Manhattan Municipal Building
Manhattan Municipal Building | |
New York City Landmark No. 0079
| |
Location | Manhattan, New York City |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°42′47″N 74°00′14″W / 40.71306°N 74.00389°W |
Built | 1909–1914[2][3] |
Architect | William M. Kendall |
Architectural style | Mixture of |
NRHP reference No. | 72000879[1] |
NYSRHP No. | 06101.000372 |
NYCL No. | 0079 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 18, 1972 |
Designated NYSRHP | August 2, 1982 |
Designated NYCL | February 1, 1966[4] |
The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (originally the Municipal Building and later known as the Manhattan Municipal Building) is a 40-story, 580-foot (180 m) building at 1 Centre Street, east of Chambers Street, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million (equivalent to $269,713,000 in 2023).
Designed by McKim, Mead & White, the Manhattan Municipal Building was among the last buildings erected as part of the City Beautiful movement in New York. Its architectural style has been characterized as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux-Arts. The Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world, with about 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space. The base incorporates a subway station, while the top includes the gilded Civic Fame statue.
The Municipal Building was erected after three previous competitions to build a single municipal building for New York City's government had failed. In 1907, the city's Commissioner of Bridges held a competition to design the building in conjunction with a subway and trolley terminal at the Brooklyn Bridge, of which McKim, Mead & White's plan was selected. The first offices in the Municipal Building were occupied by 1913. In later years, it received several renovations, including elevator replacements in the 1930s and restorations in the mid-1970s and the late 1980s. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building a landmark in 1966, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In October 2015, the building was renamed after David N. Dinkins, New York City's first African-American mayor.
Site
[edit]The Manhattan Municipal Building is located on the eastern side of Centre Street, in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City. It occupies the length of two city blocks, between Duane Street to the north and the Brooklyn Bridge ramps to the south.[5] The west–east Chambers Street has its eastern terminus at Centre Street, at the center of the building's base.[6] The site had a frontage of approximately 448 feet (137 m) on Centre Street to the west, 361 ft (110 m) on Park Row to the southeast, 339 ft (103 m) on Duane Street to the northeast, and 71 ft (22 m) on Tryon Row to the east; except for Centre Street, all of these streets have been relocated or removed.[7][8] Near the Municipal Building are the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse and St. Andrew Church to the northeast; 1 Police Plaza and the Metropolitan Correctional Center to the east; Surrogate's Courthouse and Tweed Courthouse to the west; and New York City Hall to the southwest.[5]
Prior to the Municipal Building's construction, several streets passed through the building site, which had been located at the south end of the Five Points neighborhood. New Chambers Street continued east through the center of the building, while the west-east Reade Street continued eastward through what is now the building's northern edge. City Hall Place (now Cardinal Hayes Place) originated at the intersection of Chambers and Centre Streets, crossing southwest–northeast through the building site.[9] The area to the south of the Municipal Building was once known as Tryon Row, a one-block east–west street between Centre Street and Park Row.[10] The Municipal Building's site was occupied by buildings including the old headquarters of the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung.[11] Immediately to the south were two elevated railway stations: the Park Row Terminal of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (closed 1944)[12] and the City Hall station of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (closed 1953).[13]
After the Municipal Building was finished, New Chambers Street ran through the building's central archway. Park Row bounded the building to the southeast and Duane Street abutted it to the northeast. Park Row was rerouted in the mid-20th century, and New Chambers and Duane Streets were closed in 1971 as part of the construction of 1 Police Plaza.[14] These streets subsequently became part of a pedestrian plaza surrounding the Municipal Building and 1 Police Plaza.[15]
Architecture
[edit]William M. Kendall of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White designed the Municipal Building.[2][16] Two of the firm's other partners, Burt L. Fenner and Teunis J. van der Bent, were tasked with leading construction, while the city's Department of Bridges supervised the project. Alexander Johnson was chief engineer, and Purdy and Henderson were consulting engineers.[17] In addition, the Thompson–Starrett Company was the general contractor.[17][18] The Mount Waldo Construction Company provided the granite,[19] while Robert Wetherill & Co. installed the original elevators.[20] The foundations were dug by the Foundation Company.[21] The building's architectural style, influential in the civic construction of other American cities, has been "variously described as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux-Arts", according to architectural writers Sarah Landau and Carl W. Condit.[22] Its construction marked the end of the City Beautiful movement in New York.[2]
The Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world, with about 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of interior space and 2,000 employees.[6] Of this, about 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) is used for offices.[21][23][a] The Municipal Building was the first in New York City to incorporate a subway station, the Chambers Street station, below its base.[3][25] The approved building plans in 1909 also called for three basement levels within the volume not occupied by the subway station.[26] The building features various types of sculpture and relief. These include the large gilded Civic Fame statue at the top of the building; smaller sculptural groups; and plaques and coats-of-arms representing the various governments that have ruled Manhattan.[6][22][3]
Form
[edit]The building is shaped like a ten-sided "C",[27] although the lot that it occupies is an irregular hexagon.[5] The main facade, along Centre Street to the west, is 381 feet (116 m) long, while the eastern facade is 168 feet (51 m) long. The building has a width of 168.5 feet (51.4 m), measured from west to east.[28][27] The northeastern and southeastern sides accommodated the diagonal paths of Duane Street and Park Row, respectively.[29] The floors' north–south axes are longer than their west–east axes; the wings of the "C" face west.[5][28][30] This floor plan ensured that all of the building's windows would be able to receive direct sunlight and eliminated the need for an interior light court.[23][31][32]
The Manhattan Municipal Building is 34 stories tall; the main structure consists of 26 stories, and a tower rises eight stories above the center of the structure.[23][b] The top of the main structure is about 349 feet (106 m) above ground level.[25][34] The tower rises to around 560 feet (170 m) above ground level; including the Civic Fame statue, the building stands at around 580 feet (180 m) tall.[25][35][36][c] Atop the northern and southern wings of the "C" are pavilion roofs, which are connected to the central tower with roof decks and a stone cornice. The central tower is composed of a two-story square section.[30] Atop this is a circular section flanked by four circular turrets, one above each corner of the square.[30][34] The circular section of the central tower is composed of two layers: an enclosed space surrounded by columns, atop which is a smaller peristyle.[30]
Civic Fame
[edit]On the Municipal Building's roof is Civic Fame, a 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) statue installed in March 1913. The statue is a gilded copper figure, made from about 500 pieces of hammered copper executed by the Manhattan firm of Broschart & Braun.[35][37][39] The statue is variously reported to be supported on an iron skeleton[35] and made over a steel frame.[37] Civic Fame has been variously described as the largest or second-largest statue in Manhattan, depending on whether the larger Statue of Liberty is considered as being in Manhattan.[37][40] It is similar in style to the Statue of Liberty.[35]
The statue was designed by Adolph Alexander Weinman (1870–1952).[35][37] It was commissioned by the New York City government at a cost of $9,000 (equivalent to $277,000 in 2023)[41][42][d] to celebrate the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of New York.[35] The figure is barefoot and balances upon a globe.[37][42] She carries various symbolic items: a shield bearing the New York City coat of arms, a branch of leaves, and a mural crown, which she holds aloft. The mural crown has five crenellations or turrets, which evoke city walls and represent the five boroughs.[35][37][43] The crown also includes dolphins as a symbol of "New York's maritime setting".[35] Audrey Munson posed for the figure;[35][44] she had also posed for a very large number of other important allegorical Beaux-Arts sculptures in New York, including those at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York Public Library Main Branch, Manhattan Bridge Colonnade, and USS Maine National Monument at Columbus Circle.[45][46]
The left arm was repaired in 1928 after cracks were detected on that side.[47] After Civic Fame's 150-pound (68 kg) left arm broke off, fell through a skylight, and landed on the 26th-floor cafeteria in February 1935,[48][49] the statue was renovated,[35][50] with metal rods being used to hold up the left arm.[51] The sculpture was refurbished and re-gilded starting in July 1974 at a cost of $294,500, as part of the interior renovations of the Municipal Building;[41] the restoration was completed by the end of the year.[52][53] In early 1991, while the facade was undergoing renovations, Civic Fame was removed for six months and re-gilded by New Jersey metalwork shop Les Metalliers Champenois.[54] After the restoration was completed at a cost of $900,000, Civic Fame was reinstalled in October 1991.[42][51]
