A Guide to Historic New York City Neighborhoods. T r i b e c a

Transcription

1 A Guide to Historic New York City Neighborhoods T r i b e c a Manhattan

2 The Historic Districts Council is New York s citywide advocate for historic buildings and neighborhoods. The Six to Celebrate program annually identifies six historic New York City neighborhoods that merit preservation as priorities for HDC s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period. The six, chosen from applications submitted by community organizations, are selected on the basis of the architectural and historic merit of the area, the level of threat to the neighborhood, the strength and willingness of the local advocates, and the potential for HDC s preservation support to be meaningful. HDC works with these neighborhood partners to set and reach preservation goals through strategic planning, advocacy, outreach, programs and publicity. The core belief of the Historic Districts Council is that preservation and enhancement of New York City s historic resources its neighborhoods, buildings, parks and public spaces are central to the continued success of the city. The Historic Districts Council works to ensure the preservation of these resources and uphold the New York City Landmarks Law and to further the preservation ethic. This mission is accomplished through ongoing programs of assistance to more than 500 community and neighborhood groups and through public-policy initiatives, publications, educational outreach and sponsorship of community events. Six to Celebrate is generously supported by The New York Community Trust. Additional support for Six to Celebrate is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and New York City Councilmembers Margaret Chin, Inez Dickens, Daniel Garodnick, Vincent Gentile, Sara Gonzalez, Stephen Levin and Rosie Mendez. Cover: 55 White Street (site #9) 232 East 11th Street, New York, NY tel fax hdc@hdc.org Copyright 2014 by Historic Districts Council Guide design: Lost In Brooklyn Studio

3 A Brief History The area now known as Tribeca was originally developed in the early 19th century as a residential neighborhood close to the city s center in Lower Manhattan. Its street grid was laid out at right angles off of Greenwich Street and on a diagonal off of Broadway, creating blocks of different lengths and irregular open spaces. The residential character of these blocks allowed for the retention of small lot sizes in future waves of development, thus creating a neighborhood with richly textured streetscapes of varying styles of architecture. After the Civil War, shipping hubs moved from the East River to the North River (later renamed the Hudson River), and South Street Seaport was traded in for steam-powered shipping on the west side via long piers. With a newly thriving industrial waterfront, the neighborhood was poised for change. Around 1812, Washington Market was established on the streets from Fulton to Vesey and Washington to West (near the current site of the World Trade Center). The market grew considerably between 1812 and the middle of the century, becoming the city s major source for consumables. Hundreds of vendors sold all manner of imported and locally made goods and produce to store owners, restaurateurs and home cooks alike. The growth of the market was, no doubt, fueled by the shipping industry on the river nearby, facilitating the transfer of goods. The market moved to Hunts Point in The Bronx in 1967 and the World Trade Center was developed shortly thereafter. Washington Market Park, located at Greenwich Street between Duane and Chambers Streets and designed by Lee Weintraub in 1978, was named after the historic market. With the combination of a bustling industrial waterfront and thriving commerce, the Federal and Greek Revival residential buildings north of the market were transformed into food storage warehouses and over the course of the rest of the 19th and into the 20th century, the majority of these would be replaced entirely with store and loft buildings and warehouses. This architectural development, which spanned roughly 50 years from 1860 to 1910, encompasses a balance of utilitarian and decorative forms in a range of popular styles of the period, all while defining the identities of the enterprises housed within and the expression of American commercialism as a whole. These buildings still dominate the character of the neighborhood today. Originally referred to as the Lower West Side, there are differing accounts as to where the name Tribeca came from. It originated in the 1970s, after a Special Lower Manhattan Mixed Use District was adopted for the area south of Canal Street, between Broadway and West Street. A realtor, advertising real estate within the new district, referred to it as Tribeca, which stood for the Triangle Below Canal. Most likely, the realtor hoped to inspire a similar transformation to that of Soho, whose industrial buildings had been converted into artists lofts and trendy apartment buildings. Four historic districts were designated in : Tribeca East, Tribeca West, Tribeca North and Tribeca South, which was extended in These are located in Tribeca s center, while pockets around the historic districts and most of the neighborhood s periphery remain unprotected. Community members are currently advocating for more individual landmarks and expansion of the historic district borders. 1 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

