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Whitehall Building

Coordinates: 40°42′20″N 74°0′58″W / 40.70556°N 74.01611°W / 40.70556; -74.01611
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Whitehall Building
The original Whitehall Building (front), with its larger annex in the back
Map
Alternative names17 Battery Place; Lesser Whitehall
General information
TypeResidential, Office
Location17 Battery Place
Financial District, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°42′20″N 74°0′58″W / 40.70556°N 74.01611°W / 40.70556; -74.01611
Construction started1902
Completed1904
Opening1904
Height
Top floor259 ft (79 m)
Technical details
Floor count20
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry J. Hardenbergh
Main contractorGeorge A. Fuller Company
DesignatedOctober 17, 2000
Reference no.2056
Whitehall Building Annex
Map
Alternative namesGreater Whitehall
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeResidential
Construction started1908
Completed1910
Height
Roof424 ft (129 m)
Technical details
Floor count31
Design and construction
Architect(s)Clinton & Russell
Structural engineerJames Hollis Wells
Main contractorGeorge A. Fuller Company
DesignatedOctober 17, 2000
Reference no.2056

The Whitehall Building, also known as 17 Battery Place, is a three-section residential and office building near the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, adjacent to Battery Park in lower Manhattan. The original 20-story structure on Battery Place, between West Street and Washington Street, was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, while the 31-story Whitehall Building Annex on West Street was designed by Clinton and Russell. The 22-story 2 Washington Street, an International Style building located north of the original building and east of the annex, was designed by Morris Lapidus.

The original Whitehall Building and its annex has a Renaissance Revival style facade, and the two original structures' articulations consist of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column—namely a base, shaft, and capital. Since the building is located on landfill along the Hudson River, its foundation incorporates a non-standard design.

The Whitehall Building is named after the nearby estate of New Amsterdam colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. The original building was built as a speculative development in 1902–1904 for Robert A. and William H. Chesebrough, a real estate company. The annex was built in 1908–1910 due to high demand for space in the original building, and 2 Washington Street was built in 1972. In 2000, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Whitehall Building as an official city landmark. The upper floors of the original building and annex were converted to apartments, while the lower floors remain in use as an office building.

Site

Viewed from the Battery, to the left of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel ventilation building. The Downtown Athletic Club and 21 West Street are located behind the annex and 2 Washington Street (center left); One World Trade Center is under construction at right.

The Whitehall Building is located near the southernmost point on Manhattan Island, closer to its western shore. The original building faces West Street to the west, Battery Place to the south, and Washington Street and the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel portal to the east. It is adjacent to the Downtown Athletic Club building at 18–20 West Street to the north, which occupies the entire width of the block between West and Washington Streets. The annex on West Street and the 2 Washington Street addition each occupy half the width of the block between Washington and West Streets.[1]

The building stands on filled land along the shore of the North River (an archaic name for the southernmost portion of the Hudson River). The surrounding neighborhood, the Financial District, was the first part of Manhattan to be developed as part of New Netherland and later New York City; its population growth led city officials to add land on Manhattan's shore by filling and land reclamation in the 18th and 19th centuries.[2] As the North River shoreline was deeper and had a denser concentration of buildings than the East River shoreline on the east side of Manhattan Island, the land under the Whitehall Building was not filled until 1835, when debris from the Great Fire of New York was dumped there.[3] As a result of the land filling, neighboring buildings such as 21 West Street were constructed without a basement.[4] These filling operations also led to the expansion of Battery Park, directly to the south.[2] The site of the Whitehall Building was first occupied by small landowners who built houses in the area.[2] The surrounding neighborhood became a financial and shipping hub during the late 19th century,[5] and as the Financial District became more densely developed, the residential landowners moved uptown and their former lands were combined to build larger commercial buildings.[2]