Facade
[edit]The building is divided vertically into 25 bays on its western elevation; 25 bays combined across the northeastern, southeastern, and eastern elevations; and three bays on its northern and southern elevations. Each bay contains either one or two windows on each story.[30] The facade is made of ashlar granite, except for the details above the 23rd floor, which are made of terracotta.[22] A three-story colonnade of Corinthian columns runs across the base along Centre Street, and the rest of the building is set back behind the colonnade.[30][55] The colonnade averages 66 feet (20 m) tall, including pedestals,[55] and is topped by a carved entablature.[16] The central portion of the colonnade is freestanding and is flanked by 16 three-quarter columns, each measuring about 6 feet (1.8 m) wide and 52 feet (16 m) tall.[36] Early plans called for statuary above the colonnade, similar to the statuary above St. Peter's Basilica.[56] There is also a false colonnade on the facade above the 22nd floor.[6]
Weinman sculpted the rectangular allegorical bas-relief panels at the base of the building, which are located above the side arches.[22][31][3] Civic Duty, above the smaller arch to the right (south) of the center arch, shows a female representation of the city alongside a child holding the city seal. Civic Pride, above the smaller arch to the left (north), depicted the city as a woman "receiving tribute from her citizens".[6][57] These are respectively topped by medallions representing Progress, a nude kneeling man with a torch in one hand and a winged sphere in the other, and Prudence, a half-nude kneeling woman holding a mirror while a serpent is curled around her right arm.[57][58] The medallions each measure about 9 feet (2.7 m) wide and are placed immediately below the colonnade's architrave.[34] There are heroic-scaled winged figures in the spandrels above the main arch: Guidance, a depiction of a female in the left spandrel, and Executive Power, a depiction of a male in the right spandrel.[57]
The colonnade is topped by a frieze averaging 64 feet (20 m) high. The word "Manhattan" is inscribed on the frieze immediately above the three arches; it is flanked by inscriptions reading "New Amsterdam" and "New York".[59] Shields relating to Manhattan's historical and current governance were also placed above the lower-story colonnade and 22nd-floor false colonnade.[6][60] The shields represent the historical colony of New Amsterdam and the Province of New York, as well as the present-day county, city, and state of New York (the county of New York being coextensive with the borough of Manhattan).[6][31][60] The shields on the lower colonnade correspond with the tops of the columns.[60] On the facade itself, the second-story windows are flanked by six pairs of figures in relief, representing the building's original occupants.[58][60]
Features
[edit]Base
[edit]A large, arched vaulted corridor is located at the center of the building's base, at the eastern end of Chambers Street, and is flanked by two smaller arched vaults.[4] The arch measures about 50 feet (15 m) tall and 35 feet (11 m) wide.[34] It is designed in the neoclassical style like the Arch of Constantine.[6] The vault was large enough to accommodate New Chambers Street, which was closed in 1971 to make way for a pedestrian plaza in front of One Police Plaza and the Manhattan Municipal Building.[14] The terracotta vault was modeled on the entrance of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome,[3][22] and was also called the "Gate of the City" after William Jean Beauley painted an image of the scene.[61] The vault separates the lobby into two sections, each with its own set of elevator banks.[16] The second through fifth stories are also divided into two portions by the vault.[62] When the Municipal Building opened, the vault created a wind tunnel effect, leading employees to nickname it the "Cave of the Winds".[63]
As constructed, the first floor was devoted entirely to public space, with two open loggias and the two portions of the lobby.[64] Underneath each loggia were two massive staircases leading to the mezzanine of the Chambers Street station. The staircase under the south loggia measured 64 feet (20 m) wide and could accommodate 1,280 passengers per minute, while that under the north loggia was 43 feet (13 m) wide and could accommodate 800 passengers per minute.[65] The loggia under the southern wing still exists, with staircases leading to the subway from both the north and south. It is supported by a set of columns and has a ceiling of white Guastavino tiles.[30][3][4] The loggia under the northern wing is no longer extant, having been enclosed.[22]
The Chambers Street subway station, served by the J and Z trains, consists of two levels below the building: the mezzanine and the platform level.[23] The mezzanine connects with the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station,[23] which is served by the 4, 5, 6, and <6> trains.[66] The station opened in 1913[67] and was intended as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's main subway terminal in Manhattan, but fell into disrepair after businesses moved uptown in the 1930s.[68] When the Municipal Building was completed, there were also supposed to be new station buildings for the adjacent elevated IRT and BRT stations, designed in the same architectural style. The tracks from the Chambers Street station would have also connected directly to the elevated tracks on the Brooklyn Bridge,[69] but the connection was never opened.[70]
Structural features
[edit]While the layer of bedrock under the Municipal Building was quite close to the surface underneath the southern part of the building, the bedrock dropped to a depth of about 180 feet (55 m) under the northern portion of the site, where it would be extremely difficult to dig caissons.[21][71][72][e] A layer of sand was present to a depth of 130 feet (40 m), while the average depth of the bedrock under the building was about 144 feet (44 m).[73] The contract for the foundations was the largest to be awarded for a single building in the United States, with 140,000 cubic yards (110,000 m3) being excavated at a cost of $1.5 million.[23][8] The foundations incorporated 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m3) of concrete for the piers, as well as 70,000 barrels of cement.[23]
The foundations also include 106 caissons; the southern two-thirds of the site contain 68 caissons extend to the bedrock, while the northern third contains 38 caissons that only extend to the quicksand.[75][76] The caissons range in size from 6.5 feet (2.0 m) in diameter to 26 by 31 feet (7.9 by 9.4 m) across,[77] extending to an average depth of 130 feet (40 m).[21][23] The maximum depth of the caissons was 145 feet (44 m) below grade; for the northern part of the site, the Foundation Company built larger caissons resting on sand at a depth of 74 feet (23 m).[78] While the caissons under the southern two-thirds of the building carry 15 short tons per square foot (150 t/m2), the larger caissons under the northern third of the building carry only 6 short tons per square foot (59 t/m2).[21] Each caisson was positioned so that the columns above did not interfere with the subway station.[65]
The Municipal Building's frame had 26,000 short tons (23,000 long tons; 24,000 t) of steel, which required 20 derricks to erect.[62][79] The superstructure weighed a total of 180,000 short tons (160,000 long tons; 160,000 t).[62] The above-ground walls, and half of the beams in the superstructure, were carried by steel-plate girders at the first floor, spanning the subway station. The girders were connected to other steel beams, which distributed the building's entire weight to the caissons. Each of the first-floor girders were about 10 feet (3.0 m) deep and grouped in sets of two or three.[22] The Municipal Building's largest girders, supporting the Chambers Street arch, were 36 feet (11 m) long and up to 11 feet (3.4 m) deep;[22] these girders weighed as much as 50 short tons (45 long tons; 45 t).[76] Above the girders and caissons are 167 columns that rise through the upper stories.[75] The largest column in the superstructure measured 34 feet (10 m) long and weighed 34 short tons (30 long tons; 31 t).[76]
Interior
[edit]Except for the fourth story, all of the upper floors were devoted to offices.[55] The elevator banks and stairs were on the eastern side of the building, while the offices were concentrated along the western side and on the north and south wings. There were four staircase shafts that extended the height of the building.[62] In addition, 33 elevators were provided in the initial construction,[80] though this number was later expanded to 37.[81] Of the original elevators, 32 were accessible from the lobby;[23][62][64][8] they were grouped in two banks of 16 cabs each.[36] Most of the elevators from the lobby traveled only to the 25th story, where a separate elevator connected the 25th through 37th floors.[62] During the 1934 elevator replacements, eight of the elevator shafts were shortened to make way for office space.[80]
Because the basement is mostly taken up by the subway station, most of the mechanical equipment is located on the fourth floor.[31][43][82] As such, the fourth floor has a much lower ceiling than the other stories.[31][82] The basement contains some space for boilers,[76] while the elevators are controlled by a dispatching room on the 26th floor.[83] There are also four emergency-exit staircases.[8]
