USA > New York > New York City > Leslie's history of the greater New York, Volume III, Pt. 2 > Part 37
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MAIN STAIRWAY MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE BUILD. ING, PHILADELPHIA, PA. (TOOK FIRST PRIZE, CENTENNIAL, 1876. ) HENRY FERNBACH, ARCHITECT.
ship the Greek temple model was followed. Meanwhile, domestic architecture has exhibited the three styles. Until within a very few years the Americans borrowed their architectural models from Europe: but for more than a generation they have cut loose from this dependence, and have run into all sorts of extravagances in buildings
POWER STATION AND OFFICE BUILDING. EDISON ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING COMPANY, 53-57 DUANE ST. BUCHMAN & DEISLER, ARCHITECTS.
716
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
of every kind, though the Gothic style prevails in the construction of church edifices.
Blind imitation often made a newly adopted style assume the char- acted of a " craze." Everybody imitated everybody. For a long time, early in this century, the Italian or villa style for dwellings was a favorite. It was modest and neat in appearance and comfortable in arrangements. It was succeeded by the flashy and pretentious so-called " Gothic " houses, with their gables, pinnacles, and oriel windows.
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HOTEL SAVOY
RALPH S. TOWNSEND. Architect.
The whole country was soon disfigured by dwellings that were
" All up and down and round and square; Things copied from the Lord knows where; Stuck on at random everywhere, Indeed, a house to make one stare -- All corners and all gables."
Then came the French or Mansard-roof period. We have happily nearly passed through that. Our domestic architects have arrived at a degree of perfection in planning and executing dwellings noted for convenience and cheerfulness nowhere surpassed. Much of this cheer-
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Proppen era
MUTUAL RESERVE BUILDING. WML. H. HUME & SON, ARCHITECTS.
718
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
fulness is due to the free use of glass, pure and stained; but as to any particular " order" of architecture it is seldom offered.
No city in the world surpasses New York in the extravagance of its
BAPTIST TEMPLE, BROOKLYN, N. Y. GEO. W. KRAMER, ARCHITECT.
domestic and commercial architecture, and in the decoration and fur- nishings, New York is unequalled. In structures of from eight to more than twenty stories, all canons of architecture appear at times to be de-
719
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
fied, and the behests of different tastes alone are obeyed, sometimes un- trammeled by, and sometimes subordinate to, the most rigid rules of propriety. In extent of ornamentation, in spaciousness, in height, and in the wealth of furnishings, New York is unequalled. Structures from eight to twenty stories in height are numerous. Expenditure seems to be unlimited. Here may be seen a $10,000 chimney piece; there a bronze railing which cost $30,000; yonder a stained-glass window for which $60,000 were paid; while one dwelling has in it upholstery and decora. tive art products which cost $200,000. On the walls in some dwellings hang paintings worth $100,000, while on costly pedestals stand ex- quisite statuary and bronzes. Through all these buildings flows the crystal stream of the Croton water; and means for producing the most brilliant illuminations are everywhere at hand-electric lamps defying the cheerfulness of daylight.
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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BOAT-HOUSE, HUDSON RIVER AND 115TH STREET. HENRY C. PELTON, ARCHITECT.
The building art in New York City is one of its most extensive and important industries. In exteriors, wood gave way largely to brick nearly a century ago. The latter material was superseded in the con- struction of the finest dwellings, first by marble and then by brown free-stone, about fifty years ago. In 1836 the New York Mirror said : " New York is becoming transformed from a city of brick to a city of marble." Then came the brown stone, which remained a favorite until quite recently.
Now, the style of architecture in New York is as varied as possible, but there is more of what may be termed the Renaissance, with quite
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720
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
val
NOS. 1207-11 WASHINGTON AVENUE, NEAR 168TH STREET.
W. C. DICKERSON, ARCHITECT AND OWNER.
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POLHEMUS MEMORIAL CLINIC, HENRY AND AMITY STREETS, BROOKLYN. MARSHALL L. EMERY, ARCHITECT.
ST. JAMES BUILDING. BRUCE PRICE, ARCHITECT. W. H. SPELMAN & CO., PLUMBERS.
CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, MCDONOUGH ST., BROOKLYN. DEHLI & HOWARD, ARCHITECTS.
721
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
a percentage of Gothic, and many combinations of all styles and schools. There are some strictly classical examples of the orders, but these are almost entirely found in religious or semi-religious edifices. As domestic and commercial edifices to-day require certain arrangements and details, a close following of any of the schools is not permitted.
The lumber used in building in New York is obtained principally from Maine, Canada, Michigan, the Southern States, and California. The bricks for general or rough use are mostly made along the Hudson River. The face or pressed bricks are made mostly at Perth Amboy and Trenton, N. J., Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The stone employed
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BARNARD COLLEGE, BROADWAY ( BOULEVARD). LAMB & RICH, ARCHITECTS.
on the face of buildings is of a varied character. The kind most fre- quently employed is a sand stone, brown in color. It is brought from Connecticut and New Jersey, the latter being of the finest texture and most durable. Limestone from Indiana, granite from Rhode Island and Maine, and marble from Vermont and Georgia, are also used.
The heating in private houses is mostly done by furnaces, and the hot air distributed by pipes built in the walls to the various rooms. In flats or apartment houses it is done mostly by means of steam-pipes and radiators, it being more economical and by many claimed to be more healthful .*
*" The sanitary conditions are very greatly improved over what existed comparatively a few years ago, partic- ularly in what may be called the cheaper class of dwell- ings -- tenements. City ordinances regulate the number .. of square feet ( percentage) that a building can occupy, and also require certain provisions for light and ventila- tion; and also the trapping of pipes, etc. The public in
general are seeing the advantage to themselves of these regulations, and are now demanding such arrangements in the buildings that will secure to them the healthiest abode."-Extract of a letter to the anthor from Mr. John J. Tucker, a leading builder, to whom the reader is indebted for the above statistics concerning the building industry in New York City.
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722
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
It is difficult to estimate the number of establishments in the City of New York at this time engaged in the building business, for the reason
1638
JJ
1.3
( 1.3%
that there are so few who undertake the entire construction of a build- ing. " I think it safe to say," writes Mr. John J. Tucker, " that at least
ST. JOSEPH'S SEMINARY, YONKERS, SCHICKEL & DITMARS, ARCHITECTS.
स्टार
723
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
two hundred firms may be classed as general builders, and one thou- sand firms who are in part connected with the industry."
the one word
-
CLARENCE TRUE, ARCHITECT.
THREE PRIVATE RESIDENCES, 76TH STREET AND RIVERSIDE DRIVE.
The subjoined table, kindly furnished by Mr. Tucker, shows the num- ber of new buildings, classification, and cost, erected in New York City during the six years from 1884 to 1889, inclusive:
NUMBER OF NEW BUILDINGS, CLASSIFICATION, AND COST, DURING THE YEARS 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889.
1884.
1885.
1886.
1887.
1888.
1889.
No. of Ap- plica- tions.
COST.
No of Ap plica- tions.
COST.
No. of Ap- plica- tions.
COST.
No. of Ap- plica- tions
COST.
No. of . Ap- plica- tions.
COST.
No of Ap- plica- tions.
COST.
Dwellings, est. cost over $50,000 .
4
$375,000
4
$328,000
5
$395,000
18
$1,175,000
2
$140,000
4
$485,000
Dwellings, est. cost bet. $20-50,000
135
3,350,500
150
3,875,100
163
3,816,500
258
6,333,000
87
2,221,500
238
6,161,300
Dwellings, est. cost less $20,000 ·
459
4,157,250
849
8,845,500 1,144
13,089,700
895
10,794,600
470
4,708,700
524
5,927,050
Flats, est. cost over $15,000 .
182
7,837,600
689
15,632,600
1,174
23,481,400
1,492
30,357,000
1,074
22,716,600
1,351
32,073,500
Tenements, est. cost less $15,000 .
1,010
144,992,100
581
7,529,100
4-17
5,115,900
346
4,426,700
195
2,429,100
192
2,299,900
Hotels and Boarding Houses .