4 1. DUANE PARK Q 1797 Redesigned: Calvert Vaux, 1887; redesigned: Signe Nielsen, DUANE STREET Babcock & Morgan, DUANE STREET Stephen D. Hatch, DUANE STREET Babb & Cook, DUANE STREET Stephen D. Hatch, DUANE STREET Jacob Weber, Named for James Duane, a Revolutionary War figure and mayor of New York City ( ), this is the city s second oldest public park after Bowling Green. Its formal layout was redesigned by Calvert Vaux in 1887, paved over in the 1940s, and restored to evoke Vaux s design in The buildings lining the park were originally warehouses for Washington Market, many housing dairy products. Tribeca s iconic entrance canopies, of which there are many in this nook, were installed to protect goods from the sun. Numbers (middle left), and 173 were designed in the Romanesque Revival style of brick, brownstone and terra cotta. They feature intricate cornices, round arches and pilasters. The gabled corner tower on number is particularly striking. On the south side, number 168 (middle right) stands out for its Flemish-style silhouette (in , its architect designed another Flemish-style building at Washington Street) and number 172 (bottom), whose castiron façade was preserved in front of a glass renovation, evokes the Maison de Verre, an iconic 1931 Paris work by Pierre Chareau. LEGEND OF DESIGNATIONS National Historic Landmark: National Register of Historic Places District: National Register of Historic Places Property: New York City Historic District: New York City Individual Landmark: New York City Interior Landmark: F H J Q X D 2 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

5 2. RALPH WALKER COMMUNICATIONS BUILDINGS 2a. FORMER WESTERN UNION BUILDING X D 60 Hudson Street Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, b. FORMER LONG DISTANCE BUILD- ING OF THE AMERICAN TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH COMPANY X D 2a 32 Sixth Avenue McKenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin, 1918; expansion: Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, c. FORMER NEW YORK TELEPHONE COMPANY BUILDING (AKA THE BAR- CLAY-VESEY BUILDING) X D 140 West Street Ralph Walker of McKenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin, Ralph Walker designed a series of functional but stylistically innovative communications buildings in the 1920s, including these three in Tribeca. With the rise of the telephone, communications companies needed to increase their visibility with 2b buildings to reflect modern technology. The Art Deco inspired buildings feature asymmetrical massing with setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, patterned brickwork and dramatic curtain-like entrances. The decidedly modernistic skyscraper at 60 Hudson Street was built for the Western Union Telegraph Company, which sought to reestablish its corporate identity after years of domination by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. It features a graduated color scheme, with brick that lightens as it ascends toward the upper stories. The lobby of the AT&T Long Distance Building is worth a visit to see its ornate mosaic ceiling. Walker s first major work in New York City, the Barclay-Vesey Building features 2c a Guastavino-vaulted arcade along the sidewalk on Vesey Street. Located immediately adjacent to the World Trade Center site, it miraculously sustained only minor damage on September 11, Historic Districts Council Tribeca