Each story was constructed with either 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2)[64] or 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of rentable office space.[8] The materials in the Municipal Building included 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of hollow-tile partitions, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of cement flooring, 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of asphalt flooring in the vaults, 340,000 square feet (32,000 m2) of plastering, and 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) of Yule marble. Other types of marble, such as Tennessee marble, were used for decorative elements such as the baseboards of the rooms. Steel was painted to resemble wood, while wooden elements were only used for door and window frames. Most of the floors are made of cement, but the fifth floor, originally used for public hearings and the municipal reference library, had 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) of cork flooring to reduce noise.[62] In later years, the hallways and offices were re-clad in plasterboard and sectioned into small cubicles, but the building retained such elements as its ornate marble bathrooms.[84]
History
[edit]Previous plans
[edit]By the late 19th century, New York City governmental functions had outgrown New York City Hall.[85] At the time, the city government's agencies rented space in various buildings from Downtown Manhattan up to Midtown Manhattan, with the number of such arrangements increasing by the year. In the 1884 annual report of the City of New York, mayor Franklin Edson declared that more space was urgently needed for governmental functions. He also noted that City Hall's "style of architecture was such that without marring its present symmetry, it couldn't be enlarged to the required extent."[6] Edson suggested buying 280 Broadway, at the corner with Chambers Street, for use by the city government.[86]
The government, desiring to cut down the amount of rent paid to private landlords, ultimately held four design competitions for a new, massive building that would be suitable to house many agencies under one roof.[6] As early as 1885, a commission was empowered to look for plots of land where such a structure could be built,[87] and by 1887, authorities were considering erecting a structure adjacent to City Hall itself, in City Hall Park.[88] Mayor Abram Hewitt appointed a commission to study suitable plans and plots of land in 1888,[89] although Hewitt opposed putting such a building anywhere except City Hall Park.[90] The commissioners of the Sinking Fund initially approved a municipal building east of the Tweed Courthouse, at the park's northeastern corner.[91] An architectural design competition was commenced for this new building,[88] and seven architects submitted plans.[92] Charles B. Atwood's winning proposal called for a pair of seven-story pavilions flanking City Hall.[93] The public generally opposed the idea of development in the park, and the plan was voted down by the New York State Senate in February 1890.[93][88][94]
The law authorizing the new building was modified in 1890 so that the new structure would be able to house other city agencies as well.[95] Mayor Hugh J. Grant proposed a large municipal office building in early 1890,[88] and that July, a committee of the city government was created to look for alternate sites.[92] The committee published a report in October 1890, outlining three possible sites on Chambers Street. The first option was southwest of Chambers Street and Broadway; the second, northwest of Chambers and Centre Streets; and the third, northeast of Chambers and Centre Streets (at the current building's location).[88][96][f] The committee recommended the third option, which would be the cheapest and offer the most floor area, as well as provide an opportunity for redevelopment at that location.[88][97] However, the city government decided in March 1893 that the municipal building would instead replace City Hall, with two wings extending north to flank the Tweed Courthouse,[93][98] despite the committee's recommendation and public objections to a City Hall site.[88] The committee ultimately received 134 plans for such a new building,[93][99][74] with six of these being selected as finalists.[100] In response to opposition to City Hall's demolition,[88] the New York governor signed a law in 1894 that once again prohibited the municipal building's construction.[101] The six finalist submissions were supposed to receive monetary prizes,[102][103][104][g] but ran into difficulty even collecting their awards, since the city had never formally accepted the committee's report on the finalists.[104]
In 1899, architect George B. Post proposed a municipal office tower to be built at the northeast corner of Chambers and Centre Streets, while preserving City Hall, as part of a greater plan to rearrange Lower Manhattan's streets.[88][106] The next March, state senator Patrick H. McCarren proposed a bill that would construct the municipal building on the blocks bounded by Broadway and Reade, Centre, and Chambers Streets, north of the Tweed Courthouse and west of the current building's site. The structure would replace 280 Broadway and the old Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building, incorporate the then-under-construction Hall of Records, and would also entail destroying the Tweed Courthouse.[107] Several architects submitted proposals, the most elaborate of which was by McKim, Mead & White.[108] Additionally, in 1903, the city's bridge commissioner Gustav Lindenthal hired George Post and Henry Hornbostel as architects for a planned trolley hub at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, just east of City Hall. This plan also involved constructing a 45-story municipal office tower with a campanile at Chambers and Centre Streets.[106][109] The site would have cost $6.7 million.[110] The municipal building and trolley hub plans were deferred by the administration of mayor Seth Low when he left office at the end of 1903.[111]
Planning and construction
[edit]Architectural design competition
[edit]By early 1907, the Hall of Records had been completed, but there was still not enough space for the city's important files; further, the city was paying large amounts for rent in private buildings. Officials pointed out that the cramped quarters of the city government's departments posed a fire hazard, and legislation had been proposed for a new municipal building.[112] In July 1907, Lindenthal—who had already secured a new plot of land for the Brooklyn Bridge trolley hub—was authorized by the state legislature to host a fourth and final design competition for the municipal building.[88][113] The Brooklyn loop line, a four-track subway line, was planned to be built under the site as well,[114] passing through a large five-platform station at Chambers Street.[115]
Twelve[110] or thirteen architects were invited to compete.[88] They would in turn elect a jury of three architects, whose names would not be published in advance. The Commissioner of Bridges would make a final decision based on the jury's recommendation.[88] The building had to be at least 20 stories; the superstructure could not block train tracks, stairways, or platforms; the route of Chambers Street under the building had to be preserved; and the first floor, to be used for transit and building entrances, had to be completely covered, with a ceiling of at least 20 feet (6.1 m). The commissioner also recommended that the first story of each level be at ground level, and that an above-ground level be provided for mechanical equipment and building systems.[116] The contestants were otherwise given "considerable freedom" for the building's design.[24] By December 1907, several architects had submitted plans.[117] Twelve architectural firms ultimately entered the competition, while Cass Gilbert withdrew.[74]
The jury selected McKim, Mead & White's proposal in April 1908.[29][118][119] The firm's design provided the most space for the city government,[24][120] and it was similar in style to other municipal buildings of the time. The proposal included offices facing outward on all sides, a colonnade, a monument at the top, and a subway station in the basement.[32] The winning design was less elaborate than some of the other submissions.[24][120] such as the runner-up proposal by Howells & Stokes, inspired by 90 West Street.[110][24] McKim, Mead & White had entered the contest under the encouragement of mayor George B. McClellan Jr.[121][122] The firm's senior partners had been noncommittal about participating in the competition,[121] though they named junior partner William Mitchell Kendall as the principal architect of the submission.[122]
Originally, the building was to have risen 448 feet (137 m), with 23 stories.[56] The firm revised its plans in 1908, adding two stories and lengthening the spire so the building stood 559 feet (170 m).[28][56] The modified plans were submitted to the New York City Department of Buildings in October 1908.[28] The city had initially intended to erect the Manhattan Municipal Building on a plot immediately to the south of the current site, bounded by Park Row, the Brooklyn Bridge, and North William Street.[123] The final plan called for the building to be located between Park Row, Centre Street, and Duane Street, with Chambers Street running under the Municipal Building's center.[119] The city government planned to occupy 11 of the building's 23 stories.[7][119]
Construction
[edit]By late 1908, the site was being cleared.[124] Bids for foundation work were opened in December 1908,[125] and the contract was awarded to the J. H. Gray Company.[126] The original building plans were rejected by the city's buildings superintendent the same month because he felt that the underlying layer of soil and sand was not strong enough to carry the building.[126][127][128] The architects did not want to spend another $300,000 just so the foundation would extend down to the bedrock.[56] This resulted in delays in the construction of the proposed Brooklyn loop line under the building.[129][130][131] Ultimately, the Foundation Company was contracted to dig the foundation with caissons under a very high air pressure of 47 pounds per square inch (320 kPa).[21][78] Work was done in 20 shifts of five men working for forty minutes each day; only two workers developed decompression sickness and neither of them died.[132] In a January 1909 speech, McClellan praised the project as "one of the most important projects the City has ever undertaken". At the time, he predicted that the building would cost $8 million.[27][133]