History

Initial construction

The Real Estate Record and Guide reported in 1901 that a land plot measuring 150 feet (46 m) on the north side of Battery Place, 22 feet (6.7 m) on West Street, and 33.10 feet (10.09 m) on Washington Street, had been sold. The buyer was Century Realty Company, which intended to resell the land to Battery Place Realty Company.[6] The Battery Place Realty Company, which would develop what would become the Whitehall Building, was led by Robert Chesebrough,[2] a chemist known for discovering Vaseline,[7] along with his son William A. Chesebrough.[2][8] At the time, building sites near Broadway, two blocks east of the Whitehall Building, were considered to be optimal for development, especially after the 1907 completion of the U.S. Custom House at Broadway and Battery Place. The Whitehall Building's location across from Battery Park ensured a direct view of the New York Harbor, since the park faced the harbor on its other end.[9]

The original building was constructed from 1902 as a speculative office building designed by architect Henry Hardenbergh.[2] The initial structure opened in May 1903,[10] and was completed in 1904.[a] The structure was named for Peter Stuyvesant's 17th-century home, "White Hall", which had been located nearby.[9] The Battery Place Realty Company had expanded its land holdings by 1904, so that they owned 150 feet of the block frontage on West and Washington Streets.[2][12][13] The company purchased the addresses 4-7 West Street and 6 & 7 Washington Street, thus controlling a lot of over 14,000 square feet (1,300 m2) though the firm publicly stated that it had "no intention of erecting any addition to the building".[12] By 1906 all land acquisition had been completed.[9]

Rents per square foot at the Whitehall Building were generally lower than those on Broadway, and so the building soon became fully occupied.[9] The Battery Place Realty Company started soliciting construction bids for an annex to the Whitehall Building in 1908. Clinton and Russell had been hired to plan the structure, which was initially set to be 36 stories.[14][15] The following year, the United States Realty and Improvement Company bought the Battery Place Realty Company's stock and took over the construction process. By then, United States Realty had 307 feet (94 m) on West and Washington Street, but intended to build the annex as a 31-story structure on West Street, a smaller 16-story section on Washington Street, and the 36-story tower in the center, rising 447 feet (136 m).[16] At the time, the annex was to be the largest single office building in the city.[10][17] The combined lot area for the two buildings was to be 51,515 square feet (4,786 m2).[10] The annex was completed in 1910,[9] excluding the section facing Washington Street, which was not constructed during that time.[18] The annex was cited as being "one of the largest commercial structures in the world" and the largest individual office structure in Manhattan, with 12,000,000 cubic feet (340,000 m3) of space.[9][10]

Later years

The Whitehall Building was owned by the Whitehall Improvement Corporation until 1950 when it was sold to the New York Life Insurance Company. By then, the building was known as the "Whitehall-Sheraton Building".[19] On the Washington Street side of the block, east of the annex and north of the original building, the twenty-two-story 2 Washington Street was erected in 1971.[20] The newest addition was originally called One Western Union International Plaza because Western Union employees worked there.[21] In 1974, a fire at 2 Washington Street forced the evacuation of 5,000 office workers across the entire Whitehall complex; The New York Times reported that the computers of one tenant, securities firm Hayden, Stone & Co., continued to handle transactions automatically during the evacuation.[22]

In 1997, the developer Allen I. Gross bought the original building, annex, and 2 Washington Street for $70 million and proposed converting the original structure and annex's upper stories into a hotel and condominiums, retaining commercial uses on lower floors. The first through 13th floors were to be purchased by SL Green Realty and operated as office space; the 14th through 23rd floors would be a Ritz-Carlton hotel, and the annex above the 24th floor would contain residences. At the time, 30% of the 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) of usable space was not occupied.[23] The hotel proposal failed in 1998, and SL Green ultimately paid $59 million for the second through 13th floors in the original building and annex, as well as the entirety of 2 Washington Street. In 1999 the Moinian Group paid $42 million for the basement, ground floor, and the 14th through 31st floors of the older two buildings. The group intended to convert the upper floors to a rental-apartment building called the Ocean, with the address One West Street. The ground floor was to be used as a business center, while the residential structure would contain a parking lot, health club, and rooftop deck.[24]

