Wikipedia

American Radiator Building

The American Radiator Building (also known as the American Standard Building) is an early skyscraper at 40 West 40th Street, just south of Bryant Park, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was designed by Raymond Hood and André Fouilhoux in the Gothic and Art Deco styles for the American Radiator Company. The original section of the American Radiator Building, a 338 ft-tall (103 m), 23-story tower, was completed in 1924. A five-story annex, to the west of the original tower, was built from 1936 to 1937.

American Radiator Building
Seen from Bryant Park
Map
Former namesAmerican Standard Building
General information
Architectural styleGothic, Art Deco
Location40–52 West 40th Street
Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°45′10.1″N 73°59′01.6″W / 40.752806°N 73.983778°W / 40.752806; -73.983778
Construction started1923
Completed1924
Renovated1936–1937, 1998–2001
OwnerBryant Park Hotel (original)
City University of New York (annex)
Height
Roof338 ft (103 m)
Technical details
Floor count23
Floor area77,000 sq ft (7,200 m2) (original)
75,000 to 91,000 sq ft (7,000 to 8,500 m2) (annex)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Raymond Hood and André Fouilhoux
American Radiator Building
Location40 West 40th Street
Manhattan, New York City
Area7,604 sq ft (706.4 m2)
NRHP reference No.80002663[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.000631[2]
NYCL No.0878
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 7, 1980[1]
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980[2]
Designated NYCLNovember 12, 1974[3]

The original structure consists of an eighteen-story tower above a base of five stories, while the western annex only rises five stories. The American Radiator Building's facade is made predominantly of black brick. Gold-colored decorations are used on the building's setbacks and pinnacles. Hood had intended for the original structure to be a standalone shaft, requiring the building to be set back from the lot line and reducing the maximum amount of space available. Inside, the basement, first, and second floors were originally designed as exhibition showrooms, while the upper stories served as office space.

The building was completed five years before the American Radiator Company merged with Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company to form American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation, later known as American Standard. American Standard sold the building in 1988 to a Japanese company. The main building was sold in 1998 to Philip Pilevsky, who opened the Bryant Park Hotel there in 2001. The annex operated as the Katharine Gibbs School from 2001 to 2009 and was converted into the City University of New York's Guttman Community College in 2012. The American Radiator Building is a New York City designated landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Site

edit

The American Radiator Building is at 40 West 40th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.[4][5] The original section of the building occupies a rectangular land lot with a frontage of 77 ft (23 m) along 40th Street, a depth of 98 ft (30 m), and an area of 7,604 sq ft (706.4 m2).[4] There is also a five-story annex at 50 West 40th Street, west of the original tower.[6] The annex's lot covers 11,455 sq ft (1,064.2 m2) with a frontage of 72 ft (22 m) along 40th Street, extending 197 ft (60 m) to the rear of the block at 39th Street.[7]

The American Radiator Building is on 40th Street, which forms the southern border of Bryant Park, and between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.[8] On the same block are the Engineers' Club Building, The Bryant, and 452 Fifth Avenue to the east; the Engineering Societies' Building and the Haskins & Sells Building to the south; and Bryant Park Studios to the west. Other nearby places include the New York Public Library Main Branch across 40th Street to the north, as well as the Lord & Taylor Building to the southeast.[4][5] The surrounding block of 40th Street had contained brownstone row houses through the 1920s, before they were replaced by the American Radiator Building and several other multi-story structures.[9][10] The site of the annex was occupied by six houses at 46–52 West 40th Street and 39–43 West 39th Street until the 1930s.[11]

Architecture

edit

The American Radiator Building was designed by Raymond Hood and J. André Fouilhoux, of the firm Hood, Godley, and Fouilhoux, in a mixture of the Gothic Revival and Art Deco styles.[5][12][13] It was completed in 1924 as the headquarters of the American Radiator Company.[5][14] Rene Paul Chambellan, a frequent collaborator of Hood and his associate John Mead Howells, created the ornamentation and sculptures.[15] Numerous other contractors were hired for the construction.[16][a]

 
Seen at center from Bryant Park

Only the base of the building was designed in a strictly Gothic style, but the building as a whole contains abstract ornamentation, similar to those used on the Bush Tower and Woolworth Building.[21] The American Radiator Building's massing is based on Eliel Saarinen's unbuilt competition entry for Chicago's Tribune Tower,[12][13] augmented by a strong use of color.[22][23][24] The building's design was also inspired by those of two nearby buildings: the base-and-tower massing of the Candler Building and the Gothic details of the Bush Tower.[12] When the building was completed, Hood proclaimed that it was "in some respects a departure from the ordinary high building".[25]

Form

edit

The original structure measuring 338 ft (103 m) tall consists of an eighteen-story tower above a base of five stories.[14][21][18] The western annex only rises five stories.[6][26] According to Architectural Forum magazine, the lower floors "form a projecting screen, back of which rises the towering bulk of the building".[27] The writer Eric Nash described the building as the "first true expression of the Art Deco skyscraper silhouette".[12]

The original tower contains several setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution.[16][28][29] The first setback is on the 4th floor, and there are also setbacks on the 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 23rd floors.[30] Above the 15th story are indentations; those on the northern side of the building are beveled to make the tower appear like a shaft.[12][28][29] Within these indentations are narrow window bays.[28][29] The shaft-like design permitted the tower to be illuminated by natural light from all sides.[27][31] The shaft-like form was not applied consistently; the rear conformed to the city's setback requirement for backyards, so the south facade of the base and tower are continuous.[21]