Work on the Municipal Building officially started on July 17, 1909.[134] One observer predicted that the building's construction would result in an increase in real-estate values, similar to what the Flatiron Building had done for the Flatiron District.[135] Foundation work was completed in October 1909,[22] when the New York City Art Commission approved the plans.[136][137] The Board of Estimate approved a revised building plan that November.[26] Bids for the construction of the superstructure were opened on December 21, but an injunction against the awarding of the contract was placed less than an hour after the bidding process started, after a lawsuit was filed over the fireproofing material that was supposed to be used in the building.[138][139] Furthermore, the presence of the sand supposedly posed issues for the superstructure,[56][72] though McClellan said that he believed it was safe to build on sand.[71] McClellan laid the building's 4-short-ton (3.6-long-ton; 3.6 t) cornerstone on December 28;[140][141] unlike at other municipal projects, the ceremony was private, and the cornerstone only had the year "1907" inscribed in Roman numerals.[142] The injunction was reversed when the cornerstone was laid.[140]
The Pennsylvania Steel Company was contracted in early 1910 to manufacture 25,000 short tons (22,000 long tons; 23,000 t) of structural steel for the Municipal Building.[143] Construction was interrupted by various incidents. Three workers were buried in June 1910 when temporary bracing in the foundation collapsed, though all survived;[144][145] another cave-in occurred on Park Row in September 1910.[146][147] A fire broke out on the 25th floor in 1911, which at the time was the highest fire the New York City Fire Department had fought.[148] Steel frame construction took place between June 1910 and July 1911, followed by the installation of exterior walls between March 1911 and November 1912. There were delays in installing the granite facade because the original materials were found to be inferior.[62] By 1913, the superstructure was topped out with the unveiling of Civic Pride at the top of the Municipal Building's tower.[39]
Use
[edit]1910s and 1920s
[edit]The first sections of the Municipal Building were occupied in mid-1913.[149] The building had not been ready at the beginning of the year, forcing some city departments to renew the leases at their existing quarters.[150] The interiors were not finished until 1916.[151] The building had cost $12 million (equivalent to $269,713,000 in 2023), which was not repaid with interest until 1964; the interest was more than twice the original cost.[152] The land alone had cost $6 million. Nevertheless, the structure was expected to save the city from paying $800,000 a year in rent.[62] Upon opening, the Municipal Building housed 4,200 city employees. It was patrolled by a private police force, which monitored the building 24 hours a day, as well as a cleaning crew of 135 people.[83] There were also telephone switchboards for inter-departmental communication, which at the time of completion were described as state-of-the-art.[62] When the building opened, it employed 500 women and 3,700 men.[36]
The structure was supposed to house most city agencies except the Police, Health, and Parks departments, the Aqueduct Commission, and courts.[141] The Parks Department moved to the Municipal Building shortly after the structure was completed;[153] by 1916, the building also had a court that only heard cases in which the city government was involved.[154] Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, after taking office in 1914, criticized the usage of space in the Municipal Building as "wasteful".[155] Some of the city departments that were scheduled to move into the building had found space elsewhere, and other city departments had been allotted less space in the building than in their previous quarters;[155] as such, only 28 percent of the space was originally occupied.[36] By 1915, the building was fully occupied.[36] The New York City Board of Estimate commenced an investigation into office vacancies at the Municipal Building in 1916 after the New York Public Service Commission leased floors in other buildings.[156] The layouts of the interiors were also criticized, even though the city had selected the design specifically of its interior layout.[151]
A nonprofit organization established a cafeteria on the 26th floor in 1918; although the city provided no subsidies to the cafeteria, the cafeteria also did not have to pay rent.[157] Radio station WNYC (AM) started broadcasting from the 24th floor in 1924,[158][159] remaining there for 85 years,[160] and a small hospital was established on the third floor in 1929.[161] The Municipal Building's size notwithstanding, various entities had proposed to build an even larger municipal skyscraper to the west by the 1930s, but with no success.[162]
1930s to 1960s
[edit]By 1931, Manhattan borough president Samuel Levy had requested $2 million to replace the building's elevators, which were so unreliable that some employees used the emergency stairs instead of the elevators.[163] All of the elevators needed twice-daily inspections, and, since their manufacturer was no longer in business,[81] the city had to make its own replacement parts for the elevators, which were described as "old and wheezy",[164] and acting like "Coney Island roller coasters".[165] After fourteen of the elevators were taken out of service in late 1934,[166][167] architect Mitchell Bernstein filed plans in January 1935 for a $160,000 renovation of the building's elevators and offices.[80] Work began that June[168] and was funded partially with a $1.8 million grant from the Works Progress Administration.[169] While the elevators were being replaced, city employees worked in three staggered shifts.[170] Some of the shafts above the 14th floor were removed to make way for office space.[80] The first group of seven new elevators was installed in April 1936,[165][171] and the elevator-replacement project was completed at the end of 1937.[172][173]
The city government conducted other renovations during the 1930s, cleaning the facade for the first time in 1936.[174][175] Civic Fame at the top of the Municipal Building was refurbished during the 1930s,[35] and green mercury vapor bulbs were installed in the north lobby.[176] Several Civil Works Administration artists also created paintings for some of the offices.[177] A bronze plaque, memorializing 316 firefighters who died on duty, was dedicated at the building in 1937.[178] The city also planned to add three stories atop the building for $2.037 million; to fund this project, it received a $916,650 grant from the Public Works Administration in 1938.[179][180] By the next year, the building could no longer accommodate all of the city government's agencies, several of which were located in alternate quarters surrounding Foley Square to the north. The offices in the Municipal Building included radio station WNYC on the 25th floor, the Municipal Reference Library on the 22nd floor, and the Marriage Chapel on the 2nd floor.[61]
In 1949, the city's commissioner of public works announced that four floors would be renovated and modernized in the first phase of a planned multi-stage overhaul.[181] The next year, the city began installing a dial-telephone system at the Municipal Building, replacing the fourteen old telephone switchboards. At the time, the 20 city agencies in the building had a collective 1,264 telephones.[182] The new switchboards were activated in 1951, and every line in the Municipal Building was given the same 10-digit phone number with 1,426 four-digit extensions;[183][184] the number was changed in 1963 when the city government consolidated about 7,000 phone extensions in Lower Manhattan.[185] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an official city landmark in 1966,[186] and the facade was again cleaned the next year for $400,000.[187]
1970s to present
[edit]The Municipal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1] The section of Chambers Street under the building was closed to vehicular traffic around the same time, with the construction of One Police Plaza.[84] In 1974, Wank Adams Slavin was hired to undertake a $24 million renovation of the building's interior. As part of the renovation, corridors were to be narrowed, and partitions between offices would be removed, to create more office space; vinyl floor tiles and recessed lighting were to be installed; and the outdated plumbing system was to be replaced. The project was to increase the building's capacity to 6,500 employees.[188][189] During this time, Civic Fame was also renovated.[41][53] The building had been cleaned by 1975 at a cost of $300,000; although the interior had not been renovated yet, more funds for the project had also been appropriated.[190] The building still had 5,000 employees by the late 1970s, but Newsday wrote that the building had "peeling walls, musty windows and old filing cabinets".[191] Because the air conditioning rarely worked, many employees typically left the building an hour early during the summer.[192]
A piece of granite fell from the Municipal Building in 1987, landing on a ramp on the Brooklyn Bridge, although no one was injured. A subsequent investigation found other loose rocks on the facade, and netting was placed on the facade as a result.[193][194] In 1988, workers surrounded the building with scaffolding in preparation for the first large-scale restoration of the facade, which was to begin the next year. The renovation was expected to cost $58 million and required 39 miles (63 km) of steel tubes to support the massive scaffolds.[43] By then, the building housed 6,000 employees and contained 11 percent of all the office space owned by the city government. The Municipal Building had become so overcrowded that several agencies, like the Department of Buildings, had been forced to relocate.[84] The facade restoration was undertaken by the architects Wank Adams Slavin.[2] Another restoration of Civic Fame took place during this time,[42][51] for which Wank Adams Slavin received a preservation award from the city government.[195]
The 23rd and 24th stories were renovated in the early 1990s.[196] The building was renamed after David N. Dinkins, New York City's first African-American mayor, upon his 88th birthday in October 2015.[197][198]
