th century could muster" [5] was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1979. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SoHo, Manhattan</span> Neighborhood in Manhattan, New York

SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and has also been known for its variety of shops ranging from trendy upscale boutiques to national and international chain store locations. The area's history is an archetypal example of inner-city regeneration and gentrification, encompassing socioeconomic, cultural, political, and architectural developments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">75 Murray Street</span> Historic commercial building in New York, United States

75 Murray Street, also known as the Hopkins Store, is a historic building between West Broadway and Greenwich Street in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1857-58 and features a cast-iron facade in the Venetian Renaissance style from the foundry of James Bogardus, one of the earliest of the few remaining facades created by the self-described inventor of cast-iron architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store</span> United States historic place

The Kitchen, Montross & Wilcox Store at 85 Leonard Street between Broadway and Church Street in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City was built in 1861 in the Italianate style for a company which dealt in dry goods. The cast iron for the building's facade came from James Bogardus's ironworks, one of the few surviving buildings for which that is the case. The building's columns are referred to as "sperm-candle style" from their resemblance to candles made from spermaceti.

The design [of the building] combines classically-inspired elements with the non-classical emphasis on lightness, openness, and verticality which characterizes cast-iron architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. V. Haughwout Building</span> Historic commercial building in Manhattan, New York

The E. V. Haughwout Building is a five-story, 79-foot-tall (24 m) commercial loft building in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway. Built in 1857 to a design by John P. Gaynor, with cast-iron facades for two street-fronts provided by Daniel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Works, it originally housed Eder V. Haughwout's fashionable emporium, which sold imported cut glass and silverware as well as its own handpainted china and fine chandeliers, and which attracted many wealthy clients – including Mary Todd Lincoln, who had new official White House china painted here. It was also the location of the world's first successful passenger elevator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary Building (New York City)</span> United States historic place

The Cary Building at 105-107 Chambers Street, extending along Church Street to Reade Street, in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was built in 1856–1857 and was designed by Gamaliel King and John Kellum in the Italian Renaissance revival style, with the cast-iron facade provided by Daniel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Work. The five-story twin-facaded building was constructed for William H. Cary's Cary, Howard & Sanger, a dry goods firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wilbraham</span> Historic building in Manhattan, New York

The Wilbraham is an apartment building at 282–284 Fifth Avenue and 1 West 30th Street in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The nine-story structure was designed by David and John Jardine in the Romanesque Revival style, with elements of the Renaissance Revival style, and occupies the northwestern corner of 30th Street and Fifth Avenue. It was built between 1888 and 1890 as a bachelor apartment hotel. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the Wilbraham as an official city landmark, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scribner Building</span> Commercial building in Manhattan, New York

The Scribner Building is a commercial structure at 155 Fifth Avenue, near 21st Street, in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Ernest Flagg in the Beaux Arts style, it was completed in 1893 as the corporate headquarters of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Building (Union Square, Manhattan)</span> United States historic place

The Lincoln Building, also known as One Union Square West, is a Neo-Romanesque building at 1 Union Square West in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is located at the northwest corner of Union Square West's intersection with 14th Street. Erected in 1889–1890 to a design by R. H. Robertson, it has a facade of masonry with terracotta detailing, and contains an interior structural system made of metal. The Lincoln Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and is also a New York City Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">361 Broadway</span> United States historic place

Cast Iron House at the corner of Franklin Street and Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, formerly known as the James White Building, was built in 1881–82 and was designed by W. Wheeler Smith in the Italianate style. It features a cast-iron facade, and is a good example of late cast-iron architecture. The building was renovated by architect Joseph Pell Lombardi in 2000, and a restoration of the facade began in 2009. The building once housed the offices of Scientific American from 1884 to 1915, but it was primarily used in connection with the textile trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W New York Union Square</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The W New York Union Square is a 270-room, 21-story boutique hotel operated by W Hotels at the northeast corner of Park Avenue South and 17th Street, across from Union Square in Manhattan, New York. Originally known as the Germania Life Insurance Company Building, it was designed by Albert D'Oench and Joseph W. Yost and built in 1911 in the Beaux-Arts style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Hotel (New York City)</span> United States historic place

