Tower Building | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Gothic Revival architecture |
Location | Manhattan, New York City |
Construction started | 1888 |
Completed | 1889 |
Demolished | 1913 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Bradford Gilbert |
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]
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]