Agencies
[edit]The following New York City public offices are located in the Manhattan Municipal Building:[6]
- New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services
- New York City Department of Finance
- New York Public Service Commission
- Manhattan Borough President
- New York City Public Advocate
- New York City Comptroller
- New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
- New York City Office of Payroll Administration
- New York City Tax Commission
- New York City Department of Veterans' Services
- Field offices of the Office of the Mayor, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), New York City Department of Buildings, New York State Office of the Inspector General, and New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
The Office of the City Clerk was formerly housed in the Municipal Building; about 16,000 weddings were performed annually at the former Manhattan Marriage Bureau in the Municipal Building,[199] in civil ceremonies lasting about four minutes. The City Clerk's Office relocated to nearby 141 Worth Street in 2009.[6][200][201]
Incidents
[edit]Numerous accidents have occurred at the Municipal Building. In 1921, an elevator overturned, killing its two occupants.[202] A pile of coal stored in bunkers underneath the building caught fire in 1942,[203] and a 2005 fire slightly injured six firefighters.[204] Additionally, a flood on the fourth floor in 1959 destroyed brand-new machinery that processed the pay checks for the building's workers.[205]
Impact
[edit]Critical reception and influence
[edit]Lionel Moses, appraising McKim, Mead & White's work in 1922, said that "we have a building of 580 feet to the top of the figure, of superbly monumental character and classic beauty, every part of which attests the architectural knowledge of its designers".[206] In particular, Moses praised the fact that the firm could create a large office building on "a comparatively small plot of irregular shape", which could still accommodate a subway station, a public street, and mechanical equipment.[206] The 1939 WPA Guide to New York City stated that the facade "gains dignity through the bold treatment of the intermediate stories, despite the poorly related tower and the disturbing character of the Corinthian colonnade at the base".[61] In their 2004 book New York Artwalks, Marina Harrison and Lucy D. Rosenfeld described the Civic Fame statue as "a graceful and unusually charming sculpture in the allegorical style of municipal-building decorations".[37]
The building was also noted for its symbolism. A reporter for Newsday wrote in 1987: "It is the city not just as a metaphor—although it is certainly that, from Civic Fame (the name of the statue at the very top) right down to the stressful rumble underneath (six subway tracks where the basement would be). The Municipal Building is where the money is."[84]
The Municipal Building was the first of several ornately-designed civic office buildings,[16] influencing other structures such as the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, the Fisher Building in Detroit, the Wrigley Building in Chicago,[25] and the New York Central Building in Midtown Manhattan.[207] In particular, the base of the Municipal Building above Chambers Street was likened to the base of the New York Central Building, which spanned Park Avenue.[208] The base also inspired the General Motors Building in Detroit, while the tower stories influenced the "Tower of Jewels", designed by Carrère and Hastings for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition.[209] The arches of the Moscow State University's main building and of 550 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan were also inspired by that of the Municipal Building.[84]
In popular culture
[edit]The Manhattan Municipal Building appears in several films, such as a key scene of the 1996 film One Fine Day, in which Jack Taylor (George Clooney) spots Manny Feldstein (Joe Grifasi) and chases him to the roof.[210] In "Crocodile" Dundee (1986), muggers inside the Municipal Building entrance to the subway station pull a knife on the title character (Paul Hogan) and his girlfriend Sue (Linda Kozlowski).[211] In Ghostbusters (1984), the team leaves to confront Gozer from the building.[210] In The Professional (1994), antagonist Stansfield, played by actor Gary Oldman, works for the DEA at the building, in office 4602.[212] Newsday wrote in 1987 that the structure was often used for film shoots where characters jumped off the building's roof.[84] Additionally, in the music video for the song Not Afraid, rapper Eminem is depicted standing on the edge of the building's roof in multiple shots.[213]
See also
[edit]- Early skyscrapers
- List of New York City borough halls and municipal buildings
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ According to architectural historians Sarah Landau and Carl Condit, when the Municipal Building was completed, it contained 1,250,000 square feet (116,000 m2) of usable space.[24]
- ^ According to architectural historian Leland M. Roth, the main structure is 24 stories high while the tower is an additional nine stories.[33]
- ^ Marina Harrison and Lucy D. Rosenfeld cite the building's height as being 582 ft (177 m),[37] while William Walton wrote in 1912 that the building was 583 ft (178 m) tall.[38] Roth quotes the height as being 320 ft (98 m) to the cornice and 552 ft (168 m) to the top of Civic Fame.[33] A contemporary New York Times article cites the building as being 559 ft (170 m) tall.[28]
- ^ According to the New York Tribune, the statue cost $6,000 (equivalent to $185,000 in 2023), of which $1,000 was for the clothes and $5,000 for the statue.[39]
- ^ Landau and Condit cite the bedrock depth as ranging between 136 and 178 feet (41 and 54 m).[73] In a footnote, they cite a late-20th century publication as saying that the bedrock was 209 feet (64 m) deep at the north end and 290 feet (88 m) deep outside the lot. However, Landau and Condit say that contemporary publications, which extensively described the foundations' engineering, give a maximum depth of 178 feet (54 m).[74]
- ^ The sites were:
- A block to the northwest of City Hall, bounded by Warren Street to the south, Broadway to the east, Chambers Street to the north, and Church Street to the west. This would provide 51,600-square-foot (4,790 m2) of floor area.[96]
- A lot to the northeast of City Hall, bounded by Chambers Street to the south, Centre Street to the east, Duane Street to the north, and 49 Chambers to the west. This would provide 49,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) of floor area.[96]
- A block to the northeast of City Hall, bounded by Chambers Street to the south, Centre Street to the west, and Duane Street to the northeast (the northern part of the current building's site).[96] This would provide 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2) of floor area.[88]
- ^ John Rochester Thomas, one of the finalists, was selected as the first-place contender in February 1896.[105] He would be commissioned to design the Hall of Records on the committee's second-option site, at the northwest corner of Chambers and Centre Streets.[74][105]
Citations
[edit]- ^ a b "Federal Register: 44 Fed. Reg. 7107 (Feb. 6, 1979)" (PDF). Library of Congress. February 6, 1979. p. 7539. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
- ^ a b c d e f New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
- ^ a b c "Municipal Building" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. February 1, 1966. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "NYCityMap". NYC.gov. New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building". New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "The New Municipal Building: Industrial Schools and the Small Towns Industrial Colleges New York's New Post Office Building". Carpentry and Building. July 1, 1908. p. 236. ProQuest 910532099.
- ^ a b c d e "Excavation for New York's Twelve-Million Dollar Municipal Building Foundations Now Under Way: Magnitude of New York's Huge Municipal Building Shown by Its Dimensions". The Christian Science Monitor. July 26, 1909. p. 7. ProQuest 507936186.
- ^ "The New Municipal Building" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 46, no. 1180. October 25, 1890. pp. 543–544. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ "Tryon Row in 1882 and in 1932". NYPL Digital Collections. October 15, 1932. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Gayle, Margot (July 15, 1990). "Seat of Government". New York Daily News. p. 253. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brooklyn Bridge Train Service Ends Today – Trolley Cars Stay On". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 5, 1944. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Baker, Richard T. (January 1, 1954). "City Hall 'El' Spur at End of the Line; Branch, Operating Since 1879, Makes Its Last Run With Only Token Fanfare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "New Brooklyn Bridge Car Routes". The New York Times. July 6, 1971. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Goldberger, Paul (October 27, 1973). "New Police Building". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d National Park Service 1972, p. 3.
- ^ a b Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 368–370.
- ^ Tauranac 1985, pp. 38–39.
- ^ "Gets $2,500,000 Contract.; Receivership Ended, Will Supply Granite for New Municipal Building". The New York Times. March 3, 1910. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "City Building Elevators.; Robert Wetherill & Co. to Install Them for $465,400". The New York Times. May 24, 1912. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Substructure of the Municipal Building" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 84, no. 2180. December 25, 1909. pp. 1159–1160. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Landau & Condit 1996, p. 374.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sectional View of the New Municipal Building; Intricacies of the Huge Structure Shown, and the Approaches to the Subways Connecting with the Bridges Plainly Indicated". The New York Times. May 21, 1911. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Landau & Condit 1996, p. 368.