Hood had intended for the original structure to be a standalone shaft. This required the building to be set back from the lot line, therefore reducing the maximum amount of space available in the building.[32] Conversely, the slight setbacks and the indented corners ensure there would be some air between the tower and all adjacent buildings.[16][21] The presence of the western annex also protected views from that direction.[26] According to Hood, his team shaped "a small plasteline model into the maximum model that the zoning law permitted", which was similar to the structure's final form.[33] Hood and his client only disagreed over whether the building should be more than twenty stories high and whether additional frontage should be used for the base.[34]

Facade

edit

The American Radiator Building was designed in a black and gold color scheme.[21][24][30][32] These specific colors came from a "somewhat offhand" suggestion made during an early discussion with Hood and Fouilhoux's team.[35] It is not known who exactly suggested the black and gold colors, but architectural writer Walter Littlefield Creese says it may have been Hood's friend, architect Joseph Urban.[21][36] Hood used the black and gold palette because he believed that conventional office buildings, with their white-masonry facades and dark glass windows, were monotonous.[24][32][35] He had compared such windows to "waffles" and wished to find a color to make the window openings more conspicuous.[30][37][38] After the tower's completion, Hood anticipated that additional colorful skyscrapers would be developed in New York City.[39]

The primary color of black was used to signify coal, while gold-coated decorations were used to symbolize fire.[21][40] The "gold" was actually bronze powder placed on cast stone, a technique which was devised after a number of experiments by Hood and Fouilhoux's team.[41] Hood had visited Brussels just before the American Radiator Building was built, and he had realized how golden colors had made "gloomy and dingy" buildings stand out, especially if their facades were darker.[21]

Base

edit
 
Early image of the entrance
 
The modern hotel entrance, covered by scaffolding

The original building's base is clad with polished black Swedish granite.[16][40] The windows of the former ground-level showrooms contain large plate-glass panes with thin vertical bronze mullions in front of them. The spaces below the windows were originally clad in red Verona marble.[16][42] The main entrance is a round-arched opening between the two original showroom windows.[28][29] The western edge of the portal contains a plaque with the letters "1924 / Raymond Hood / Architect" embossed in bronze; the plaque originally contained a four-leaf clover, which has since fallen off.[26] There are modified Gothic-style bronze pinnacles above the entrance opening, as well as a bronze frame around it.[15]

A cornice, with corbels and modillions, runs above the second story.[15] Originally, there were nine corbels, of which six contained ornamental figures depicting negative human emotions.[43][b] According to the New York Herald Tribune, the corbels were inspired by caricatures of medieval grotesques.[44] The grotesques on the building were designed in a whimsical manner, with figures that included a pipe fitter with a wrench.[12]

The annex is designed in a similar style to the original building's base, with polished black granite on the first two stories. The annex has similar plate-glass panes and bronze mullions to the original building, but it has a revolving door at the center. The corbelled cornice above the second story of the annex is similar to that in the original building.[6]

Tower

edit

The original building is clad with black brick starting on the third floor.[16][40] The third story consists of bays with one or two windows each, as well as carved railings at the bottom of each window and gold spandrel panels above each window. These bays are separated by slightly projecting black-brick pilasters, which in turn have gold pinnacles.[15] This window pattern is repeated in the annex's third floor. The fourth and fifth floors of the annex are slightly set back from the first three stories and contain a facade of black brick, with a gold cornice on top. Projecting brick piers divide these stories into several bays, each with double windows.[6]

 
Crown illuminated at night

The tower stories contain projecting bricks in various places, which give it a textured quality.[15] Dark red, light red, amber, and white lights were placed on the setbacks to provide nighttime illumination.[42] Cornices wrap around the building at the 16th and 20th stories.[12] The facade contains various pinnacles and peaks clad with gold,[21][40] which one publication compared to turrets in old English castles.[30] These ornamental features are actually made of terracotta but are covered in gold leaf.[16] Gold is also used on corbels, cornices, and the spandrels between stories,[15] and the Gothic-style pinnacles at the top of the building are ornamented with gold leaf as well.[43] When the building was being completed, Hood wrote for Architectural Forum that "false tops have gone out of vogue for office buildings, as well as the fashion of putting an ornamental front on one or two sides of a building".[45]

The roof consists of a tank surrounding a chimney and installed on a frame.[30] At night, the gold-leafed terracotta decorations of the American Radiator Building are illuminated; Hood intended for this to draw attention to the shaft.[5][12][46] Hood chose not to illuminate the middle stories of the tower "to avoid any simulation of daylight effects".[46] The nighttime lighting gives the crown the appearance of a heated radiator.[21][47] Other parts of the building were sometimes illuminated as well; in 1928, eleven stories were lit in the shape of a cross to raise awareness for tuberculosis management.[48]

Features

edit

Initially, the building was designed with 77,000 sq ft (7,200 m2) of floor area.[37][49] The annex has either 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2)[50] or 91,000 sq ft (8,500 m2) of space;[51] according to the New York City Department of City Planning, the annex's gross floor area is 91,000 square feet.[7] The building's original heating system consisted of radiators that were linked to a boiler room in the basement, which itself was available for public view.[20][42] The ventilation system includes an exhaust shaft that led to a penthouse at the building's roof. Power is drawn directly from electric mains under the street.[20] Twenty-five hundred lights were used in the interior, as well as motors capable of 230 hp (170 kW).[42]