The Whitehall Building and Annex were designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on February 8, 2000.[25] SL Green sold the original building later that year to an unnamed buyer.[26] In 2005, the southernmost portion of West Street was reconstructed, including the portal over the Battery Park Underpass directly to the west. As part of the reconstruction project, a 9,600-square-foot (890 m2) public plaza was erected outside the Whitehall Building, east of West Street.[27] By 2019, the Moinian Group had purchased 2 Washington Street and intended to convert it into a residential structure with 345 units. At the time, part of the building was owned and occupied by Nyack College.[28][29]

Design

Original structure

Illustration of a typical floor plan (top) and ground floor plan (bottom)

The original structure, also called 17 Battery Place or just the Whitehall Building, measures 150.6 feet (45.9 m) along Battery Place to the south. Due to the irregular shape of the lot, its western boundary along West Street is 69.1 feet (21.1 m) long and the eastern boundary on Washington Street is 63.4 feet (19.3 m) long.[10] According to Moses King, the original building had 400 offices.[30]

The facade of the original structure is designed into three horizontal layers: a base, tower, and crown. On Battery Place the original structure is composed of 12 vertical architectural bays; the center six bays are slightly recessed, and at ground level, contain three double-width, double-height entrance arches with ornate lintels.[31] The base, which is composed of the basement, first floor, and mezzanine, have a facade of rusticated blocks of limestone.[9] The second through fifth floors contain a facade of tan brick and stone, and a cornice above the fifth floor.[31] The fourth-floor windows on Battery Place are elaborately ornamented, with cast-iron railings in the six center windows on Battery Place, and pediments above the remaining windows. On the sixth through sixteenth floors, the center six bays on Battery Place are faced with red brick and mortar, while the outer bays and the side facades have a facade of yellow brick with pink strips.[32] The terracotta-faced eighteenth floor acts as a transitional story. Above the 20th story is a large cornice with brick piers that emulate the base's articulation, and above the Battery Place facade, a triangular brick pediment with an ornate depiction of an oculus.[9]

Annex

The annex, also known as Greater Whitehall, is a 31-story skyscraper located on West Street, north of the Whitehall Building's western portion. Designed by Clinton & Russell, it was the largest office building in New York City at the time of its completion.[9] It measures 416 feet (127 m) to its rooftop, with a boiler room located 26 feet (7.9 m) below ground level. The annex incorporated 30 elevators, 14,000 short tons (12,000 long tons; 13,000 t) of structural steel, 8,400,000 short tons (7,500,000 long tons; 7,600,000 t) of brick, and 45,000 imperial barrels (7,400,000 L; 1,600,000 imp gal; 1,900,000 US gal) of cement.[10] The basement is enclosed in a waterproof foundation that consisted of timber and steel caissons and a concrete cofferdam, and contains the building's boiler room and electrical equipment.[31]

The annex is connected to the original building by a two-bay-wide, two-story section facing West Street, as well as by an elevator lobby toward the center of the block between West and Washington Streets.[31] The elevator lobby is the same height as the annex and consists of a convex section with cast-iron cladding, as well as a straight section with brick facade.[32]

The annex has its principal facade on West Street, which is eleven bays wide. The annex has a base of limestone that rises to the sixth story, and as with the original building, the basement, first floor and mezzanine consist of rusticated blocks of limestone.[31][b] The seventh through 23rd floors each contain two rectangular window openings per bay, and have a brick facade; there are cornices at the top and bottom of the 23rd floor. On West Street, the 24th through 29th floor windows are slightly recessed behind an arched arcade that wraps around the rest of the annex, and contain decorated terracotta detailing; the 29th floor windows are rounded and semicircular. The 30th floor contains elaborate terracotta detailing, with two windows per bay, and a 31st floor contains penthouses recessed behind a balustrade.[33] At the top of the tower that rises above the annex, there is a south-facing rounded pediment[31] and a water tower.[33]