5
161,600
3
159,450
5
523,900
2
14,000
2
26,000
16
2,193,000
Stores, est. cost over $30,000
32
1,856,150
20
1,312,600
28
2,065,000
25
1,596,500
25
1,744,000
52
4,669,000
Stores, est. cost bet. $15-30,000 .
45
1,020,562
17
916,600
18
392,000
59
1,073,900
35
697,000
15
953,700
Stores, est. cost less $15,000
80
391,650
77
278,900
89
280,858
56
237,100
86
440,948
53
236,070
Office Buildings. .
22
1,478,050
24
1,043,700
26
1,388,100
32
977,250
28
3,184,800
21
2,913,750
Mannfactories and Workshops
134
1,443,040
160
2,148,300
159
2,608,400
141
2,471,980
1 19
3,272,436
151
2,797,400
Schools .
353,000
1
90,000
8
705,000
13
572,500
8
. 740,000
10
768,000
Churches .
8
430,000
14
385,900
19
804,950
19
654,000
13
458,300
25
1,409,800
Public Buildings, Municipal. .
11
498,400
2
54,000
14.
1,009,500
35
2,489,500
18
1,105,802
5
139,435
Public Buildings, PI's of Amusem't
20)
1,060.800
13
622,000
12
593,000
9
677,000
10
736,000
31
3,698,227
Stables .
91
742,600
151
695,580
131
633,800
107
1,067,775
79
735,425
84
976,275
Frame Dwellings, 23d & 21th W'ds
410
1,175,730
430
1,212,170
557
1,353,480
569
1,633,010
534
1,461,655
501
1,420,925
Other Frames
215
206,176
150
174,513
93
152,255
269
518,725
266
170,879
904
382,540
Totals .
2.897 841,180,208 3,368 845,3744,013:4.092 $58,739,733 4,344: 867.069,570 3,081
$47,289,145 4,207; 869,504,872
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725
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
PHILIP WOLFF
---
PUBLIC SCHOOL NO. 20, FORMERLY NO. 6, OF NORTHFIELD. . PHILIP WOLFF, ARCHITECT AND BUILDER.
Iron Architecture .- Among the innumerable uses of iron the architec- tural use is the latest. It has been used for centuries in minor offices in building, such as nails, bolts, serews, hinges, and fixtures of every kind, as well as railings and gratings; but in buildings, houses, stores,
726
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
JAMES PARK, MADISON, N. J. WM. S. MANNING, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.
UNION M. E. CHURCH, 48TH ST., NEAR BROADWAY, N. Y. GEO. W. KRAMER, ARCHITECT.
727
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
and ships its substitution for other materials is an innovation intro- duced with the last fifty or sixty years. Its capacity for profuse artistic ornamentation, its easy imitation of any " order" of architecture, its delicacy in bulk, its strength, its cheapness, and its resistance to fire, commend it.
Bridges were made of iron in England before houses and ships were constructed of it. A cast-iron bridge was thrown across the Severn River before 1788. Thomas Paine, then in England, superintended the
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SCHO
IL NO 21
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1
PUBLIC SCHOOL NO. 14, FORMERLY NO. 2, OF MIDDLETOWN. PHILIP WOLFF, ARCHITECT AND BUILDER.
construction of an iron bridge (which he invented) over the Wear, at Sunderland. Boulton and Watt put cast-iron beams into a cotton mill at Manchester in 1801. It was not until 1827 that scientific investiga- tions determined the proper size and shape of cast-iron beams in rela- tion to strength. Wrought-iron beams were introduced several years later; and iron columns and beams began to be extensively used in English cotton factories about 1840 for making them fireproof.
Cast-iron buildings are a New York innovation. Their erection was
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728
. HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
first attempted in that city between 1840 and 1845, but English and American capitalists were slow to invest in such structures. Yet the rush of gold-seekers to California after 1848 soon established the in-
1
" SEA BREEZE " HOMES FOR CONVALESCENTS, WEST CONEY ISLAND. '(N. Y. ASSOCI- ATION FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE POOR. )
CLINTON & RUSSELL, ARCHITECTS. J. DALL, BUILDER.
dustry, for it was found that the American cast-iron houses shipped thither could be put up in a day, while the wrought-iron houses from England lately introduced required a month. The remark of a traveler
INTERIOR UNION M. E. CHURCH. ' GEO. W. KRAMER, ARCHITECT.
that " Americans require that everything should be done in not over twenty minutes " was verified. Thirty-fold superiority in point of time
729
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
was then appreciated in California. There was an immediate and re- munerative demand for such houses.
BOROUGH PARK CLUB HOUSE, THIRTEENTH AVENUE AND FIFTIETH STREET, BROOKLYN. BENJ. DRIESLER, ARCHITECT.
At about the same time the first cast-iron building was put up in New York City. The municipal authorities cousented to its erection
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MAIN ENTRANCE, CONSTABLE BUILDING. SCHICKEL & DITMARS, ARCHITECTS.
BUILDING OF JOHN MASSIMINO, WASHINGTON AVENUE AND 172D STREET. W. C. DICKERSON, ARCHITECT.
730
HISTORY OF THE GREATER NEW YORK.
with reluctance, for the alleged reason that in case of fire it would so " burst " as to be dangerous to the firemen. From that time the con- struction of cast and wrought-iron buildings has found an extensive and increasing industry in all parts of our republic.
Sentimental objections were urged to the extensive use of iron in architecture. Among the most earnest and eloquent objectors was
INTERIOR OF CHAPEL, ST. JOSEPH'S SEMINARY. SCHICKEL & DITMARS, ARCHITECTS.
John Ruskin. It was contended that it was not only improper, but sinful, to imitate in one material the forms of another; to put iron in forms that legitimately belong to marble or granite. It was irreverent to use so cheap material in the structure of temples for the worship of the Almighty-" too inexpressive of religious sentiments." The beauty,
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW YORK BIOGRAPHY.
elegance, and strength of the "Crystal palaces" of London and New York resisted these objections; and the following new reasons for the use of iron in architecture, put forth by the American Institute, over- bore all sentiment in the public mind :
1. Great facility in embodying any architectural designs; 2. Great economy of wall space; 3. Economy in cost of foundations; 4. Economy in facilitating moving and re-erecting; 5. Security against lightning; 6. Ease of ventilation; 7. Imperviousness of material; 8. Durability of materials; 9. Indestructiblety.
Carpenters and masons form the bulk of operatives employed in building. Carpentry is one of the most important features of the build- er's art, and is one of the most extensively practiced of all our industries. In the tenth census year there were in the United States 9,184 carpentering establishments, with $19,541,358 capital in- vested, and employing 54,138 persons, to whom wages to the amount of $24,582,077 were paid. The product was valued at $94,152,139. In New York City at that time there were 450 establishments, with $1,745,782 capital invested, and employing 3,500 persons, to whom $2,242,030 in wages were paid. The value of the product was $7,096,- 315.
The carpenter should have some knowledge of the principles of engi- neering, for his aim should be to give to the structure which he builds strength and rigidity. The first is necessarily secured by dimensions, and the second by the arrangement of the members of the structure. Joinery, a department of carpentry. embraces the lighter woodwork of interiors of land and water edifices. It requires, on the part of the workman, considerable artistic knowledge and skill.
Masonry is the next most important and extensively practiced de- partment of the builder's art. It embraces the use of both brick and stone. This vocation, like that of the carpenter, has been pursued through all the periods of recorded history, from the building of the great tower on the plains of Shinar. until to-day, and probably long before. It is now one of the most extensive mechanical industries in the world. In the last census year (1880) there were in the United States 1,600 establishments devoted to the business of brick and stone masonry, with $4,000,000 capital invested, and employing 16,000 per- sons, to whom wages were paid to the aggregate amount of $6.880,866. The product was valued at $20,586,553. At the same time there were, in the City of New York, 90 establishments, with $668.650 capital invested, and employing 1,181 persons, to whom wages to the amount of $708,777 were paid. The product was valued at $2,334,659.
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