When the building was completed, the elevators used then-innovative technology. For example, the elevator cabs could automatically align to the floor level, and the elevator gates could be opened when the passenger pushed a button, instead of having to be shoved aside manually.[32][46][42] Originally, the building had three primary elevators that ran from ground level only to the 16th story, while the top stories were served by a separate elevator.[46][52] When the Bryant Park Hotel was constructed, elevator shafts were installed to transport guests directly from the lobby to the top stories.[52]

Lower stories

edit
 
Early photo of the elevator lobby

Originally, the basement had low-arched spaces that served as showrooms for furnaces and boilers.[32] The foundation consists of piers extending 8 to 22 ft (2.4 to 6.7 m) below the basement floor; the deepest foundation pier is about 40 ft (12 m) below street level.[17] The basement includes a 73-seat screening room, which was created when the Bryant Park Hotel was constructed within the building in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The screening room was dug 45 ft (14 m) deep into the bedrock. Because of the high water table of the area, the excavation of the screening room entailed installing several pumps and drainage systems.[52]

As designed, the American Radiator Building's main entrance led to a vestibule, which in turn led to a corridor, an elevator lobby with three elevators on the left (east) wall, and a central staircase.[16][19][53] The vestibule had heavy glass and bronze doors leading to the lobby.[42] The lobby was clad in Monte Cenrato marble panels from South America. The wall panels were encircled with brass moldings, while the marble on the floor was surrounded with brass trips.[16][42] The cornice was decorated with antique-looking ornamental plaster.[42]

Leading off either wall of the corridor were showrooms. Stairs led up from the west showroom to several intermediate display levels, while stairs led down from the east showroom to display level A1.[53] This arrangement, according to Hood, was intended to give "more space in each store without sensibly leaving a general main level".[54] Due to the layout, only the eastern showroom had a mezzanine above it. Bent girders were installed to support the different levels of showrooms, and the structural steel around the elevators were made of thin single-webs.[19] Showrooms were also placed in the ground floor of the annex.[6] When the main building was converted to a hotel in 2001, the lower stories were reconfigured and a restaurant space was created on the ground floor.[41][55] In addition, two bars, a few shops, and a gym were created within the lower stories,[41] including one bar in the basement.[13][55] The annex's ground-floor showroom became part of the Katharine Gibbs School.[55]

Upper stories

edit

The tower section of the American Radiator Building measures 79 by 63 ft (24 by 19 m).[19] It is designed so that 90 percent of all office space was at most 25 ft (7.6 m) from a window.[15][32][42] The office spaces were fairly small, since elevators and stairs took up much of the space; on average, each of the upper floors covered only 5,600 sq ft (520 m2).[32] A sample floor plan for the 12th through 15th floors indicates that three elevators and two sets of stairs were clustered in a service core near the east wall. Each of these floors also had men's and women's toilets.[56] A smokestack was placed right behind the elevators.[17] At stories with setbacks, there are tiled terraces.[16] As of 2021, the upper stories contain 125 guestrooms for the Bryant Park Hotel.[57]

On the 5th through 17th stories, there are no columns at the tower's front corners because of the presence of the indented corners. As a result, these corners are supported by cantilevered girders.[58] Furthermore, while the front and rear walls were already stiffened at their setbacks, the east and west walls had to be stiffened with gusset plates.[17] Most of the transverse girders in the tower are made of two I-beams, except at setbacks, where deeper built-up girders are used. Four interior columns, placed within the service core, rise the height of the tower, leaving the remainder of each floor as a column-free space. The tower's other girders are built with a maximum depth of 20 in (510 mm).[19] The rear has a setback of 10 ft (3.0 m) at the 12th floor and 9 ft (2.7 m) at the 17th floor; two of the interior columns terminate above the 17th story.[58] Structurally, the first 17 floors can support live loads of up to 120 psf (5.7 kPa), while the 18th floor and above can support 60 psf (2.9 kPa).[17]

At the 21st and 22nd floors, there are girders that transfer weight between the centers of different columns. There are heavy girders on the 22nd through 24th floors, which support equipment on the roof.[58] The roof had a spiral stair leading to a water tank, fan room, corridor, and another space.[59]

History

edit

Raymond Hood was a relatively obscure architect when, in 1921, he collaborated with John Mead Howells in an architectural design competition, submitting a successful proposal for the Tribune Tower.[3][60] According to one author, Hood became a prominent architect "from almost complete obscurity and literally overnight".[61][62] At the time, architects were using classical Beaux-Arts design elements, which were not commonly used on tall structures.[3][60]

Development

edit

In 1923, the American Radiator Company started developing a new office building in New York City.[63] The American Radiator Building was only the second skyscraper Hood designed, after the Tribune Tower.[43][64] The design and construction of the original skyscraper took only thirteen months.[21][65] The design process started in April 1923, and the steel superstructure was constructed from August 22 to November 21 of the same year.[17] According to Hood, the exterior design had still not been finalized at one-eighth scale until two months after the building's steel was ordered. The color scheme was not finalized until some of the steel had been erected.[65] When the building reached the 17th floor, Hood was still determining how the top of the building could be constructed at one-half scale.[21][65] The American Radiator Company announced it would occupy the building in January 1924, upon which the building was scheduled to be completed that May.[49]