2 Washington Street

Exterior of 2 Washington Street

2 Washington Street, also known as 17 Battery Place North or the Western Union International Plaza was built in 1972[c] and measures 271 feet (83 m) with 22 floors.[20][35] The structure was designed by Morris Lapidus in the International Style,[36] and unlike the other two sections, does not have official landmark protection.[32] The facade is a simple glass curtain wall.[37] On the eastern side of 2 Washington Street is a privately owned public space.[36]

Tenants

In 1910, it was announced that the annex would house the Whitehall Club on its top four floors. The club was intended as a lunch club for merchants and businesspersons in lower Manhattan.[38] This lunch club became the premier maritime club in New York City during that era and hosted famous shipping figures. In the late 20th century, the club's membership declined significantly, from 1,000 in the 1960s to 600 in 1990.[39] The Whitehall Club shuttered in the mid-1990s.

One office tenant in the mid-20th century was the Moran Towing Company, operator of a fleet of tugboats. In the days before radio dispatching, a man high in the building would watch with a telescope for incoming ships, and then use a six-foot megaphone to shout instructions to the Moran tugboats docked at the Battery.[40] By the 1970s, the Moran Towing Company had moved to the World Trade Center, while the McAllister Brothers, a rival firm, had occupied the Whitehall Building's 15th floor.[41] Other tenants included Tidewater Oil,[42] as well as Western Union at 2 Washington Street.[21] The consulate of Germany in New York City also occupied 17 Battery Place, but moved out in 1941;[43] the prior year, the building had been bombed by opponents of the Nazis.[44]

In the 21st century, tenants have included New York Film Academy, which since 2014 has occupied the first floor of 17 Battery Place.[45] In addition, Nyack College moved into 2 Washington Street in 2013.[46][47][48]

Critical reception

When originally built, the Whitehall Building was described as having "resembled a big chimney" and that it was the single most prominent structure for vessels docking on the East or North (Hudson) rivers.[49] Art critic Russell Sturgis said "Mr. Hardenbergh has shown, in his Whitehall Building, that simplicity is not incompatible with dignity, and that this dignity may have a decided quality of beauty", but that this form was not emulated by other buildings' designs.[50] One New York Times article later described the Whitehall Building as being "an elegant orange-colored building with ornate gargoyles" next to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel's ventilation building, an "overgrown tombstone".[51]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission says that the 1904 date of completion is based on New York City Department of Buildings records, but contemporary sources show that the building opened in 1903.[11]
  2. ^ The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission says that the rusticated section is three stories tall,[18] and thus the limestone facade continues through the eighth story.[31] However, this considers the basement and mezzanine as full floors.
  3. ^ The alteration form was submitted in 1969.[34]

References

  1. ^ "NYCityMap". NYC.gov. New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Archived from the original on February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 2.
  3. ^ "Downtown Athletic Club Building" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. November 14, 2000. pp. 2, 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  4. ^ "West St. Building Has No Basement; Steam and Electricity From Outside Sources for Thirty-one Story Structure". The New York Times. December 7, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  5. ^ "Historic Structures Report: Building at 21 West Street" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. February 11, 1999. p. 8. Retrieved February 18, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Real Estate Notes" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. 68 (1762): 870. December 21, 1901. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
  7. ^ "R.A. Chesebrough Dead at Age of 96; Formerly Head of Company Making Vaseline and Other Petroleum Products". The New York Times. September 9, 1933. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "William H. Chesebrough; Constructor of Many Prominent Business Buildings Dies at 50". The New York Times. December 4, 1917. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 4.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Newest Of The City's Structural Giants" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. 84 (2177): 994. December 4, 1909. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
  11. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, pp. 8–9.
  12. ^ a b "In the Real Estate Field; Purchases on West Street Adjoining Whitehall Building". The New York Times. March 5, 1904. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Buys to Protect Light and Air of Whitehall Building". New-York Tribune. March 5, 1904. p. 13. Retrieved February 20, 2020 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ^ "Taking Bids for the Whitehall Annex" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. 81 (2091): 655. April 11, 1908. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
  15. ^ "Increase in Realty Trading". New-York Tribune. April 5, 1908. p. 12. Retrieved February 20, 2020 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  16. ^ "Newest of the City's Structural Giants" (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. 82 (2112): 461. September 5, 1908. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via columbia.edu.
  17. ^ "New Battery Skyscraper; Thirty-one Story Addition to the Whitehall Building Planned". The New York Times. December 1, 1909. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 9.
  19. ^ "17 Battery Place in Sale-Lease Deal". The New York Times. June 13, 1950. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Jarvie, Barbara (September 23, 2004). "17 Battery Place North Trades for $70M". GlobeSt. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Hudson, Edward (January 30, 1983). "A Different Kind of Reception for Mci". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. ^ Khiss, Peter (July 12, 1974). "5,000 in Two Office Towers Flee Fire at the Battery". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  23. ^ Garbarine, Rachelle (October 17, 1997). "Residential Real Estate; New Housing Planned Near Wall St". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  24. ^ Garbarine, Rachelle (September 10, 1999). "Residential Real Estate; Changing Old Buildings To Harbor Apartments". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  25. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 1.
  26. ^ News, Bloomberg (September 22, 2000). "Metro Business; Broadway Building Is Sold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ Dunlap, David W. (November 2, 2005). "A Little Easier Getting Around Downtown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  28. ^ Kim, Betsy (January 16, 2019). "Moinian Group's FiDi Conversion Gets $131.5M Loan". GlobeSt. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "The Moinian Group | Square Mile Capital | 2 Washington". The Real Deal New York. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  30. ^ King, Moses (1903). King's Views of New York City,A.D.1903: 400 Views. Sackett & Wilhelms Company. p. 11. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 5.
  32. ^ a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 6.
  33. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, p. 7.
  34. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 2000, pp. 6, 9.
  35. ^ "2 Washington Street – The Skyscraper Center". The Skyscraper Center. April 7, 2016. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  36. ^ a b Kayden, Jerold S. (2000). Privately owned public space : the New York City experience. New York (N.Y.). Department of City Planning., Municipal Art Society of New York. New York: John Wiley. p. 98. ISBN 0-471-36257-3. OCLC 43657162.
  37. ^ "17 Battery Place North". EMPORIS. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  38. ^ "Club Overlooks New York Harbor; New Business Organization for Downtown Merchants in Whitehall Building". The New York Times. September 11, 1910. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  39. ^ "Venerable NYC Maritime Club Gets Face-lift, Identity Chang". www.joc.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  40. ^ Marrin, Richard B. "New York Harbor History: Workhorses of the Sea". Bay Crossings. San Francisco Bay Crossings. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  41. ^ White, David F. (October 7, 1976). "A Seagoing Tug‐of‐War: Morans vs. McAllisters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  42. ^ "Moving to Whitehall Building". The New York Times. April 25, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  43. ^ "Reich Consulate Closes Its Doors; Offices at 17 Battery Place Deserted After Employes Remove Last of Records". The New York Times. July 11, 1941. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  44. ^ "G-Men Probe Bombings at Nazi and Red Offices". New York Daily News. June 21, 1940. p. 576. Retrieved April 19, 2020 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  45. ^ Vilensky, Mike (January 28, 2014). "Higher Ed Goes Downtown". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  46. ^ "Christian liberal-arts college takes LoMa digs". The Real Deal New York. April 5, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  47. ^ Athavaley, Anjali (April 5, 2013). "College Ups Manhattan Space". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  48. ^ Delaporte, Gus (April 5, 2013). "Nyack College to Relocate Manhattan Campus to 2 Washington Street". Commercial Observer. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  49. ^ "The Old New York and the New New York Side by Side". New York Sun. March 4, 1906. p. 34. Retrieved February 20, 2020 – via newspapers.com Open access icon.
  50. ^ Sturgis, Russell (July 1903). "The Whitehall". Architectural Record. 14: 70–73 – via archive.org.
  51. ^ Kleiman, Dena (August 19, 1977). "Metropolitan Baedeker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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