6 3. STAPLE STREET ALLEY Q Former House of Relief, New York Hospital 67 Hudson Street Cady, Berg & See, 1893 Former Ambulance Annex 9 Jay Street Robertson & Potter, This alley is one Tribeca s most picturesque spots. The bridge once shuttled patients between two buildings operated by New York Hospital, whose main campus was on West 15th Street. 67 Hudson Street was originally the hospital s Lower Manhattan emergency room and 9 Jay Street was the Ambulance Annex. The latter still bears a plaque with the NYH monogram on its west façade. 4. FORMER NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE Q 2 6 Harrison Street Thomas R. Jackson, 1884 In the mid 19th century, buyers and sellers of various commodities recognized the need to organize in order to maintain quality and standards, eliminate questionable practices and set down business rules. Among the city s many industry-specific exchanges established prior to the creation of a central stock exchange was the Butter and Cheese Exchange of New York, formed in After admitting the egg, dried fruits, poultry and canned goods trades, the exchange changed its name to the all-inclusive New York Mercantile Exchange in To accommodate this expansion, land was purchased from Trinity Church for a new building at the corner of Harrison and Hudson Streets. Architect Thomas R. Jackson, who had been head draftsman under Richard Upjohn (architect of Trinity Church), created a five-story, red brick, Queen Anne style building with an imposing offset tower. Ornament includes rusticated granite pillars, brick pilasters with terra-cotta Corinthian capitals, paired stone columns on the fifth floor and picturesque dormers in the tower s mansard roof. 4 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

7 5. 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 37, 39 AND 41 HARRISON STREET X The formation of this L-shaped enclave of nine Federal houses is the result of a preservation effort in the late 1960s, when plans for the Washington Market Urban Renewal Area left many buildings in danger. The newly established Landmarks Preservation Commission negotiated funding to move three Federal buildings on a now-extinct part of Washington Street to join six similar structures on Harrison Street. All nine were designated as individual landmarks in The only two with a known architect are 25 and 27, designed by John McComb, Jr., one of the architects of City Hall, who is thought to have occupied one of them. The stairway and bridge at the end of Harrison Street, part of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, provides a good vantage point from which to view them. 6. NORTH MOORE STREET BETWEEN GREENWICH STREET AND VARICK STREET Q This street was named for Benjamin Moore, who, in the early 19th century, was rector of Trinity Church, Episcopalian Bishop of New York and president of Columbia College. North was added to distinguish it from Moore Street downtown. Originally developed as a residential street, two houses from this period survive at 385 Greenwich Street (built in and converted to a tenement by Peter L.P. Tostevin in 1874) and 71 North Moore Street (built in 1815). In the 1880s, store and loft buildings and warehouses began to replace the houses. Notable examples are number (Thomas R. Jackson, 1891), a Romanesque Revival structure with monumental arched bays, a Classical-style cornice and terra-cotta ornament; (Thomas R. Jackson, ) (bottom) and Hudson Street (Thomas R. Jackson, 1891), Renaissance Revival warehouses designed as near twins for grocery merchant John Castree; and 122 Hudson Street (Julius Kastner, ), a cream-colored brick Renaissance Revival warehouse built for liquor merchant Joseph H. Bearns, whose initial B still graces the terra-cotta pilaster capitals. Numbers (Thomas R. Jackson, 1891) (top) and (William H. Birkmire, 1905), which extend through the block, are mirror images of their respective Ericsson Place façades, though outfitted in tan, rather than red, brick. 5 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

8 7. FORMER ST. JOHN S PARK AREA Q 135 HUDSON STREET Kimball & Ihnen, HUDSON STREET Renwick, Aspinwall & Guard, ERICSSON PLACE Thomas R. Jackson, ERICSSON PLACE William H. Birkmire, 1905 This square was once a fashionable private garden bounded by Georgian rowhouses and St. John s Chapel (demolished in 1918), a replica of London s St. Martin-in-the-Fields. In 1867, Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the park from Trinity Church and constructed a freight depot for his Hudson River Railroad. Though the depot was demolished in 1927 to make way for the Holland Tunnel exit, the architecture here still reflects its influence. At the turn of the 20th century, commercial enterprises built structures where the homes had been, seeking proximity to the depot. 135 Hudson Street (top) is striking in its simplicity, with Romanesque arches, exposed iron anchors and a painted sign on Beach Street. 145 Hudson Street (bottom left), an Art Deco behemoth, features vast walls of multi-paned windows and Ericsson Place (bottom right), designed in the Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, respectively, were built for the Merchants Refrigerating Company and extend through the block to North Moore Street (see site #6). 6 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