Initially, the American Radiator Company occupied 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m2).[37][49][42] The company's space included one storefront, part of the 3rd and 4th floors, and the 16th through 24th floors.[42] A. D. Julliard signed a lease for 17,000 sq ft (1,600 m2) for a store at the base in August 1924. The lease included the multi-tiered storefront on the ground and 2nd stories, as well as the remainder of the 3rd and 4th floors, all connected by a private elevator.[66][67] Space was also leased to office tenants, such as the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies' electric laboratories,[68] the Clarage Fan Company,[69] and the American Engineering Company.[70] Hood and Fouilhoux's architecture firm also took space in the American Radiator Building.[71]

The American Radiator Company acquired a 12-story building at 35–39 West 39th Street, occupying a 44 by 100 ft (13 by 30 m) lot behind the company's tower, in 1928. This sale was intended to protect the views from the American Radiator Building.[72] The next year, American Radiator Company merged with Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company to form American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation, later American Standard.[73] Consequently, the structure was renamed the American Standard Building.[47] American Standard had hired Hood in 1929 to design a westward extension of its tower. Hood drew plans for a tower that would be two and a half times the original building's height, with a black-and-gold facade topped by a pinnacle. These plans were not executed due to financial issues caused by the Great Depression.[74]

Expansion and mid-20th century

edit
 
40th Street facade, with the original building at left and the annex at right

In February 1936, American Standard paid the Bowery Savings Bank $500,000 for the six adjacent houses at 46–52 West 40th Street and 39–43 West 39th Street. The structures were planned to be replaced with a showroom annex of no more than six stories.[11][75] The new showrooms of the American Radiator Building opened in June 1937. The first exhibit held in the showrooms was a program about the planned redevelopment of Sixth Avenue after the planned demolition of the Sixth Avenue Elevated.[76][77] Twenty-one of the project's laborers were given awards for the quality of their craftsmanship.[78][79]

The expanded showrooms were initially used for exhibits such as "an ideal city of 2000 AD", displayed in 1937;[80] an exhibit of home appliances, in 1938;[81] and a model of the northern section of Sixth Avenue, in 1941.[82] American Standard sold the structure behind its tower, at 35–39 West 39th Street, in 1950.[83] The expanded tower continued to be occupied by office tenants such as the North Star Woolen Mill Company,[84] as well as the Mosler Safe Company, the latter of which moved to the structure after American Standard acquired it in 1967.[85]

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held public hearings in September 1974 to determine whether to designate the American Radiator Building, along with Bryant Park and part of the New York Public Library's interior, as a city landmark. If approved, these would be the city's first modern-era, scenic, and interior landmarks, respectively.[86] American Standard opposed the designation, stating that "the building has no historical significance at all"[87] and claiming that it was only meant to "last a commercial length of time".[88] Only two skyscrapers, the Flatiron Building and the Manhattan Municipal Building, were designated as city landmarks at the time. LPC chairwoman Beverly Moss Spatt said at the time that the "city is in serious trouble", with lawsuits questioning the commission's authority.[86] The three landmark designations were granted in November 1974,[89][90] and the designations were ratified by the New York City Board of Estimate early the next year.[91] The American Standard Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1980.[1]

Conversion

edit
 
The pinnacle undergoing restoration in 2020

American Standard reduced the number of employees working at its New York City headquarters in the 1980s, decreasing the workforce from 500 to 200 within five years.[92] In early 1988, Black+Decker made a surprise offer to buy American Standard and sell off the American Standard Building.[93] In light of its downsizing, American Standard sold the tower and annex to Japanese company Clio Court (also known as Clio Biz[32]) that September for $43 million.[92][94] Clio initially proposed converting the building into a luxury hotel with either 160,[92] 200,[32] or 250 rooms.[94] The high price was in part due to high demand for luxury hotels at the time.[95] Clio contemplated erecting at least 15 stories above the annex but did not have a construction estimate at first.[94] American Standard planned to sublease some space in the building in the meantime.[92][94]

Following a lack of interest from Japanese investors in American real estate, the building stood vacant during the 1990s.[96] When Christopher Gray wrote about the building for The New York Times in 1994, it had already been unoccupied for four years.[32] In the 1990s, the building was also used as an observation area for fashion executives who were watching fashion shows in Bryant Park. By 1997, the shows had moved to Chelsea Piers, partly because Clio was trying to the American Standard Building and partly because of discontent over the Bryant Park location.[97] Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger reportedly expressed interest in leasing the American Standard Building as his company's headquarters, but no deal was ever made.[98]

Main tower

edit

The ownership of the main tower and its annex were split when the real estate developer Philip Pilevsky bought the main tower for $15 million in 1998[96] and began turning it into a 170-room hotel.[99] The hotel was one of several being established outside the traditional hotel districts in New York City.[100] Daiwa Real Estate originally committed to funding the hotel conversion but reneged when Pilevsky experienced financial issues with other projects in late 1998.[101] David Chipperfield was hired as the conversion architect.[55] The city-landmark status required that the renovation architects be particularly careful about the restoration of the facade; the designation prohibited some proposed changes such as bigger guestroom windows. At about forty places, bricks had been taken out so that air-conditioning could be installed. The architects needed to close these holes with hundreds of black bricks, which had been difficult to obtain in the original construction; contractors reused some of the bricks from the interior, which were made of the same material.[41]