- ^ a b c d "Manhattan Municipal Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Municipal Building: Revised Plans for Structure Approved by Board". New-York Tribune. November 30, 1909. p. 8. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Landau & Condit 1996, p. 370.
- ^ a b c d e "Municipal Building Plans; Mammoth Structure to Cost $8,000,000 -- With Tower It Will Be 559 Feet High". The New York Times. October 29, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "City's New Skyscraper". New York Sun. May 3, 1908. p. 41. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g National Park Service 1972, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e "Decorative of the City's Detail New Work Shop". New-York Tribune. December 10, 1911. p. 41. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 574858186.
- ^ a b Tauranac 1985, pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b Roth 1983, pp. 337, 339.
- ^ a b c d Walton 1912, p. 135.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Civic Fame". New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "New York's Municipal Building Symbolizes Ideals of a Great City". The Christian Science Monitor. May 27, 1916. p. 15. ProQuest 509684783.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harrison, Marina; Rosenfeld, Lucy D. (2004). Artwalks in New York : delightful discoveries of public art and gardens in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. New York University Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0-8147-3661-6. OCLC 58842196.
reporting that Civic Fame is "surprisingly, ... the largest statue in Manhattan. (No, the Statue of Liberty is not in Manhattan)."
- ^ Walton 1912, p. 133.
- ^ a b c "Civic Pride Disrobes on High". New-York Tribune. May 9, 1913. p. 16. Retrieved May 16, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Nesme, Axel (2012). "On Stevensian Transitoriness". In Goldfarb, Lisa; Eeckhout, Bart (eds.). Wallace Stevens, New York, and Modernism. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-65663-5. OCLC 819507856.
His gigantic gilded statue, Civic Fame, still the second largest figurative statue in Manhattan
- ^ a b c "Facelifting to Cost $294,500". New York Daily News. July 4, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (2014). A History of New York in 101 Objects. Simon & Schuster. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-4767-2879-7. OCLC 891696995.
- ^ a b c "Steel Cocoon Heralds Municipal Building Face Lift". The New York Times. December 4, 1988. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "The Big Apple: Audrey Munson". Barry Popik. July 5, 2004. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Norman (2012). Cinematic Perspectives on Digital Culture: Consorting with the Machine. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 162–163. ISBN 978-1-137-28462-4. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Rozas, Diana; Gottehrer, Anita Bourne (1999). American Venus: The Extraordinary Life of Audrey Munson, Model and Muse. Balcony Press. ISBN 978-1-890449-04-9. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "Steeplejack Repairs Lofty 'Civic Pride'; Bronze Lady Atop Municipal Building Has Beauty Treatment as Folk Below Gape". The New York Times. September 18, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Big Statue Breaks Atop City Offices; 150-Pound Piece Crashes From Peak of Municipal Building to Roof of Restaurant". The New York Times. February 24, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Biting Winds Nip Arm Off Civic Fame". New York Daily News. February 24, 1935. p. 317. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Civic Fame to be Tested; Repairs Are Planned to Statue on Municipal Building". The New York Times. February 27, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Tumposky, Ellen (October 12, 1991). "Face-lift costs 900G". New York Daily News. p. 2. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Fallon, Beth (December 25, 1974). "Our 'Civic Fame' Is Sprung From Her Gilded Cage". New York Daily News. p. 333. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Johnston, Laurie (December 25, 1974). "City Statue Gets a Gold Coating". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Joseph F. (March 25, 1993). "Paterson Journal; Lured by Lady Liberty, French Artisans Stay On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c Walton 1912, p. 134.
- ^ a b c d e Tauranac 1985, p. 38.
- ^ a b c Art Commission of the City of New York (1920). Catalogue of the Works of Art Belonging to the City of New York. Catalogue of the Works of Art Belonging to the City of New York. Gilliss Press. pp. 77–78.
- ^ a b "Art Commission Aims for Beauty in New Municipal Building: Much Ornamentation to Feature Exterior of Structure to Be Civic Center for New York City Panels and Medallions of the Facade Are Expected to Call Forth Much Praise When They Are Completed". The Christian Science Monitor. October 21, 1911. p. 21. ProQuest 508342348.
- ^ Walton 1912, pp. 135–136.
- ^ a b c d Walton 1912, p. 136.
- ^ a b c Federal Writers' Project (1939). New York City Guide. New York: Random House. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-60354-055-1. (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Finest Workshop in World for Father Knickerbocker". New-York Tribune. April 13, 1913. p. 62. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Forms a "Cave of the Winds": No Gentle Breezes Blow in the Archway of Municipal Building Gales Bowl Over Unwary Passersby City Employes Say a Railing There Would Help Them to Get to Work". New-York Tribune. February 1, 1914. p. C3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 575195761.
- ^ a b c "New York's New Municipal Building And Some Others". Architects' and Builder's Magazine. Vol. 42. 1910. p. 431. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Down in "the Big Hole": Huge Subway Station Will Underlie New Municipal Building". New-York Tribune. November 13, 1910. p. A3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572380190.
- ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ "Passenger Killed On Loop's First Day ; Printer, Impatient at Delay in New Bridge Subway, Tries to Walk the Track". The New York Times. August 5, 1913. p. 2. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ Kennedy, Randy (May 13, 2003). "Tunnel Vision; They're Subway Experts. Take Their Word on What's Ugly". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Changes in Park Row Rapidly Take Shape". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 28, 1912. p. 8. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
- ^ Small, Charles S (1957). "The Railway of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin. No. 97. p. 18. ISSN 0033-8842. JSTOR 43520182.
- ^ a b "Sand Foundation Safe, Says Mayor". Brooklyn Standard Union. December 24, 1909. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Cannot Find Bed Rock". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 23, 1909. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Landau & Condit 1996, p. 372.
- ^ a b c d Landau & Condit 1996, p. 443.
- ^ a b Walton 1912, p. 138.
- ^ a b c d "New York's Municipal Building". Building Age. May 1, 1911. p. 285. ProQuest 128344574.
- ^ Walton 1912, p. 139.
- ^ a b Landau & Condit 1996, p. 373.
- ^ "Material for the Municipal Building" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 86, no. 2220. October 1, 1910. p. 520. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ a b c d "New Offices in Lift Plan; Structural Changes for Municipal Building to Cost $160,000". The New York Times. January 16, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "Levy Calls Lifts Unsafe In Municipal Building". The New York Times. January 6, 1934. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Walton 1912, pp. 134–135.
- ^ a b "Building Management" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 95, no. 2445. January 23, 1915. p. 146. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ a b c d e f Mandell, Jonathan (May 15, 1989). "The Building of New York 6,000 people work there. Each day 80 couples get married there. And it has some of the most remarkable restrooms in the city". Newsday. p. 8. ISSN 2574-5298. ProQuest 278145943.
- ^ Landau & Condit 1996, p. 366.
- ^ Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 366–367.
- ^ "A New Public Building". The New York Times. March 25, 1885. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Landau & Condit 1996, p. 367.
- ^ "The Bridge and the City; a Solution of Two Great Problems. the Loop System for Terminal Facilities and a Site for a New Municipal Building". The New York Times. January 29, 1888. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Sites for City Buildings; Their Selection Brings the Powers in Conflict. Mayor Hewitt Opposed to Building Anywhere Outside of Cityhall-Square". The New York Times. May 22, 1888. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "New Municipal Building Wanted". The New York Times. February 6, 1889. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "The New Municipal Building.; a Committee Appointed to Select a Suitable Site". The New York Times. July 4, 1890. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Stern, Gilmartin & Massengale 1983, p. 61.