9 8. FINN SQUARE Q FRANKLIN STREET George W. DaCunha, VARICK STREET Albert Wagner, Finn Square, created in 1914 when Varick Street was widened and extended for a new subway line, was named for Philip Schuyler Finn, an area resident who died in World War I. Its cast-iron subway entrance was inspired by the Paris metro Franklin Street (top) was built for Francis H. Leggett, one of the country s largest grocery importers. The brick, neo- Grec structure with Queen Anne details has a granite base, stone and terra cotta trim, arched windows and a prominent corner tower. With the widening of Varick Street, the building s western half was demolished and replaced with a simple brick wall. 1 9 Varick Street (bottom), a Romanesque Revival confection of peach brick with terra-cotta and brownstone moldings, was built for D. S. Walton & Company, the country s largest manufacturer of wrapping paper. The building features arched bays and a balustrade at the crown. 7 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

10 9. WHITE STREET BETWEEN WEST BROADWAY AND BROADWAY Q 2 WHITE STREET Gideon Tucker, builder, WHITE STREET Henry Fernbach, WHITE STREET WHITE STREET WHITE STREET John Kellum & Son, White Street (top), a Federal-era building with a gambrel roof, is one of the only vestiges of the street s residential past. Today the street is characterized by cast-iron mercantile buildings, many designed in the Second Empire and Italianate styles. Number 8 10 features a historic storefront with wooden doors, windows and transoms, as well as Tuscan columns, rusticated arches, quoins and bandcourses. Number 17 (bottom left) has a slate mansard roof with an elaborate dormer and oculus windows. Between Church Street and Franklin Place are two more cast-iron masterpieces. Number features a cast-iron base with marble-faced upper stories and an elaborate cornice. The façade of number 55 (bottom right) is a noteworthy example of the sperm-candle design, characterized by double-height arches and slim columns, which resembled candles made from sperm whale oil. 8 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

11 10. BROADWAY BETWEEN FRANKLIN STREET AND LEONARD STREET 366 BROADWAY Q Frederick C. Browne, BROADWAY J X W. Wheeler Smith, BROADWAY X Field & Correja, BROADWAY J X D Stephen Decatur Hatch and McKim, Mead & White, In the mid-19th century, this section of Broadway was New York s most fashionable shopping district. The Italianate building at number 359 (bottom) housed the studio of Mathew B. Brady, whose documentation of the Civil War made him one of the most important American photographers of all time. The Beaux-Arts office building at number 366 is faced in brick and limestone with terra-cotta trim and other moldings, including carved faces. Number 361 (bottom), one of the city s largest cast-iron structures, features columns and piers with Corinthian capitals and abstract ornament that varies from floor to floor. The former New York Life Insurance building at number 346 (top), an Italian Renaissance-style skyscraper, is the work of two noted firms: Stephen D. Hatch, who completed the rear eastern section, and McKim, Mead & White, who took over after Hatch s sudden death. 9 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

12 11.WORTH STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY AND WEST BROADWAY BROADWAY 93 Worth Street Jardine, Hill & Murdock, BROADWAY X WORTH STREET Q WORTH STREET G. Richard Davis & Co, WORTH STREET Jardine, Hill & Murdock, 1926 Worth Street is at the southern end of the Tribeca East Historic District, and features a mix of designated and undesignated properties Broadway (or 93 Worth Street) is unprotected, but across the street, Broadway (or 90 Worth Street) (top) is an individual landmark. The six store and loft buildings on the north side between Broadway and Church Street (bottom) are the only buildings included in the historic district. Though built for individual dry-goods merchants, they form a cohesive row. Their Italianate, white marble façades have molded window surrounds, bandcourses, balustrades and bracketed cornices. The block between Church Street and West Broadway is entirely unprotected, including numbers and 40, the latter of which occupies the block s entire south side. Both office buildings were constructed in the 1920s with Renaissance-inspired details WEST BROADWAY Q Builder: Richard Kidney, ca This Federal-era building was constructed as a residence and store. Originally clapboard, the upper stories of the structure are now clad in Flemish bond brick. The historic storefront was replaced, but the three-bay window configuration is original. This stretch of West Broadway contains a mix of buildings of varying sizes and styles, creating a rich texture. One block south at Reade Street, 109 West Broadway features an iconic painted sign. 10 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