The Bryant Park Hotel opened in early 2001 and was frequently fully occupied during its first two months.[96] The Japanese restaurant Koi opened on the ground floor in 2005,[102][103] and became popular with musicians such as Madonna and Rihanna, as well as those in the fashion and film industries, in part because New York Fashion Week was hosted in Bryant Park. However, by May 2011, the Bryant Park Hotel had fallen behind on its $89 million mortgage.[104] The Moroccan-themed Célon Bar & Lounge opened in the basement in 2017, replacing the hotel's Cellar Bar.[105]

The Bryant Park Hotel closed temporarily in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[106] By mid-2020, Pilevsky, along with hotel co-owners Raymond Gindi and Joseph Chehebar, had hired Philips International to advertise all 122,000 sq ft (11,300 m2) in the main building as office space. The men planned to rent the space in sections ranging from 1,900 to 7,535 ft (579 to 2,297 m).[107][108] The hotel reopened with limited service in September 2020 and was 20 percent occupied by March 2021.[106]

Annex

edit
 
The annex, which contains Guttman Community College

In 2001, the annex was converted to the New York location of Katharine Gibbs School[50] Gibbs School operated until 2009, when it closed all of its locations.[109] Afterward, the City University of New York (CUNY) indicated its intent to sign a lease for the American Radiator annex, which would house a new community college.[51] The school, subsequently renamed Guttman Community College, opened in 2012.[110][111]

Impact

edit

Reception

edit

When the building was completed, architect Harvey Wiley Corbett observed that "Comment upon the new building has been sharply divided", quoting one critic who cited the color scheme as a source of argument.[112] Hugh Ferriss wrote that the design "provoked more arguments among laymen on the subject of architectural values than any other structure in the country".[32] Architectural media perceived the building as a novelty.[21] Architecture and Building, for instance, said the design "is unusual, but not therefore unnecessarily ugly", and therefore effective as an advertisement for the American Radiator Company.[16] Architecture magazine's editors stated in 1925 that the building's "very atmosphere", including its color scheme, was "symbolic of its function".[21][40]

Orrick Johns of The New York Times said that the building "has broken through the color line", saying: "It certainly is something new and tremendous but, like jazz and the Ku Klux, hard to place."[21][113] An anonymous critic in The Villager said that the American Radiator Building "distilled" what they perceived as a monotonous skyline.[74] Architect Talbot Hamlin also praised the building's symbolism as "the perfect artistic expression of the rush and excitement of modern life"[74] and called it the "most daring experiment in color in modern buildings yet made in America".[24] Upon Hood's death in 1934, the New York Daily News called the building "among the finest modern achievements in architecture", along with Hood's McGraw-Hill Building, Daily News Building, and Beaux-Arts Apartments.[114] Praise continued even in later years. In 1987, architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee named the American Standard Building as having one of the city's most distinctive roofs.[115] The design was additionally noted for its use of lighting. According to art and architectural historian Dietrich Neumann, the design "helped to introduce a new age of color and light in American architecture."[116]

Other critics were less appreciative of the novel color scheme.[117] An article published in Architecture magazine during 1925 said that the facade design "shocked and offended some of our good friends from the Middle West who saw it for the first time recently".[118] Journalist Herbert Croly felt that the American Radiator Building was "not particularly successful in itself",[119] though he believed the decorative scheme was useful as an inspiration for future colorful buildings in New York City.[74][119] Similarly, George Harold Edgell said the design's "effect is theatrical to a degree that opens it to the charge of vulgarity", questioning whether a radiator company required such a prominent edifice.[74][120]

Awards and media

edit

In December 1924, the Fifth Avenue Association dubbed the American Radiator Building as the second-best new building erected around Fifth Avenue during that year.[40][121] The Community Trust of New York installed a plaque near the original building's entrance in 1962, commemorating the building's architectural significance.[28][122] According to Christopher Gray, the American Radiator Building was "so powerful that it inspired other works of art".[41] These artworks included Georgia O'Keeffe's 1927 painting Radiator Building – Night, New York,[15][123][124] as well as nighttime photographs by Samuel Gottscho.[15] The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art describes Radiator Building – Night, New York as O'Keeffe's "grandest statement on New York City".[125]

See also

edit

References

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ The contractors included:
    • Hegeman-Harris Company, general contractor[17][16]
    • Weiskopf and Pickworth, structural engineers[18][19]
    • Hay Foundry and Iron Works, steel contractor[17]
    • Meyer, Strong & Jones Inc., mechanical and electrical consultants[16][20]
    • Sterling Bronze Company, lighting contractor
    • McGowan & Connolly Company, interior marble contractor[16]
    • John Leslie, granite supplier[16]
    • S. Haskel & Sons Inc., granite installer[16]
    • Washington Concrete Corporation, cement contractor[16]
  2. ^ According to The New York Herald, New York Tribune, these figures resembled anger, drunkenness, revolt, lust, fury, and hatred.[43]