The Grand Hotel is located at 1232–1238 Broadway at the corner of West 31st Street in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Century Building (Union Square, Manhattan)</span> Historic commercial building in New York, United States

The Century Building is a Queen Anne style building at 33 East 17th Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway in Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by William Schickel and built in 1880–1881 by Arnold Constable & Company. The Century Building consists of five floors topped by a 1+12-story attic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Decatur Hatch</span> American architect

Stephen Decatur Hatch (1839–1894) was a prominent late-19th century architect who was responsible for a number of historically or architecturally significant buildings in Manhattan, New York City and elsewhere. He primarily designed commercial buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel D. Badger</span> American architect

Daniel D. Badger was an American founder, working in New York City under the name Architectural Iron Works. With James Bogardus, he was one of the major forces in creating a cast-iron architecture in the United States. Christopher Gray of The New York Times remarks: "Most cast-iron buildings present problems of authorship – it is hard to tell if it was the founder or the architect who actually designed the facade."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">287 Broadway</span> Historic building in Manhattan, New York

287 Broadway is a residential building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Reade Street in the Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The six-story, cast iron building was designed by John B. Snook in the French Second Empire and Italianate styles and was completed in 1872. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, it served as an office building before becoming a residential structure. 287 Broadway is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">319 Broadway</span> Commercial building in Manhattan, New York

319 Broadway, also known as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Home Office, is a five-story office building on the corner of Broadway and Thomas Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is a cast-iron building in the Italianate architecture style, built in 1869–70 and designed by D. & J. Jardine. It is the lone survivor of a pair of buildings at 317 and 319 which were known as the "Thomas Twins". The cast iron for these mirror-twin buildings was provided by Daniel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Works. The building became a New York City designated landmark on August 29, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90–94 Maiden Lane</span> Historic building in Manhattan, New York

90–94 Maiden Lane is a cast-iron building on Gold Street between William and Pearl Streets in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1870-71 in the French Second Empire style and is attributed to Charles Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Life Building</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Home Life Building, also known as 253 Broadway, is an office building in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is in Manhattan's Tribeca and Civic Center neighborhoods at the northwest corner of Broadway and Murray Street, adjacent to City Hall Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">240 Central Park South</span> Residential building in Manhattan, New York

240 Central Park South is a residential building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Albert Mayer and Julian Whittlesey, it was built between 1939 and 1940 by the J.H. Taylor Construction Company, an enterprise of the Mayer family. 240 Central Park South is designed in a combination of the Art Deco, Moderne, and Modern Classical styles, with over 300 apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwich Savings Bank Building</span> Historic bank building in Manhattan, New York

The Greenwich Savings Bank Building, also known as the Haier Building and 1356 Broadway, is an office building at 1352–1362 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Constructed as the headquarters of the Greenwich Savings Bank from 1922 to 1924, it occupies a trapezoidal parcel bounded by 36th Street to the south, Sixth Avenue to the east, and Broadway to the west. The Greenwich Savings Bank Building was designed in the Classical Revival style by York and Sawyer.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: The 1871 Gilsey House; Re-Restoration in the Offing" New York Times (December 29, 1991)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dillon, James T. Gilsey House Designation Report Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine of the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission (September 11, 1979)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Gilsey House" at the New York Architectural Images website
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Gilsey House - 29th and Broadway" Accessed:2010-11-20
  5. 1 2 White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN   978-0-8129-3107-5., p.223
  6. Sprague, Stuart Seely. "Lure of the city: New York's great hotels in the golden age, 1873-1907". Conspectus of History. 1 (4): 81.
  7. Wolf, Gerard R. (2003). New York, 15 walking tours: an architectural guide to the metropolis. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 270. ISBN   0-07-141185-2 . Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  8. "Gilsey House". New York Architecture. 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 4 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-0-470-28963-1., p.80
  10. "Gilsey House Lease Fight; Tenant Company Says Hotel's Profits Were Misrepresented" New York Times (June 3, 1904)

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Gilsey House at Wikimedia Commons