- ^ "The Municipal Building". The New York Times. February 26, 1890. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Records Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. May 11, 1976. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "A Site for the New Municipal Building" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 46, no. 1179. October 18, 1890. p. 507. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ "The New Municipal Building" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 46, no. 1184. November 22, 1890. pp. 685–686. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ "For the New City Hall; a Site Finally Agreed on by Committees. Their Decision to Be Reported to the Municipal Building Commission to-Morrow -- Lines of the Building as Proposed -- to Cost $4,000,000". The New York Times. March 29, 1893. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "To Open Municipal Building Plans". The New York Times. September 8, 1893. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Plans for New Municipal Building.; Six Architects Who Did Best May Be Asked to Compete Again". The New York Times. January 17, 1894. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "All Its Work to Naught; Mayor Gilroy Discusses Effect of City Hall Bill. New Municipal Building Commission In Existence, but May Not Have Power to Take Action". The New York Times. May 10, 1894. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "To Pay the Architects' Prizes; Mayor Approves the Bill Respecting Municipal Building Awards". The New York Times. May 4, 1895. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "The Municipal Building Plans" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 57, no. 1458. February 22, 1896. p. 296. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
- ^ a b Stern, Gilmartin & Massengale 1983, p. 62.
- ^ a b "Thomas, John Rochester". The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. 1899. p. 329. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Stern, Gilmartin & Massengale 1983, p. 64.
- ^ "Great Municipal Building Scheme; Space for All Courts and Offices of City and County". The New York Times. March 11, 1900. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Plans Offered for Municipal Building; Architects Submit Scheme Which Would Clear City Hall Park. Only the Old Central Structure Would Be Left Standing, That to be Used as a Museum". The New York Times. September 28, 1902. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 287–288.
- ^ a b c Tauranac 1985, p. 35.
- ^ "Defers Big Improvements; Present Administration to Let Its Successor Begin Them. No Action on Plans for Municipal Building, Court House, and Fifty-ninth Street Widening". The New York Times. December 2, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Important City Records in Perpetual Danger of Fire". New-York Tribune. April 28, 1907. p. 54. Retrieved May 16, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bill for Municipal Building Signed". Wall Street Journal. July 23, 1907. p. 3. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 16, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Subway Loop Approved; Will Have Four Tracks". The New York Times. January 26, 1907. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ Stevenson, Frederick Boyd (July 13, 1913). "Colonel Williams' View of Centre Street Loop". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 23. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
- ^ Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 367–368.
- ^ "City to Build Skyscraper; Jury to Select Plans for New Municipal Building Will Be Chosen To-day". The New York Times. December 17, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Municipal Building Award; Jury Selects Plans Submitted by McKim, Mead & White". The New York Times. April 29, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c "City to Lodge in a Skyscraper". New-York Tribune. May 3, 1908. p. 57. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "23 Story Municipal Building". New York Sun. April 29, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Roth 1983, p. 337.
- ^ a b Willis, Carol. "Municipal Building" in Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 863–864. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2.
- ^ "Has No Use for Block". New-York Tribune. April 17, 1909. p. 9. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Work for Many Hands". New-York Tribune. October 18, 1908. pp. 18, 19, 22 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bids for Bridge Terminal". New-York Tribune. December 4, 1908. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 372–373.
- ^ "Disapproves Plans for City Building; Supt. Murphy Refuses to be Responsible for Big Structure on Soil Foundation". The New York Times. December 25, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "Subway Club Manager Held Call Plans Dangerous: Delay to Subway, Loop Engineers Say Municipal Building Built as Planned Would Be Unsafe". New-York Tribune. December 26, 1908. p. 11. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572220279.
- ^ "Down to Bed Rock". New-York Tribune. March 18, 1909. pp. 1, 2 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Puts up Delay of Loop to Board of Estimate". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 26, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bridge Loop Soon Ready.; but Can't Be Used for at Least Two Years". The New York Times. May 22, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Landau & Condit 1996, pp. 373–374.
- ^ Stokes, Isaac Newton Phelps (1915). The iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. Vol. 5. p. 2073. Retrieved August 3, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "A Mammoth Building to Cost Many Millions". The New York Times. July 18, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "New Municipal Building to Create Centre of Business and Transportation; Great Changes to be Wrought in Section Around Proposed City Structure -Effect on Neighboring Property -- A New "Flatiron" Planned". The New York Times. June 27, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "Art Body Approves Plans of New York Municipal Building: Work on the New Ten-million-dollar Structure Near the Old City Hall is Now Well Under Way". The Christian Science Monitor. October 27, 1909. p. 6. ProQuest 507988049.
- ^ "For New City Building: Art Commission Approves Plans for $10,000,000 Structure". New-York Tribune. October 17, 1909. p. 5. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572255570.
- ^ "New City Building Contract Held Up; Citizens' Union President Obtains an Injunction Against the Awarding of It". The New York Times. December 21, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "Halt on Building: Writ Stops Award Schieffelin's Injunction Checks Work on Municipal Structure". New-York Tribune. December 21, 1909. p. 14. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572328032.
- ^ a b "New City Building Cornerstone Laid; Mayor Holds the Ceremony While the Contract Injunction Case Is Gong On". The New York Times. December 28, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "New York's New City Hall: Corner Stone Laid Monday by Mayor Mcclellan--new Building Which Will Cost $6,000,000 Was Designed by Mckim, Mead & White". The Construction News. Vol. 29, no. 1. January 1, 1910. p. 2. ProQuest 128410044.
- ^ "Cornerstone Laying by Mayor to be Unique". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 21, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com.
- ^ "Large Steel Contract.: Pennsylvania Steel Co. Secures Contract for 25,000 Tons of Steel for Municipal Building". The Wall Street Journal. January 1, 1910. p. 2. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 129284003.
- ^ "Caught in Cave-in at City Building; Three Workmen Are Buried as Shoring Gives Way and Two Others Struck by Timbers". The New York Times. June 4, 1910. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Sandslide Buries Men: Two Quickly Released". New-York Tribune. June 4, 1910. p. 16. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572327752.
- ^ "Park Row Cave-in Leaves Cars Tied Up; No Prospect of Regular Third Ave. Service Until Street Is Rebuilt". The New York Times. September 4, 1910. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ "Second Park Row Cave-in: Municipal Building Excavation Collapses, Blocking Traffic Car Tracks Undermined Third Avenue Elevated Train Stops Just Before Reaching Weakened Structure". New-York Tribune. September 4, 1910. p. 3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572357621.
- ^ "Firemen Put Out Highest Fire Yet; Quickly Extinguish a Blaze on the Twenty-fifth Floor of the New Municipal Building". The New York Times. June 29, 1911. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "City Offices Move to City Building; Floors Being Finished by Installments for Various Municipal Departments". The New York Times. December 14, 1913. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "Must Renew Leases; Delay on Municipal Building Will Cost City $500,000". The New York Times. March 2, 1913. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Tauranac 1985, p. 39.
- ^ "City Paying off 50-year Debts; $2,246,468 of $65,000,000 Total Is Last Installment on Municipal Building". The New York Times. February 6, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Park Dept. Downtown: to Be in Municipal Building--tribune's Report Confirmed". New-York Tribune. March 11, 1914. p. 16. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 575190759.
- ^ "New Court Today to Try City Cases; Magistrate Appleton Will Sit Permanently in the Municipal Building". The New York Times. March 20, 1916. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "New City Building Rouses Mayor's Ire; Asserts That $15,000,000 Structure Was 'Badly Planned' and "a Waste of Space."". The New York Times. January 22, 1914. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "City to Investigate Municipal Building; Board of Estimate Acts After P.S. Commission Leases Floors Downtown". The New York Times. February 19, 1916. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Alfred E. (December 3, 1969). "Snack Carts Hurt a City Cafeteria; Municipal Building Facility Was Established in 1918". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "City's Radio Plant Opened by Mayor; His Speech Broadcast on 526-Meter Wave From Top of Municipal Building". The New York Times. July 9, 1924. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Hylan Opens City's $50,000 Radio Station: Executive, Principal Speaker, Declares Information About His Administration Will Be Broadcast Five Offices in Plant On 25th Floor of Municipal Building, WCNY Is Model of Artistic Beauty". The New York Herald, New York Tribune. July 9, 1924. p. 13. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113006906.