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Federal Register: 46 Fed. Reg. 10451 (Feb. 3, 1981)" (PDF). Library of Congress. February 3, 1981. p. 10649 (PDF p. 179). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b c "38 West 40 Street, 10018". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  6. ^ a b c d e National Park Service 1980, p. 3.
  7. ^ a b "50 West 40 Street, 10018". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Slatin, Peter (December 11, 1994). "Back-office structure to rise on West 40th, south of Bryant Park". The New York Times. p. R7. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 109314094.
  9. ^ "Building Activity in Central Zone; Two Twenty-five Story Buildings: Estimated to Cost $2,500,000 Ech, Will Occupy Madison and Fifth Avenue Corners – Hatriman National Bank to Have New Home on Delmonico Building Site". The New York Times. June 8, 1924. p. RE1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 103383170.
  10. ^ "Apartments in Which Homes for Many Families Are Provided: Brownstone Fronts Have Been Swept From 40th Street Tall Buildings Now Fill Skyline on South Side of Bryant Park and Library Block Builders Still Busy". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. February 8, 1925. p. B2. ProQuest 1113242850.
  11. ^ a b "New Building Planned Facing Bryant Park: American Radiator Firm Reported to Have Taken Plot Adjoining Its Tower $500,000 Called Price Cliff Street Site Taken for 12 -Story Improvement". New York Herald Tribune. February 23, 1936. p. I1. ProQuest 1318258291.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Nash, Eric (2005). Manhattan Skyscrapers. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-56898-652-4. OCLC 407907000.
  13. ^ a b c Stichweh, Dirk (2016). New York Skyscrapers. Prestel Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-3-7913-8226-5. OCLC 923852487.
  14. ^ a b "The Bryant Park Hotel". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i National Park Service 1980, p. 2.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "American Radiator Building, New York City, Raymond M. Hood, Architect". Architecture and Building. Vol. 56. December 1924. p. 113. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Hood 1924b, p. 479.
  18. ^ a b "The Bryant Park Hotel – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e Hood 1924b, p. 475.
  20. ^ a b c Hood 1924b, p. 481.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, p. 576.
  22. ^ Henry, Jay C. (1993). Architecture in Texas, 1895–1945. University of Texas Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 0-292-73072-1.
  23. ^ Solomonson, Katharine (2003). The Chicago Tribune Tower Competition: Skyscraper Design and Cultural Change in the 1920s (2 ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 247. ISBN 0-226-76800-7.
  24. ^ a b c d Robins 2017, p. 87.
  25. ^ Hood 1924b, p. 467.
  26. ^ a b c Robins 2017, p. 88.
  27. ^ a b Hood 1924a, p. 99.
  28. ^ a b c d e National Park Service 1980, p. 6.
  29. ^ a b c d Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974, p. 2.
  30. ^ a b c d e Through the Ages 1924, p. 15.
  31. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1939). New York City Guide. New York: Random House. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-60354-055-1. (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.)
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gray, Christopher (February 20, 1994). "Streetscapes/The American Radiator Building; A 1924 Precursor of Art Deco". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  33. ^ Hood 1924b, p. 472.
  34. ^ Hood 1924b, pp. 472–474.
  35. ^ a b Hood 1924b, p. 468.
  36. ^ Creese, Walter Littlefield (1949). American Architecture from 1918–1933 (Report). Vol. II. Harvard University. pp. 7–8.
  37. ^ a b c "Black Brick Novel Departure for New Office Building: Golden-Colored Trimmings Will Also Adorn Structure of American Radiator Co. in West Fortieth Street". New-York Tribune. January 27, 1924. p. B3. ProQuest 1114778872.
  38. ^ "Black Brick Building for New York City: Daring Departure From the Conventional in American Radiator Company's New Structure". The New York Times. January 20, 1924. p. RE1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 103445956.
  39. ^ "Predict New York as City of Color: Many Architects Believe Future Skyscrapers Will Show Brilliant Exteriors". The New York Times. February 20, 1927. p. RE14. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 104003791.
  40. ^ a b c d e f "Prizes Awarded for the Best Recent Buildings in the Fifth Avenue Section, New York". Architecture. Vol. 51. January 1925. p. 23. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  41. ^ a b c d e Dunlap, David W. (August 11, 1999). "Commercial Real Estate; Turning Radiator Building Into a Boutique Hotel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  42. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Through the Ages 1924, p. 16.
  43. ^ a b c d "Radiator Bldg 'Eagle' Accused Of Blue Nose: Jab at Puritanism' in U. S. Denied by Architect of Bizarre Skyscraper, Who Says Plaque Is a Phoenix His Figures Very 'Warm' Not Drunkenness, Anger, Revolt, Lust, Fury and Hate but Kinds of Heat, He Says". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. September 25, 1924. p. 13. ProQuest 1113168718.
  44. ^ "City's Buildings Offer Exciting Gallery of Art: Sculptural Art Contributes Personality to Manhattan Buildings". New York Herald Tribune. June 28, 1959. p. 1C. ProQuest 1323203983.
  45. ^ Hood 1924a, p. 98.
  46. ^ a b c d Hood 1924b, p. 482.