13 13. DUANE STREET BETWEEN WEST BROADWAY AND CHURCH STREET Q 142, 144, 146 DUANE STREET DUANE STREET DUANE STREET Prior to the introduction of store and loft buildings, Duane Street was a mixed-use district with houses, shops, stables, a brewery and a church. The three Italianate store and loft buildings at numbers 142, 144 and 146 (top) were built for Benkard & Hutton, an importer of European fabrics. These marbleclad buildings feature bracketed triangular and arched pediments and molded window lintels, quoins, dentiled cornices and fluted columns with Corinthian capitals at their bases. The Italianate marble façades on numbers 129 and (bottom) have double-height arcades, pilasters and balustrades. Number 129 has a dentiled and bracketed stone cornice and number has a cast-iron cornice with an arched gable THOMAS STREET J X J. Morgan Slade, This building is a rare New York example of Venetian Gothic, a Victorian style popularized by the British architecture critic John Ruskin. Built as a store for the David S. Brown Company, a soap manufacturer, the red brick building has a cast-iron storefront, stone arcades with banded voussoirs and Ionic columns, an iron cornice and a gable roof with an oculus window. Over the last several decades, the building has been surrounded by intense development, a result of the fact that the rest of this block is unprotected by the NYC Landmarks Law. 11 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

14 15. FORMER A. T. STEWART STORE J X 280 Broadway Joseph Trench & John B. Snook, FORMER BROADWAY CHAMBERS BUILDING X 277 Broadway Cass Gilbert, Broadway is one of New York s most significant commercial structures. Built for Alexander Turney Stewart s department store the city s first the building and the business greatly impacted the city s economic growth and American merchandising. With this building, Stewart introduced America to the pleasant shopping experience and to the idea that architecture can be employed to reflect a business image. Its marble façades emulated an Italian Renaissance palace, a trend for commercial architecture in London, with which Stewart was familiar. This style was a major departure from New York s low-scale, simple commercial buildings, and it was imitated into the 20th century. The Broadway Chambers Building was the first New York City work by Cass Gilbert, who later gained fame for the nearby Woolworth Building. Though Beaux-Arts in style, Broadway Chambers strayed from the light monochrome palette of its peers through rich use of color granite base, brick shaft and glazed terra-cotta crown. Walk on Chambers toward Church Street. The north side of the street is within the Tribeca South Historic District, while the south side is unprotected. 12 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

15 16. CARY BUILDING J X Chambers Street King & Kellum, New York s commercial influence grew in the mid 19th century, with the help of buildings like this one. Its early use of cast-iron and Italianate forms (most likely influenced by the A. T. Stewart Store) makes it a great example of some major trends and developments of its time. Cast by Daniel D. Badger s Architectural Iron Works, it was one of the first to incorporate a façade made entirely of cast iron. Its upper four stories are identical, with arched window openings supported by paired Corinthian columns and faux rustication to imitate stone. At its crown are a bracketed cornice and a pedimented roof with a cartouche bearing the building s name MURRAY STREET William Bloodgood, MURRAY STREET J X James Bogardus, Number 65, an undesignated brick and iron store and loft building, features an iron storefront with decorative moldings, five central arcade bays separated by pilasters with Corinthian capitals and iron panels, and a bracketed cornice. Number 75 was originally home to the Hopkins Store, a glassware business. The ornate building s cast-iron façade features Italian Renaissance-style details, including leaf moldings, fluted columns, a bracketed cornice and paired, arched windows with circular openings resting above them. 13 Historic Districts Council Tribeca

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