The Landmarks of New York, Fifth Edition , livre ebook

T HE L ANDMARKS OF N EW Y ORK
A N I LLUSTRATED R ECORD OF THE C ITY'S H ISTORIC B UILDINGS
FIFTH EDITION
Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

For Carl D. Spielvogel
The endpapers photograph of tulips on a path in Central Park is by Bill Cunningham, used here by permission of Bill Cunningham and The New York Times .
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2011 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu
Production, Laurie Searl Marketing by Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Diamonstein, Barbaralee. The landmarks of New York, fifth edition : an illustrated record of the city's historic buildings / Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-3769-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Historic buildings—New York (State)—New York. 2. Historic buildings—New York (State)—New York—Pictorial works. 3. New York (N.Y.)—Buildings, structures, etc. 4. New York (N.Y.)—Buildings, structures, etc.—Pictorial works. I. Title. II. Title: Landmarks of New York Five. III. Title: Landmarks of New York, Fifth Edition.
F128.7.D585 2011
974.7—dc22
2011006219
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

P REFACE
Cities are most interesting when they combine the new with the old, and the traditional with the avant-garde. New York juxtaposes high rises with church spires, crammed spaces with green vistas, streets of shops with streets of houses, glass-and-steel towers with cast-iron buildings, or houses of brick and timber. The older buildings of our cities give us the possibility of visualizing the past, for they are, in a true sense, time capsules.
The capitol building of Virginia, in Richmond, brings Robert E. Lee to life, Louis XIV is best understood amid the carefully calculated grandeur of Versailles, and the remnants of the Parthenon give voice to Demosthenes. So, too, in New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building signify aspects of the vibrant history of our great metropolis. In the buildings, parks, and historic areas that survive in New York City and are recorded in this book, we see many facets of the city's architecture, its history, and its culture.
The original Pennsylvania Station may be gone, as are the Bartholdi Hotel, the Athenaeum Club building, and the old Metropolitan Opera House; but the structures and sites that remain, and are protected as landmarks, are testament to New York's rich heritage. Daily living was as varied in the past three centuries as it is for us in the initial years of the twenty-first century. And our schools, churches, and commercial structures testify today to this diversity, reminding us where we have been, and how far we have come, in a few hundred years. We see the untouchable past along with the un-built beginning, and new spires rising alongside the old.
Historic preservation is more than the desire for permanence expressed through architecture; it is an embodiment of the relationship between urbanism and populace. One of the motivations for writing this book was to further enhance the level of awareness of the places we inhabit, and to encourage even more citizens to become involved in helping to revitalize their communities—and not simply for aesthetic reasons. Landmarks preservation, I believe, improves the well-being of our citizens, not just by means of the “result”—the restored and rescued buildings and sites—but also through the process of involving large numbers of people and nurturing a growing constituency for civic concern and pride. It has not been, and will not be, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission alone, but the individuals and grassroots organizations that give voice and vitality to the movement that has transformed our city—aesthetically, culturally, and economically.
Another reason for writing this book is to attempt to correct some misconceptions regarding landmark preservation, in particular the notion that a building is “frozen” once it receives landmark status. Hardly! In fact, as we accumulated data, our greatest problem was keeping track of all the changes that had taken place in a landmark since designation and determining the use of the landmark. Effecting changes in landmark structures is not only wholly possible, but has been constant and widespread. Because of repairs, renovations, and adaptation to landmarks, even their appearances can change, which proves that a landmark is not static and museum-like, but, as is true of almost any building in active use, constantly evolving. Far from seeking simply to preserve a bygone world, the members of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission accept the circumstances of a changing world and attempt to preserve the past without jeopardizing the future. No generation has the right to make the city a monotonous monument to a single moment. But while giving progress and change their due, we must not permit the best of our past to be buried or otherwise lost.
This book attempts to provide a brief indication of the history and significance of each of the designated properties in New York City, through June 2011. The text has been based in part on the designation reports of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Initially, my assistants and I systematically gathered and catalogued each report. Next we communicated, orally or in writing, with owners, city officials, historical societies, architects, preservationists, and citizens, requesting historical and anecdotal material. Then began the elaborate process of documenting the designated landmarks: cross-checking and authenticating the historical information, architectural descriptions, photographs, and fresh anecdotal material that we had gathered about each of them.
The exhaustive research involved interviews, conversations, and digging in archives so that each building or site would be presented with its own story, its own intricate history. Exhaustive and repeated efforts to verify the accuracy of the material were made. This was not possible in every instance because of the inability to locate verifiable sources. Therefore, it is our hope that if you have, or are aware of, verifiable data or emendations that relate to any of these landmarks, you will share them with us. We hope to continue our researches and incorporate appropriate changes in future digital editions of this book. In an attempt to document New York's architectural history, the landmarks in this book have been organized chronologically by date of construction. In several instances, to accommodate all of the materials, this order is not strictly followed.
This book reveals how the hopeful vision of a few has become a strong instrument for the protection of our architectural future, in recognition of our rich past. It represents our achievements in the structures that have been created and endured, and which continue to shape our City. Preservationists have long understood the benefits of protecting the past from destruction. The architecture of New York City should be saved so that future generations can envision the past and experience the magic of stepping back in time. Preservation of our landmarks provides a sense of continuity between past and present, and an appreciation of the accomplishments that outlast the individual life. Every civilization is formed not merely by its own achievements, but by what it has inherited from the past. We are reminded that the values and aspirations these landmarks embody possess continuing relevance today, and make us aware of the past's importance to the future.
B ARBARALEE D IAMONSTEIN -S PIELVOGEL
T HE L ANDMARKS OF N EW Y ORK , 1965–2011
I pray let us satisfy our eyes—with the memorials and the things of fame that do renown this city .
—William Shakespeare
For most of our history, Americans have been fervent believers in progress, which has often meant, in the realm of architecture, tearing down the old and building again—bigger, bolder, and taller than before. This is particularly true of New Yorkers, whose city, in its ceaseless ebb and flow, is a monument to transience, a moveable feast. New York City's quintessential characteristic is its quicksilver quality, its ability to transform itself not just from year to year, but almost from day to day. Cast your eyes upward almost anywhere in the city: a forest of cranes challenges the sky. The French architect Le Corbusier saw New York as a “white cathedral” that is never finished, “a geyser whose fountains leap and gush in continual renewal.” He said of our city: “It has such courage and enthusiasm that everything can be begun again, sent back to the building yard, and made into something greater…. A considerable part of New York is nothing more than a provisional city. A city which will be replaced by another city.” This is New York: its motion perpetual, its details a blurred collage.
Yet amidst this constant change, we have managed to preserve at least part of the city's legacy of great architecture. Until recently, it seemed that this would not be possible. During the first three centuries of the city's existence, many of its fine buildings were destroyed. Not until the 1960s did an urban preservation movement emerge with the objective of conserving the best of our past—architecturally, historically, and culturally.
Preservationists have long argued the intangible social benefits of protecting the past from the wrecker's ball. By conserving our h