  47. ^ a b Bagli, Charles V. (January 3, 2003). "Associated Press to Move From Rockefeller Center". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  48. ^ "Lighted Cross Aids Drive.; Skyscraper's Lights Form Symbol of Tuberculosis Fund" (PDF). The New York Times. December 20, 1928. p. 12. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  49. ^ a b c "American Radiator Co's New New York Home". The Buffalo Enquirer. January 26, 1924. p. 12. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  50. ^ a b "A. Philip Randolph Gets $10,000 Prize". New York Daily News. April 10, 2001. p. 94. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  51. ^ a b Satow, Julie (November 17, 2010). "Bryant Park Finds Bright Spots Amid the Gloom". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  52. ^ a b c Dunlap, David W. (September 10, 2000). "From Front Office to Front Desk". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  53. ^ a b Corbett 1924, p. 474.
  54. ^ Hood 1924b, p. 474.
  55. ^ a b c d Stephens, Suzanne (February 2006). "From corporate ad to chic caravansary" (PDF). Architectural Record. Vol. 194. p. 212. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  56. ^ Corbett 1924, p. 475.
  57. ^ "Luxury Rooms at The Bryant Park Hotel". Bryant Park Hotel. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  58. ^ a b c Hood 1924b, p. 476.
  59. ^ Corbett 1924, p. 476.
  60. ^ a b National Park Service 1980, p. 4.
  61. ^ Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, p. 575.
  62. ^ Kilham, Walter (1974). Raymond Hood, architect; form through function in the American skyscraper. New York: Architectural Book Pub. Co. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8038-0218-6. OCLC 677537.
  63. ^ "Amer. Radiator Had Record Year: Earnings of Company and Subsidiaries $10,968,977 Sales Last Year$78,696,713 Strong Position". Wall Street Journal. March 26, 1924. p. 3. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 130171074.
  64. ^ Hood 1924a, p. 97.
  65. ^ a b c Hood 1924b, p. 470.
  66. ^ "Juilliard & Co. Get New Quarters In 40th Street: Old Firm Leases Space in American Radiator New Black and Gold Building Facing on Bryant Park". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. August 7, 1924. p. 20. ProQuest 1113194255.
  67. ^ "Latest Dealings in Realty Field; R.d. Juilliard & Co. Will Move to West Fortieth Street on Jan. 1" (PDF). The New York Times. August 7, 1924. p. 26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  68. ^ "Demand for Mid-Town Space Keeps Brokers Busy: Many Rentals Reported in Buildings on the East and West Sides". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. December 24, 1924. p. 25. ProQuest 1113175350.
  69. ^ "Many New Tenants For Buildings in Mid-Town Section: $125,000 Rental for Floor in Structure Being Built in East 52d Street; Firms Locate on Fifth Avenue". New York Herald Tribune. January 9, 1928. p. C10. ProQuest 1130483117.
  70. ^ "Chambers St. Building Figures in Quick Resale". New York Herald Tribune. April 12, 1929. p. 37. ProQuest 1111700816.
  71. ^ "Fouilhoux Wins $3,000 $5,000 Home Contest: Leads 31 City Architects With Plan of House for 2 Adults and 2 Children Noted for Use of Space Heating Scheme Simple; For $1,800–$2,500 Income Prize-Winning Architect". New York Herald Tribune. July 10, 1935. p. 8. ProQuest 1221605829.
  72. ^ "Skyscraper in 40th St. To Be Protected by Owners: American Radiator Co. Acquires Properly in Rear of Building". New York Herald Tribune. July 10, 1928. p. 34. ProQuest 1113392509.
  73. ^ Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2.
  74. ^ a b c d e Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, p. 577.
  75. ^ "Midtown Deal Pending.; American Radiator Company May Build New Showroom" (PDF). The New York Times. February 25, 1936. p. 38. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  76. ^ "Big Showroom Opens to Public On Wednesday: 'Sixth Ave. Rebuilt' Rally Will Be Held on Floor of New Radiator Co. Annex". New York Herald Tribune. June 6, 1937. p. D4. ProQuest 1318538364.
  77. ^ "Sixth Avenue Celebrates: City Officials Will Make Tour of Thoroughfare Today" (PDF). The New York Times. June 9, 1937. p. 27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  78. ^ "Mechanics Will Receive Craftsmanship Awards: Workers on Radiator Building Addition To Be Honored". New York Herald Tribune. February 3, 1937. p. 37. ProQuest 1223131922.
  79. ^ "Building Workers to Receive Awards; Ceremony at American Radiator Extension Will Honor 21 Mechanics" (PDF). The New York Times. January 31, 1937. p. 182. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  80. ^ "Exhibit Envisions City of 2,000 A. D.; Even Outdoor Temperature Will Be Controlled if Dream Is Realized" (PDF). The New York Times. June 13, 1937. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  81. ^ "Exhibit Home Comforts; Radiator Co.'s Display Viewed by 67,571 Persons" (PDF). The New York Times. August 14, 1938. p. 159. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  82. ^ "Model 'Avenue Of Americas' on Display Today: Sixth Av. Association Plan for 34th–57th St. Section in Radiator Building". New York Herald Tribune. June 12, 1941. p. 36. ProQuest 1263713866.
  83. ^ "Operator Obtains Midtown Offices; Meister Buys 12-story Building on W. 39th St.--investor Gets W. 45th St. Parcel" (PDF). The New York Times. May 3, 1950. p. 51. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  84. ^ "Chemical Firm Expands Offices; Air Reduction Company, Inc., Leases Additional Space at 295 Madison Ave Woolen Concern Moves North Star Rents Quarters in West 40th Street to Be Closer to Trade" (PDF). The New York Times. April 17, 1942. p. 34. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  85. ^ "News of Realty: I.t.&t. Signs Lease: Takes 18th Floor in Building Bearing Its Name". The New York Times. May 13, 1968. p. 70. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 118465070.
