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168-680: The Barclay–Vesey Building (also known as 100 Barclay , the Verizon ;Building , and formerly the New York Telephone Company Building ) is an office and residential building at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan , New York City . The 32-story building was designed in the Art Deco style by Ralph Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker , and was Walker's first major commission as well as one of

336-501: A "contribution to civic advancement." Praise also focused on specific elements of the Barclay–Vesey Building. The architect Harvey Wiley Corbett said that the ornamental program was "straightforward and appropriate and eminently right". Mumford wrote that the building was "perhaps the first large structure" besides Chicago's Auditorium Building to "carry through with a significant scheme of decoration", in particular praising

504-444: A 3-lane elevated ramp between Houston and Harrison Streets; and a 9-lane boulevard with depressed ramps through Battery Park City. There would be 26 traffic lights. This proposal was assailed by mass-transit associations, environmental groups, and elected officials. In January 1987, the commission unanimously agreed to build the highway as a six-lane urban boulevard with a parkway-style median and decorative lightposts. There would be

672-402: A 60 acres (24 ha) $ 100 million park on the highway's western periphery, the latter of which was criticized by Governor Mario Cuomo as being too expensive. Afterward, there were some delays caused by Cuomo's reluctance to prioritize the project. In the meantime, the old, abandoned highway was being used by squatters . One of the first options to be rejected in 1989 was the construction of

840-543: A 96-by-33-foot (29 by 10 m) living room, advertised as the largest in the city. The building also contains an 330-square-foot (31 m) wading pool and an 82-foot-long (25 m) lap pool. Other features of the residential portion of the Barclay–Vesey Building include rooms for wine-tasting and billiards ; music practice; a fitness center; a children's playroom; and a residents' lounge. There are also four residential terraces. The New York Telephone Company began to grow rapidly after World War I . An internal review of

1008-470: A below-grade interstate highway, Moses proposed merely straightening and rebuilding the West Side Highway south of 59th Street. Between 59th and 72nd Streets, the site of the former Penn Central 60th Street rail yard, he proposed bringing the highway to grade and moving it eastward to allow for a waterfront park and some housing at the southeast corner of the rail yard. This was the nucleus of

1176-473: A bike path due to heavy traffic on Hudson River Park's bike lane. Despite mostly being a boulevard, with many at-grade intersections and traffic lights, some of the intersections are given exit numbers . Ralph Thomas Walker Ralph Thomas Walker FAIA (November 28, 1889 – January 17, 1973) was an American architect, president of the American Institute of Architects and partner of

1344-434: A bill authorizing the construction of the highway. Funds for the $ 11 million highway were to be procured by property assessments along the route; this was considered reasonable due to advantages gained from the highway by those living along the route. The road was to be 65 feet (20 m), five feet wider than Fifth Avenue , with a speed limit of at least 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), and would be 20 feet (6.1 m) off

1512-591: A boulevard on landfill, which was the reason for Westway's cancellation. There were also proposals for "cove" developments alongside the future boulevard. Construction began in early 1996 on the West Side Highway project. The first of the project's seven segments—between Clarkson and Horatio streets in the Greenwich Village neighborhood—was completed in 1998. Construction of the West Side Highway Replacement Project

1680-422: A commission was set up to discuss the alternatives. Four days later, several sections of the highway were agreed on. It would be an elevated highway north of 49th Street; an at-grade roadway between 44th and 25th Streets, including a depressed northbound roadway from 32nd to 42nd Streets; a tunnel under a park between 20th and 25th Streets; an at-grade boulevard between 20th and Houston Streets; an at-grade road with

1848-470: A conflict over professional ethics. The AIA accused a member of Walker's firm of acting in an "unprofessional manner" by taking a contract that already belonged to another firm. Walker was devastated by the controversy and self-published a booklet defending his reputation—and including much of the correspondence surrounding the incident – which he sent to all members of the College of Fellows. He ended

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2016-560: A fifth pump could serve either tank. Hot water was provided by heaters on the first basement, the fourth story, and the 17th mezzanine. The original fire-protection system had tanks with a total capacity of 62,500 U.S. gallons (237,000 L; 52,000 imp gal), with a large tank on the roof and smaller reserve tanks on the eighth, 17th mezzanine, and 25th floors. The fourth basement had two motor-driven 250-horsepower (190 kW) pumps, which could provide 2,000 U.S. gallons (7,600 L) of water per minute. The building's drainage system

