Tower Building (New York City)

Last updated

Tower Building
Tower Building Entrance.jpg
Entrance to the Tower Building
Tower Building (New York City)
General information
Architectural style Gothic Revival architecture
Location Manhattan, New York City
Construction started1888
Completed1889
Demolished1913
Design and construction
Architect Bradford Gilbert
Shortly after completion A history of real estate, building and architecture in New York City during the last quarter of a century (1898) (14587355647).jpg
Shortly after completion
Shortly before demolition The Sun showing New York's first skyscraper the Tower Building, 1914.png
Shortly before demolition

The Tower Building was a structure in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, located at 50-52 Broadway on a lot that extended east to New Street. [1] [2] It was arguably New York City's first skyscraper, [3] and the first building with a steel skeleton structure. [1]

Contents

History

Architect Bradford Gilbert filed plans for its construction on April 17, 1888, it was completed on September 27, 1889 and demolished beginning in 1913. [1] [2]

Though it was 108 ft (33 m) deep, the building had just 21.5 ft (6.6 m) of frontage on Broadway, necessitating its novel design. [1] Chicago's Home Insurance Building (completed 1884) was the first to use structural steel, but that building did not fully support its masonry elements on the steel frame. [4] [5] On the narrow lot, a conventional design with load-bearing masonry walls would have left little room on the ground floor, but architect Gilbert asked, "Why can't I run my foundation far up in the air and then begin my building?" [5] Gilbert's design came from a railroad bridge turned on its end. [6] Cast iron columns about 20 feet (6.1 m) apart formed the skeleton, and the walls of each floor hung on a "shoe" instead of transmitting the load to the wall of the floor below. [7] The resulting structure was 128 feet (39 m) in height, and 11 stories high. [8] Gilbert made models to convince the city to permit the construction of his unusual design. [9] It was quickly followed by taller steel-skeleton buildings, including the Columbia Building in 1890. [7]

The Tower Building was sold by John N. Stearns in 1905, along with two adjacent buildings, for a reported price of about $1.5 million. [10] In 1909, Morris Building Company, a holding company of Standard Oil Company, purchased it in foreclosure for $1.68 million. [8] No longer profitable by 1913 due to its lack of tenants, it was vacated in December of that year and demolition began. [8] Demolition was complete in 1914; at this point the tallest building in New York, the Woolworth Building, was 792 feet (241 m). [7]

Related Research Articles

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in the Turtle Bay neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. At 1,046 feet (319 m), it is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel framework, and was the world's tallest building for 11 months after its completion in 1930. As of 2019, the Chrysler is the 11th-tallest building in the city, tied with The New York Times Building.

Woolworth Building Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Woolworth Building is an early American skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert located at 233 Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, with a height of 792 feet (241 m). More than a century after its construction, it remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States.

Singer Building Former skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Singer Building was an office building and early skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. The headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company, it was at the northwestern corner of Liberty Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. Frederick Gilbert Bourne, leader of the Singer Company, commissioned the building, which architect Ernest Flagg designed in multiple phases from 1897 to 1908. The building's architecture contained elements of the Beaux-Arts and French Second Empire styles.

MetLife Building Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The MetLife Building is a skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street, north of Grand Central Terminal, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed in the International style by Richard Roth, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi and completed in 1962, the MetLife Building is 808 feet (246 m) tall with 59 stories. It was advertised as the world's largest commercial office space by square footage at its opening, with 2.4 million square feet (220,000 m2) of usable office space. As of 2021, the MetLife Building remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States.

70 Pine Street Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

70 Pine Street – formerly known as the 60 Wall Tower, Cities Service Building, and American International Building – is a 67-story, 952-foot (290 m) residential building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by the firm of Clinton & Russell, Holton & George in the Art Deco style. 70 Pine Street, built in 1930–1932 by energy conglomerate Cities Service Company, was Lower Manhattan's tallest building and the world's third-tallest structure upon its completion.

40 Wall Street Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

40 Wall Street, also known as the Trump Building, is a 927-foot-tall (283 m) neo-Gothic skyscraper on Wall Street between Nassau and William streets in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. Erected in 1929–1930 as the headquarters of the Manhattan Company, the building was originally known as the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, and also as the Manhattan Company Building, until its founding tenant merged to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. It was designed by H. Craig Severance with Yasuo Matsui and Shreve & Lamb.

90 West Street Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

90 West Street is a 23-story residential building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Located on West Street just south of the World Trade Center, the building was designed by Cass Gilbert, with Gunvald Aus and Burt Harrison as structural engineers, and John Peirce as general contractor. It was erected for the West Street Improvement Corporation, led by transportation magnate Howard Carroll.

28 Liberty Street Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

28 Liberty Street, formerly known as One Chase Manhattan Plaza, is a 60-story International style skyscraper in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City, between Nassau, Liberty, William, and Pine Streets. The building was designed by Gordon Bunshaft, of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and consists of a stainless steel facade with black spandrels below the windows. Opened in 1961, it is 813 feet (248 m) tall.