  86. ^ a b Horsley, Carter B. (September 29, 1974). "Skyscraper Here May Be Landmark". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  87. ^ Toscano, John; Moritz, Owen (October 9, 1974). "Ask Status for Social Landmark". New York Daily News. p. 184. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  88. ^ Fried, Joseph P. (October 22, 1974). "Issue and Debate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  89. ^ Carroll, Maurice (November 14, 1974). "3 New Sorts of Landmarks Designated in City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  90. ^ Miele, Alfred (November 14, 1974). "First Houses is Designated a Landmark". New York Daily News. p. 7. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  91. ^ Fowler, Glenn (February 7, 1975). "2 Landmark Designations Voided by Estimate Board". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  92. ^ a b c d Barsky, Neil (September 1, 1988). "Sayonara American Standard tower sold". New York Daily News. p. 197. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  93. ^ Cole, Robert J. (January 28, 1988). "Surprise Bid for American Standard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  94. ^ a b c d Berkowitz, Harry (September 1, 1988). "Hotel-Seeking Japanese Firm Pays $43M for American Standard Bldg". Newsday. pp. 64, 74. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  95. ^ Agovino, Theresa (October 3, 1988). "Why Prices for Hotels Are Hitting the Roof". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 4, no. 40. p. 21. ProQuest 219124101.
  96. ^ a b c McDowell, Edwin (June 24, 2001). "Commercial Property; When Hotels Add Hospitality to History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  97. ^ Bounds, Wendy (October 24, 1997). "Bowl a Strike, Strike A Pose, Walk About In Designer Clothes: New York's Fashion Shows Try on a Sports Complex. And Some Arc Having Fits". Wall Street Journal. p. A1. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 1634333313.
  98. ^ Croghan, Lore (October 12, 1998). "Tomfoolery foils Hilfiger flagship". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 14, no. 41. p. 4. ProQuest 219182276.
  99. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (March 18, 1998). "Developer Seeks to Build Another Hotel in (Where Else) Times Square". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  100. ^ Holusha, John (March 21, 1999). "Commercial Property / The Iroquois, on West 44th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues; From a Budget Hostelry to a Small Luxury Hotel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  101. ^ Croghan, Lore (November 23, 1988). "Pilevsky develops foreclosure trouble". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 3, no. 47. p. 21. ProQuest 219121953.
  102. ^ Bruni, Frank (May 25, 2005). "Japanese Chic, With Volume Turned Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  103. ^ Patronite, Rob; Raisfeld, Robin (March 28, 2005). "Openings". New York. Vol. 38, no. 10. p. 54. ProQuest 205111946.
  104. ^ Hudson, Kris (May 2, 2011). "Bryant Park Hotel in Pinch". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  105. ^ Fern, Ashley (October 9, 2017). "The Bryant Park Hotel Welcomes New Cocktail Bar And Lounge, Célon". Haute Living. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  106. ^ a b Gelinas, Nicole (April 14, 2021). "What's Next for Midtown?". City Journal. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  107. ^ Krisel, Brendan (July 30, 2020). "Bryant Park Hotel To Be Coverted Into Office Building: Report". Midtown-Hell's Kitchen, NY Patch. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  108. ^ "Bryant Park Hotel Being Marketed as Office Space". The Real Deal New York. August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  109. ^ Croghan, Lore (February 16, 2008). "Doors are closing at Katharine Gibbs". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  110. ^ "New community college opens at Bryant Park". The Real Deal New York. August 21, 2012. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  111. ^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (July 20, 2012). "The New Community College Try". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  112. ^ Corbett 1924, p. 477.
  113. ^ Johns, Orrick (October 4, 1925). "What the Modish Building Will Wear; Architecture Follows the Changing Styles of Couturiere and Tailor, Reflecting Period That Produced It" (PDF). The New York Times. p. SM11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  114. ^ "Obituary; Raymond Mathewson Hood". New York Daily News. August 15, 1934. p. 216. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  115. ^ Vogel, Carol (October 30, 1987). "Seeing New York City Through the Eyes of Its Architects". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  116. ^ Conklin, Jo-Ann; Duval, Jonathan; Neumann, Dietrich (2020). Raymond Hood and the American Skyscrape (PDF). Providence, RI: David Winton Bell Gallery. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021.
  117. ^ Stern, Gilmartin & Mellins 1987, pp. 576–577.
  118. ^ "Color". Architecture. Vol. 52. July 1925. p. 248. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  119. ^ a b Croly, Herbert (January 1925). "A New Dimension in Architectural Effects". Architectural Record. Vol. 57. pp. 93–94. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  120. ^ Edgell, George Harold (1928). The American architecture of to-day. New York: C. Scribner's sons. p. 363. OCLC 491975655.
  121. ^ "Coveted Annual Prizes Are Awarded by Committee to Owners of Four Interesting Structures: Saks Wins First Honor "Black Tower," on 40th St., Second Finest New Building; Selection Big Task". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. November 23, 1924. p. B1. ProQuest 1113075864.
  122. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1974, p. 3.
  123. ^ "Georgia O'Keeffe Artworks & Famous Paintings". The Art Story. March 6, 1986. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  124. ^ Souter, G. (2011). Georgia O'Keeffe. Great Masters. Parkstone International. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-78042-298-5. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  125. ^ "Radiator Building—Night, New York". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Retrieved January 17, 2017.

Sources

edit
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to American Radiator Building.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=American_Radiator_Building&oldid=1248098093"