2184-675: A leafy boulevard along the Hudson River from the northern tip to the southern tip of Manhattan. Legislation in June 1998 followed an agreement by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Governor George Pataki to create the Hudson River Park on the west side of the highway from West 59th to the Battery. The park consists of 550 acres (2.2 km ) and is the biggest park construction in the city since Central Park . A bicycle path running

2352-520: A letter from NYCRR Vice President Ira Place, stating that the railroad would reduce freight rates if the new elevated structure were built. On January 20, 1926, borough president Miller sent a plan for an $ 11 million elevated highway to be built completely on city property to the Board of Estimate. The elevated railroad was removed from the plan, since NYCRR had come up with a separate project for partially elevating and depressing their railroad (now known as

2520-474: A new direction. The Barclay-Vesey Building is credited as being the first skyscraper to use the New York 1916 Zoning Resolution as a design asset. Inspired in part by Hugh Ferriss 's theoretical drawings exhibited in 1922, Walker created a massive asymmetrical tower set back from its base. The design led the way for a generation of skyscrapers built using the set-back principle. It has also been described as

2688-434: A new highway might not be required. The City Club and New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker objected to the highway on the grounds that it would block waterfront-bound freight traffic. They believed that the plans should wait until the surface railroad tracks were removed in the area, at which point the elevated highway might not be necessary. Parallels were drawn with elevated passenger railroads , which were being torn down at

2856-486: A professor at Swarthmore College , Pennsylvania, had a similar plan for an eight-story high boulevard. The street level and first floor would be connected to the Hudson River piers. The second and third stories would carry electric passenger trains, with the second floor carrying northbound traffic and southbound traffic using the third floor. A public garage would occupy the fourth and fifth floors, helping to pay off

3024-638: A protective purpose: the steel frame is enclosed within 12-inch-thick (30 cm), heavy masonry in the exterior infill walls . This was composed of 4 inches (100 mm) of face brick and 8 inches (200 mm) of terracotta, laid in Portland cement mortar with a waterproofing compound. Face brick on terracotta was used because it was cheaper than solid brick. The windows had wire-glass panes and hollow steel frames for fireproofing. The modern-day facade contains some Indiana limestone slabs measuring 5 to 6 inches (130 to 150 mm) thick; these were installed after

3192-626: A silver bullet that he had forged himself. The Ralph T. Walker Papers , his Nachlass are preserved at the Special Collections Research Center of the Syracuse University Libraries. They contain correspondence, articles, manuscript essays, speeches, notes and notebooks as well as photographs, project files, sketches, clippings, and scrapbooks. In 1960, Walker resigned from the AIA after

3360-483: A single large headquarters to "satisfy the present demands and to reasonably anticipate future requirements". In the early 1920s, the New York Telephone Company started acquiring the entire block between West, Barclay, Washington, and Vesey Streets. The site was chosen "because real estate values in that vicinity were much lower" compared to the area around Broadway , being relatively isolated from

3528-660: A special award for him, the AIA Centennial Medal of Honor (Gold Medal) . The headline of The New York Times reporting the award dubbed Walker the "Architect of the Century." To commemorate the event, Walker also wrote and published an autobiography. Walker retired from Voorhees, Walker, Foley, Smith & Smith in 1959 but remained active within the profession. Prior to his death, however, he destroyed his AIA award. Walker killed himself in January 1973, using

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3696-783: A total redesign of the tower and the relocation of its site away from the highway. There used to be four West Street pedestrian bridges , two of them erected after the September 11 attacks. A below-grade crossing of the West Side Highway connecting the Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center) complex and the Concourse level of the World Trade Center opened in October 2013, allowing

3864-512: A unified sense of character. The appearance of unity was ultimately attained through the inclusion of piers on the facade. These piers divide the facade into bays. The western and eastern elevations of the Barclay–Vesey Building's facade are 19 bays wide, while the northern and southern elevations contain 23 bays each. The Barclay–Vesey Building's form was also influenced by its interior use. There were numerous functions that did not necessitate sunlight and could operate using artificial light, such as