Equitable Building (Manhattan) Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Equitable Building is an office skyscraper located at 120 Broadway between Pine and Cedar Streets in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The skyscraper was designed by Ernest R. Graham in the neoclassical style, with Peirce Anderson as the architect-in-charge. It is 555 feet (169 m) tall, with 38 stories and 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m2) of floor space. The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column, namely a base, shaft, and capital.

Lever House Office skyscraper in New York, New York

Lever House is a glass-box skyscraper at 390 Park Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The building was designed in the International Style by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) as the headquarters of soap company Lever Brothers, a subsidiary of Unilever. Constructed from 1950 to 1952, it was the second curtain wall skyscraper in New York City after the United Nations Secretariat Building.

1 Wall Street Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

1 Wall Street is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, on the eastern side of Broadway between Wall Street and Exchange Place. 1 Wall Street, designed in the Art Deco style, is 654 feet (199 m) tall and consists of two sections. The original 50-story building was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker and constructed between 1929 and 1931, while a 36-story annex to the south was designed by successor firm Voorhees, Walker Smith Smith & Haines and built from 1963 to 1965.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, is a skyscraper occupying a full block in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. The building is composed of two sections: a 700-foot-tall (210 m) tower at the northwest corner of the block, at Madison Avenue and 24th Street, and a shorter east wing occupying the remainder of the block bounded by Madison Avenue, Park Avenue South, 23rd Street, and 24th Street. The South Building, along with the North Building directly across 24th Street, comprises the Metropolitan Home Office Complex, which originally served as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

Hearst Tower (Manhattan) Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Hearst Tower is a building at the southwest corner of 57th Street and Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is the world headquarters of media conglomerate Hearst Communications, housing many of its publications and communications companies. The Hearst Tower consists of two sections, with a total height of 597 feet (182 m) and 46 stories. The six lowest stories form the Hearst Magazine Building, designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons, which was completed in 1928. Above it is the Hearst Tower addition, which was completed in 2006 and designed by Norman Foster.

American Surety Building Office building in Manhattan, New York

The American Surety Building is an office building and early skyscraper at Pine Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City, across from Trinity Church. The building, designed in a Neo-Renaissance style by Bruce Price with a later expansion by Herman Lee Meader, is 388 feet (118 m) tall, with either 23 or 26 stories. It was one of Manhattan's first buildings with steel framing and curtain wall construction.

712 Fifth Avenue Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

712 Fifth Avenue is a 650-foot-tall (200 m) skyscraper at 56th Street and Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Constructed from 1987 to 1990, it was designed by SLCE Architects and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. The skyscraper's base includes the Coty Building at 714 Fifth Avenue and the Rizzoli Bookstore building at 712 Fifth Avenue, both of which are New York City designated landmarks.

Broadway–Chambers Building Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Broadway–Chambers Building is an 18-story office building at 277 Broadway, on the northwest corner with Chambers Street, in the Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Completed by 1900 to designs by architect Cass Gilbert, the Broadway–Chambers Building was the first of several that Gilbert designed in the city.

8 Spruce Street, previously known as the Beekman Tower and New York by Gehry, is a 76-story skyscraper designed by architect Frank Gehry at 8 Spruce Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City.

New York Tribune Building Former skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The New York Tribune Building was a building in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City, across from City Hall and the Civic Center. It was at the intersection of Nassau and Spruce Streets, at 154 Printing House Square. Part of the former "Newspaper Row", it operated as the headquarters of the New-York Tribune from 1875 to 1923.

Socony–Mobil Building Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Socony–Mobil Building, also known as 150 East 42nd Street, is a 45-story, 572-foot-tall (174 m) skyscraper in the Murray Hill and East Midtown neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It occupies the block bounded by 41st Street, 42nd Street, Lexington Avenue, and Third Avenue.

150 Nassau Street Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

150 Nassau Street, also known as the Park Place Tower and the American Tract Society Building, is a 23-story, 291-foot (89 m) building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is located at the southeast corner of Spruce Street and Nassau Street, next to 8 Spruce Street, the former New York Times Building, and New York City Hall.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bronze Tablet Placed on the Tower Building, New York" (PDF). The New York Times. September 3, 1899. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Warren, Charles Peck (May 2, 1915). "Excessive Height a Trying Problem" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  3. ↑ Gray, Christopher (May 5, 1996). "Streetscapes/The Tower Building;The Idea That Led to New York's First Skyscraper". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Home Insurance Building" . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Birkmire, William H.; Gilbert, Bradford Lee; Barrett, James (August 19, 1899). "Disputes of Architects" (PDF). The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ Gray, Christopher (July 1, 2007). "The Architect Who Turned a Railroad Bridge on Its Head". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "City's First Skyscraper Now Being Razed While New Giant 800 Feet High is Planned" (PDF). New York Sun. January 4, 1914. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "First Skyscraper to Be Torn Down" (PDF). The New York Times. October 29, 1913. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Tower Building". New York Architecture. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ "First Skyscraper Sold" (PDF). The New York Times. May 12, 1905. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 29, 2014.

Coordinates: 40°42′24″N74°00′44″W / 40.7067°N 74.0123°W / 40.7067; -74.0123

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.