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THE TALLEST ONE IS IN NEW YORK CITY: at Plants Two Flags 447 Feet Above the Sidewwalk—A Utilitarian Structure—The Ever Increasing Value of Property Ree quires Sky Scrapers. Although New York city did not un dertake the construction of lofty office buildings until they had become a fa miliar feature in the architecture of some Wastern cities. It has run them up if such numbers and to such unpre cedented heights in the last ten years that they have now become the most characteristic and obtrusive feature of his architecture. The sky line of New York today is so changed from that of two-score years ago that a former resi dent, returning from abroad after an absence of twenty years, would be quite unable to recognize the city as he steamed up the waters of the bay. The sky one of former years was deter mined by the uniform level of the five story buildings which composed the bulk of the downtown districts, brok en by such familiar landmarks as the apires of Trinity church and St. Paul's chapel, one or two shot towers, and a few church and chapel towers of less conspicuous height. Today the eye follows a picturesquely irregular line of cornice and roof tops, much of which is over two hundred feet and not a lit tle of it over three hundred feet above the street level. Towering high above the tallest of these great structures is the vast bulk of the Park Row building, which Justs its twin towers 390 feet into mid-aiir and unfurls its two flags over the city at a height of 447 feet above the side walk! We can imagine that the New Yorker already referred to, on returning to his native city after twenty years of absence, especially if he had lived among the exquisite architecture of the old world, would be tempted at first sight of the Park Row building to ex claim, ‘What a monstrosity!” And it cannot be denied that their exaggerat ed vertical proportions render it impos sible to judge these buildings by the ordinary canons and pronounce them beautiful. The modern office building, however, is not to be judged by the usual architectural standards. ‘It pro fesses to be nothing more or less than it is—a strictly utilitarian structure, admirably adapted to its purpose of housing the greatest possible number of business men upon a limited area in the city’s busiest centre. The ever-in creasing value of property, the ten dency of business to concentrate within certain circumscribed areas, and the possibility opened up by the modern fast-running elevator, wave conspired to render necessary and possible the stupendous office buildings of today. As regards the engineering and ar chitectural problems presented, it must be confessed that the first have been easier of solution than the second. It is a simple matter to pile story upon story and so proportion columns and girders to loads that the structure shall possess eternal stability; but it is an altogether different problem for the ar chitect to clothe the “skeleton” with a mantle of stone and glass that shall appear diversified, yet dignified and ap propriate. It will, we think, be admit ted that in his treatment of the tower ing pile of the Park Row building, the architect, Mr. R. H. Robertson, has produced a very satisfactory effect, The Tallest Building,
Newspaper Details
Freeport Daily Journal
Freeport, Illinois, US
Wed, Jan 25, 1899
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel S.