4032-474: Is an enclosed, arched arcade above the Vesey Street sidewalk on the southern facade, measuring approximately 17 feet (5.2 m) wide and 250 feet (76 m) long. There are 12 arches in total; each corresponds to two window bays above, except the westernmost arch, which corresponds to one window bay. The arches are supported by brick piers while the ceilings are composed of Guastavino tiles . The arcade

4200-512: Is divided into three sections. The basements and ground story were served directly by the New York City water supply system . The second through 16th stories were supplied by a 33,500-U.S.-gallon (127,000 L) tank on the 17th-story mezzanine. The 18th through 32nd stories were supplied by a 15,000-U.S.-gallon (57,000 L) tank on the 32nd story. The tanks on the 17th mezzanine and 32nd story were each served exclusively by two pumps, and

4368-497: Is on the Henry Hudson Parkway ). Having begun at Canal Street in 1929, implementation of the elevated roadway had progressed as far as Midtown by the time that Robert Moses became NYC Parks Commissioner and took a direct interest in local projects by 1934. However, Moses created significant works extending from the north and south ends of the West Side Highway, including: In the 1960s, Moses proposed straightening

4536-413: The 1939 New York World's Fair . Walker was an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and became its president in 1949. During his two-year presidency he was instrumental in establishing the AIA's College of Fellows which gained approval in 1952. In 1957, on the occasion of the AIA's 100th anniversary, the AIA recognized Walker's extraordinary service to the profession by creating

4704-542: The Architectural League of New York awarded Walker a gold medal of honor for the design, lauding its "quality of excellence" and saying that "A result has been achieved expressive of a high degree of skill and good taste in both general mass and in interesting detail." That October, the Broadway Association gave the New York Telephone Company an award for the Barclay–Vesey Building, calling it

4872-498: The Battery to Yonkers . A freight railroad would lie underground. On ground level would be roads alongside the corridor and an indoor enclosed sidewalk. The mezzanine, between the first and second floors, would be occupied by office space. The second floor would carry a "continuous noiseless moving platform system for passenger service", with adjacent belts moving at various speeds, for a maximum of 21 miles per hour (34 km/h) in

5040-591: The Eastern world and the Western world . On the West Street facade, the main entrance portal is flanked on either side by two single-width double-height bays, a triple-width double-height bay, and another single-width double-height bay. These double-height bays contain storefronts. From top to bottom, the storefronts at the base are generally composed of a solid panel, glazed glass, and a decorative transom. There

5208-519: The High Line ). According to Miller, there were questions over who would own and maintain the dual structure. There were also objections to its height of 40 feet (12 m) and its placement at the east building line of the existing surface roads. The elevated highway was to connect to a planned parkway (now the Henry Hudson Parkway ) at 72nd Street , forming a highway free from cross traffic stretching from Canal Street to 129th Street . The elevated road

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5376-520: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Piers 84 to 92, a major cruise ship terminal building. At 59th Street , the highway becomes an elevated freeway and at 72nd Street, the highway becomes the Henry Hudson Parkway . Various proposals circulated in the 1920s to build an expressway on the west side. Among the proposals: Manhattan borough president Julius Miller said that something had to be done right away and ultimately pushed through

5544-660: The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1991, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The Barclay–Vesey Building is on the border of Lower Manhattan 's Financial District and Tribeca neighborhoods. It occupies an entire city block bounded by West Street to the west, Vesey Street and the World Trade Center to the south, Washington Street to

5712-607: The Riverside Drive Viaduct . Eleventh Avenue is a separate street north of 22nd Street . The portion between West 42nd Street and Canal Street is part of the Lincoln Highway . The highway is a six-to-eight lane urban boulevard , with the northernmost section, from 59th Street to 72nd Street (signed as the Henry Hudson Parkway ), a freeway elevated above a former rail yard adjacent to tracks still used by Amtrak . Trucks and buses are allowed only on

5880-793: The Salvation Army Headquarters (1929–30) on West 14th Street, the Irving Trust Bank at 1 Wall Street (1928–31), and several other telephone buildings throughout New York City and the state, including those in Syracuse and Rochester as well as the New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building . During the 1930s as Art Deco waned, Walker was deeply involved with the planning of the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago and in