- ^ Haberman, Clyde (June 6, 2008). "After 84 Years, WNYC Cuts a Cord With the City as It Moves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "Hospital for Municipal Building". The New York Times. July 6, 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (September 11, 1987). "New York Rekindles Dream of a New Municipal Tower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "Municipal Building to Have New Lifts; Levy, Heeding Many Protests, Promises to Ask $2,000,000 for Modern System". The New York Times. February 27, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "City's Elevators Nearing Their End; Replacement of Old, Wheezy Cars in Municipal Building to Begin in 60 Days". The New York Times. January 7, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "Municipal Building Gets New Elevators; 7 Automatic Machines Replace Old Ones That Acted Like Coney Roller Coasters". The New York Times. April 21, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "14 City Elevators Barred From Use; Six Municipal Building Lifts Are Found Unfit and Eight Others Will Be Tested". The New York Times. November 6, 1934. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "14 Elevators In Municipal Building Halted: 6 Cars Are Discarded as Unfit. 8 Others Shut Down Temporarily Pending Test 52,000 Inconvenienced Fassler Says Lifts Have Been Dropping Every Day". New York Herald Tribune. November 6, 1934. p. 7. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1221460627.
- ^ "Elevator Work Begins; Municipal Building Installation Forces Traffic 'Stagger' Plan". The New York Times. June 18, 1935. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Loan for Elevators is Obtained by City; $1,772,300 of PWA Funds Will Be Used to Replace Those in Municipal Building". The New York Times. November 10, 1934. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "3 Shifts for City Aides; Workers in Municipal Building Put on 'Staggered' Time". The New York Times. December 1, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "New Lifts Start Service In Municipal Building: Officials Mark Partial Completion of $1,342,000 P. W.A. Job". New York Herald Tribune. April 21, 1936. p. 21. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1237384626.
- ^ "Levy Opens Elevators; Last Four New Cars Installed in Municipal Building". The New York Times. December 23, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "New Elevators Dedicated At Municipal Building: Opening of Last 4 Completes System of 32 Cars". New York Herald Tribune. December 23, 1937. p. 11. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1223336808.
- ^ "Municipal Building Getting Its First Bath". New York Herald Tribune. July 23, 1936. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1222073046.
- ^ "Bath for City Buildings; Workmen Start Cleaning Outside of Municipal Structure". The New York Times. July 23, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "City Tries Green Lights.; New Bulbs Bring Comment in Lobby of Municipal Building". The New York Times. March 9, 1934. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Officials Who Had Their Pick Don't Mind C. W. A. Art at All: Some in Municipal Building Had to Take What Was Left So Paintings Leave Them Cool Hanging, in Progress a Year, Nearly Done Work by C. W. A. Artists Finds Haven in Municipal Building". New York Herald Tribune. May 14, 1935. p. 19. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1221985172.
- ^ "Plaque Unveiled for Dead Firemen; Bronze Memorial in Municipal Building Lists 316 Who Lost Lives in Line of Duty". The New York Times. October 9, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "$14,147,725 P.W.A. Funds Awarded City: New York Gets Its First Taste of Pump Priming for an Immediate Start on 28 New Projects $2,500,000 Granted Brooklyn Library Hospitals, Health Centers and Schools on List; Addition Is Provided for Municipal Building". New York Herald Tribune. June 25, 1938. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1251435121.
- ^ "$31,328,500 Works Approved for City; PWA Authorizes 28 Schools, Hospitals, Bridges' and Other Enterprises". The New York Times. June 25, 1938. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "City to Modernize Office Structure; 4 Floors of Municipal Building to Be Redesigned as First Step in General Overhaul". The New York Times. June 24, 1949. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "City Building Due to Get Dial Phones; to Install New Telephone System in Municipal Building". The New York Times. April 27, 1950. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "City Building Gets New Phone System; Calls to Whitehall 3-3600 Will Now Reach All Bureaus in Municipal Structure". The New York Times. October 27, 1951. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "All in Municipal Building Get Same Phone Number". New York Herald Tribune. October 27, 1951. p. 9. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1322438416.
- ^ "New Phone System Takes Calls Direct To City's Agencies". The New York Times. June 7, 1963. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "City Hall Is Named Official Landmark And a Top Beauty". The New York Times. February 8, 1966. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ "Municipal Tower Will Be Cleaned; First Scrubbing Since 1906 to Cost City $400,000". The New York Times. April 27, 1967. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Fowler, Glenn (May 9, 1974). "Interior of Municipal Building To Get $24‐Million Renovation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Toscano, John (March 24, 1974). "Municipal Building to Get Facelift". New York Daily News. p. 20. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Goldberger, Paul (April 22, 1975). "Plans Rethought for Old Buildings of Distinction". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Duggan, Dennis (October 29, 1978). "A Tale of Two Cities A Stone's Throw Apart". Newsday. p. 4Q. ISSN 2574-5298. ProQuest 965918696.
- ^ Haberman, Clyde (August 22, 1981). "City Hall Trudges to a Tattoo of Summer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Seaton, Charles; Marques, Stuart (April 9, 1987). "Gotta have rox in the head". New York Daily News. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Fowler, Glenn (April 8, 1987). "Falling Debris Shuts Brooklyn Bridge Approaches". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "New York City to Give 9 Awards for Design". The New York Times. October 29, 1992. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Feiden, Douglas (March 16, 1992). "Dinkins Rushes Capital Funds to Create Jobs". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 8, no. 11. p. 1. ProQuest 219119967.
- ^ Ngo, Emily (October 15, 2015). "NYC Municipal Building renamed for former Mayor Dinkins". Newsday. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (October 15, 2015). "After Honor, David Dinkins Joins Select Group of Ex-New York City Mayors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Del Signore, John (January 8, 2009). "Manhattan Marriage Bureau Gets Makeover". Gothamist. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
- ^ "New City Clerk's Office and Marriage Bureau Opens for Business on January 12". City Clerk – NYC Marriage Bureau. January 7, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Chung, Jen (October 5, 2008). "Manhattan Marriage Bureau Gets Ready to Move". Gothamist. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ "Two Fatally Injured in Municipal Building; Elevator Overturns, Hurling Them Into Cellar". The New York Times. August 6, 1921. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Fire in City's Winter Coal Attracts Buffs, Except the Mayor, to Municipal Building". The New York Times. July 11, 1942. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Fire at Municipal Building". The New York Times. November 27, 2005. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Fire, Flood Visit 2 City Buildings; Blaze in City Hall Minor -Municipal Building Deluge Damages Check Machine". The New York Times. February 12, 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Moses, Lionel (May 24, 1922). "McKim, Mead & White--a History: Municipal Building U. S. Post Office Building Pennsylvania Hotel McKinley Memorial McKim, Mead & White Tennessee Memorial". The American Architect and the Architectural Review. Vol. 121, no. 2394. p. 418. ProQuest 124696411.
- ^ "Helmsley Building" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. March 31, 1987. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ "Plan Big Building to Span Park Avenue; New York Central's Offer to City Provides for Sixteen Story Office Structure". The New York Times. October 11, 1922. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Roth 1983, p. 339.
- ^ a b Katz 1995, p. 300.
- ^ Katz 1995, pp. 298–299.
- ^ "Léon, The Professional (1994)". On the Set of New York. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Eminem, Rich Lee, Justin Diener. Not Afraid (Behind The Scenes, Day 1) Video by Eminem. AOL Music. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
Sources
[edit]- Historic Structures Report: Municipal Building (PDF) (Report). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. October 18, 1972.
- Katz, Chuck (1995). Manhattan on Film: Walking Tours of Hollywood's Fabled Front Lot. Limelight Series. Limelight Editions. ISBN 978-0-87910-319-4.
- Landau, Sarah; Condit, Carl W. (1996). Rise of the New York Skyscraper, 1865–1913. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07739-1. OCLC 32819286.
- Roth, Leland (1983). McKim, Mead & White, Architects. Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-430136-7. OCLC 9325269.
- Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Gregory; Massengale, John Montague (1983). New York 1900: Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism, 1890–1915. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-8478-0511-5. OCLC 9829395.
- Tauranac, John (1985). Elegant New York. New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN 978-0-89659-458-6. OCLC 12314472.
- Walton, William (March 20, 1912). "The New Municipal Building, New York and Its Sculpture: the New Municipal Building and Its Sculpture". The American Architect. Vol. 101, no. 1891. ProQuest 124667672.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Manhattan Municipal Building at Wikimedia Commons
- 1914 establishments in New York City
- City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
- Civic Center, Manhattan
- Government buildings completed in 1914
- Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- Government of New York City
- McKim, Mead & White buildings
- New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
- Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan