Woolworth Building

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Description

F. W. Woolworth, an entrepreneur who had become successful because of his "Five-and-Dimes" (5- and 10-cent stores), began planning a new headquarters for the F. W. Woolworth Company in 1910. It was the tallest building in the world when it was completed at 792'. The title lasted 21 years. The skyscraper was unusual because it was financed entirely in cash. The highlight of the opening ceremony featured United States President Woodrow Wilson throwing a switch to illuminate the building. Much of the original terra-cotta cladding has since been replaced with cast stone.

The lobby is one of the most impressive in the city. It features a shining mosaic barrel vault, stained-glass skylight, marble walls, bronze fixtures, mezzanine murals entitled Labor and Commerce, and carved gargoyle representations of Gilbert, Woolworth, and other figures key to the design, engineering and construction of this landmark.

Opened, Apr 24, 1913

Renovation, 1981

Converted, 2012

In keeping with much of downtown's transformation to residential, the building became mixed use with the top 30 floors converted into 33 luxury condominiums including a five-level penthouse dubbed the “townhome in the sky,” to be sold for $110 million, highest ever downtown.

Designations

New York City Exterior Landmark in Apr 12, 1983

Factoids

In his later role as U.S. Representative, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, visited the home of one-time New York Mayor Philip Hone, formerly located at the Woolworth Building.

Related People & Organizations

Philip Hone,One-time New York Mayor Philip Hone lived in an elegant town house at 235 Broadway, opposite City Hall Park at the corner of Broadway and Park Place. . The site was later one of those purchased by F. W. Woolworth for construction of the Woolworth Building.

Related Sites

The Manhattan Project-The Kellex Corporation had its headquarters inside the Woolworth Building, a 1920s skyscraper in Lower Manhattan constructed by Five-and-Dime millionaire Frank Woolworth and dubbed “The Cathedral of Commerce.” The Kellex Corporation was a clandestine off-shoot of the M.W. Kellogg Company, a chemical engineering company based in Jersey City. The company was chosen to design the K-25 plant in Tennessee and to develop processes and equipment to produce enriched uranium through gaseous diffusion. The K-25 name for the Oak Ridge site took its “K” from “Kellog” and “25” from the type of uranium used in the project.

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Cass Gilbert Compilation

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Height of 792 feet

The roof was originally gilt with gold, but is now green.

More than a century after its construction, it remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States.

Gilbert was originally retained to design a standard 12- to 16-story commercial building for Woolworth around March 1910

The facade is mostly decorated with architectural terracotta

The lower portions are limestone, and it features thousands of windows.

The first above-ground steel had been erected by October 1911

Gilbert, who disliked the comparison to religious imagery, ultimately used 15th- and 16th-century Gothic ornament on the Woolworth Building.

Woolworth "I do not want a mere building. I want something that will be an ornament to the city."

F. W. Woolworth initially wanted to clad the skyscraper in granite, while Gilbert wanted to use limestone.

Railing detail

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In keeping with much of downtown's transformation to residential

The building has become mixed use with the top 30 floors converted into 33 luxury condominiums

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