6048-631: The United States Army Corps of Engineers were on board for the construction with a 1981 price tag of $ 2.1 billion. But in 1982, Judge Thomas Griesa of the U.S. District Court blocked the Corps permit, saying the road would harm striped bass . His order was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit . In August 1985, Judge Griesa ruled that state and federal agencies had provided tainted testimony regarding

6216-585: The Urban Development Corporation proceeded with planning and environmental studies for a relocated highway. But relocating and burying the elevated highway section became politically complicated when, at the same time, NYSDOT went ahead with its $ 70 million project to straighten, widen, and reinforce the viaduct. In 2005 Trump's majority partners sold the project to the Carlyle Group and Extell Development Company . In June 2006,

6384-535: The original World Trade Center to the south and 7 World Trade Center to the east, experienced major damage in the September 11 attacks following the collapse of the World Trade Center . Restoration of the building and damaged communications infrastructure after the attacks took three years and cost $ 1.4 billion. In 2016, part of the building was converted into 100 Barclay, a residential condominium development. The Barclay–Vesey Building's architects intended for

6552-637: The 10th, 13th, 17th, and 19th floors, were submitted to the New York City Department of Buildings in June 1923. That December, New York Telephone Company officials sought permission from the New York City Board of Appeals to construct part of the building above the surrounding sidewalks. Demolition of existing buildings on the site commenced in May 1923, but high material costs at the time prompted officials to delay construction of

6720-467: The 13th floor. The building rises as a 108-by-116-foot (33 by 35 m) tower above the 17th floor, though smaller wings flank the northern and southern elevations on the 18th and 19th floors. The rectangular tower is aligned with buildings on Broadway to the east, so it is parallel to Barclay and Vesey Streets. During the design process, Walker had considered plans for "a series of stacked blocks connected by blunt transitions", though this proposal lacked

6888-716: The 14th Street Park at 14th Street . The highway continues with this name alongside the Chelsea Piers until it reaches 22nd Street where the highway branches off from Eleventh Avenue onto Twelfth Avenue. At 22nd Street, the highway continues as Twelfth Avenue passing by the Chelsea Waterside Park . It passes just west of the Javits Center from 34th Street to 38th Street and over the Lincoln Tunnel at 39th Street. The road continues past

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7056-546: The 17th floor could provide services to the building's base. As built, the structure had a cafeteria and recreation rooms within one of its basements. These spaces contained trees and paintings. A mural, depicting a panoramic view of the Mediterranean from Spain, decorated one wall. When the building opened, it contained an auditorium at ground level and a gymnasium at the ground-floor mezzanine. The lowest ten floors above ground were intended for use as office space serving

7224-412: The 18th through 32nd floors are served by a single elevator lobby. When the building opened, there were four banks of passenger elevators with 24 cabs between them. Elevator banks A and B each had four cabs and served the lowest ten floors. They were manually operated, running at 700 feet per minute (210 m/min). Elevator bank C had eight cabs: two of these served all stories from the deepest basement to

7392-555: The 1927 meeting of the Municipal Art Society . He disapproved of its ugliness and noise, and suggested simply clearing obstructions to the existing surface road to speed traffic. Adams instead supported a comprehensive regional plan for development in the Hudson Valley . The Fine Arts Federation also opposed the highway, saying that elevated structures were unsightly, and that if the existing street were cleared

7560-517: The 29th story, the corner piers contain elephant heads with geometrically shaped ears and trunks. The 30th floor, 31st floor, and 31st-floor mezzanine contains five triple-height arched windows on each facade. Stone piers protrude above the rooftop level, which contains some mechanical equipment. The building's basements extend 72 feet (22 m) deep and are surrounded by a concrete cofferdam measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) thick. The cofferdam encloses steel braces that descend to 65 feet (20 m) below

7728-471: The 30th floor to the roof. During the morning peak, the elevator system was designed to receive 180 persons per minute, with cabs departing the lobby every five seconds. The lobby runs between the West and Washington Street entrances to the west and east, with a vaulted ceiling . The interior of the lobby includes buff-colored veined marble walls and floors. Travertine was used on the walls while Levanto marble

7896-421: The 30th floor, while the others skipped all stories between the lobby and the 10th floor. Elevator bank D also had eight cabs, which skipped all stories between the lobby and the 16th floor. The two larger banks of elevators were fully automatic and could travel at up to 800 feet per minute (240 m/min). In addition, there was a service elevator, a "low-speed" freight elevator, and an observation cab running from

8064-654: The Americas , a proposed 53-story speculative development near Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan , which would be larger than the existing West Street offices. Two years later, the New York Telephone offices had moved out of the Barclay–Vesey Building, though the switching offices remained. When NYNEX was formed as a result of the breakup of the original AT&T in 1984, the building became NYNEX's headquarters. Improvements in technology resulted in

8232-532: The Americas. To prevent against future flood damage, Verizon installed a storm surge barrier in front of the building. Following Verizon's sale of the top floors, it was announced that Magnum Real Estate would convert the upper floors to a condominium complex known as 100 Barclay. Shaoul and the CIM Group obtained a $ 390 million loan in February 2015 to help finance the project. The partners added 157 units to

8400-403: The Barclay–Vesey Building and placed the first condos for sale in early 2016. However, 100 Barclay's residential units remained largely unoccupied by 2019, leading Magnum Real Estate to reduce the penthouse's asking price from $ 59 million to $ 39 million. To fill up the unused units, Magnum Real Estate started advertising to renters. The Barclay–Vesey Building received much positive acclaim when it

8568-452: The Barclay–Vesey Building was being renovated. The structure had been adjacent to 7 World Trade Center to the east and the World Trade Center's Twin Towers to the south, and when the three buildings collapsed during the attacks, the south and east facades were severely damaged by falling steel beams. The collapse of the World Trade Center caused the partial collapses of some floor slabs near

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8736-610: The Barclay–Vesey Building's site was located off the shore of the North River (now Hudson River ). The shore from Vesey Street north to King Street was infilled during the mid-19th century, and docks were constructed west of West Street. A wholesale market called the Washington Market was established on the future Barclay–Vesey Building block in 1812 or 1813. To support the market and the nearby food businesses, about 35 three- to five-story brick structures were erected on

8904-418: The Barclay–Vesey Building. Two additional exchanges were activated in 1928, which would be able to serve 125,000 additional subscribers; at the time, Lower Manhattan was one of the busiest telephone districts in the world. During the mid-20th century, office space was gradually removed to make room for additional equipment. In 1970, the company signed an agreement to move its executive offices to 1095 Avenue of

9072-533: The Battery, instead ending at Canal Street , meeting the Holland Tunnel (which would open to traffic on November 13, 1927). The northern terminus was set at 72nd Street and Riverside Drive . Ramps were planned at Canal Street , 23rd Street , Riverside Drive , and at least two other locations. The Port of New York Authority opposed the plan, preferring a more forward-looking comprehensive freight distribution plan. They attacked Miller as trying to push

9240-421: The Hudson River and the addition of hundreds of acres of concrete platforms between the bulkhead and the pierhead lines for parks and apartments. The final plan, championed by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Mayor John Lindsay , called for burying the six-lane highway in 220 acres (89 ha) of new landfill south of 40th Street, placing the accompanying development on land instead of on platforms. It

9408-583: The New York City area, such as the New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building (1929), 60 Hudson Street (1930), 101 Willoughby Street and 1 Wall Street (1931), and 32 Avenue of the Americas (1932), as well as telephone buildings in Upstate New York . The massing of the Barclay–Vesey Building includes numerous setbacks. Though setbacks in New York City skyscrapers were mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution to allow light and air to reach

9576-550: The New York City area. Walker was called "The only other honest architect in America" by Frank Lloyd Wright , and "Architect of the Century" by The New York Times when he received the Centennial Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects . His Art Deco designs have been called "bold, spectacularly dynamic", "radical", "distinctive", "theatrical ... very dramatic", "syncopated and jazzy". Walker

9744-617: The West End Association, and eleven other organizations. They cited increasing traffic and the need of a bypass route to support the highway, which would cost little in comparison to its benefits. Miller spoke at a meeting of the Market and Business Men's Association of the Greenwich and Chelsea Districts on October 30, 1928, detailing plans for the highway. It was announced that between 90 and 100 meat and poultry dealers in

9912-718: The West Side Highway, widening both the highway and the Henry Hudson Parkway, and constructing both the Lower Manhattan Expressway and the Mid-Manhattan Expressways , connecting routes that would have stretched across Manhattan. None of these projects were ever built. Later, in his 80s, he opposed the Westway project, but by that time his power was gone and his ideas generally weren't taken seriously. Rather than constructing

10080-621: The West Washington Market and the Gansevoort Market would be evicted to make way for the highway. Minor changes to the highway were approved on January 10, 1929, in response to several objections. The alignment in the Chelsea district was slightly modified to avoid proposed piers, and the path through the markets was realigned to pass over a corner of the property. In addition, the 14th Street ramps were moved to

10248-714: The arcade, including a circulating library. The Vesey Street storefronts were converted to office space by the 2000s. The north facade also contains storefronts set within double-width, double-height arches. Two of the central arches were converted into rectangular garage openings. On the second through 32nd stories, the window design is mostly consistent. Most window openings contain three-over-three sash windows , though some openings have been covered with louvered grates, especially in places where there are mechanical or communications equipment. The second-story windows are generally topped by elaborate triangular limestone surrounds that contain carvings of birds, grapes, and vines, except at

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10416-518: The area between 19th Street and 23rd Street , where they would spare many markets at 14th Street. In addition, the West Washington Market would no longer be demolished, and instead the highway would graze the roofs of some of the stores. An alternate plan was put forth by John Hencken, an engineer, and approved by Ernest P. Goodrich , consulting engineer to the Regional Plan of New York and its Environs . A linear corridor would be built from

10584-418: The basement levels, took all except one of the elevators out of service, and damaged the lobby murals. The next year, Verizon sold off the top floors to developer Ben Shaoul , the head of Magnum Real Estate. Verizon retained the 28th and 29th floors as well as the ground through 10th stories. In conjunction with this sale, Verizon moved 1,100 employees to Downtown Brooklyn and relocated others to 1095 Avenue of

10752-417: The basements to the 10th story, the 11th to 17th stories, and the 18th to 32nd stories. Air distribution to each section was controlled by a panel in the fourth basement, which operated pneumatic valves in the 10th story and 17th mezzanine. The heat was provided by four boilers, which were powered by coal bunkers with a capacity of 1,500 short tons (1,300 long tons; 1,400 t). The heat was then distributed to

10920-551: The block. In addition, there was a lighthouse on the site. When the building was erected, the site was still on the shoreline of the Hudson River. In the 1970s, Battery Park City was built on filled land along the shore, severing the building from the waterfront. The Barclay–Vesey Building, later known as the Verizon Building, was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker in the Art Deco style. It measures 498 feet (152 m) tall and contains 32 stories, with mezzanines above

11088-440: The bonds for the project. The sixth and seventh floors would carry one-way passenger car traffic, permitting speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). A reversible roadway, carrying cars in the direction of rush hour traffic, would occupy the eighth and ninth (top) levels. Ramps to the upper car levels would be provided every 15 to 20 blocks. The plan was criticized by Thomas Adams , Regional Plan Association director, at

11256-401: The builders to include five basement levels rather than four. To keep out the water and slime-like earth, the builders erected a cofferdam with 22 caissons . Each caisson measured 8 feet (2.4 m) thick by 40 feet (12 m) long and was sunk to a depth of 55 to 75 feet (17 to 23 m). The builders then laid down permanent steel struts to hold back the cofferdam. Not only was this likely

11424-478: The builders used six derricks to lift the girders from the street. Four temporary stairways, each containing 351 steps, were built to facilitate the construction of the upper floors. The floor arches were built starting in October 1924; on average, one floor was completed per week. The last rivet in the building was installed in May 1925, and the last brick was laid that September. The New York Building Congress gave craftsmanship awards to several workers to celebrate

11592-613: The building took three years, at a cost of $ 1.4 billion. The New York Times stated that the project would cost "three-quarters of the Chrysler Building's estimated total value." Throughout the restoration, the building continued to serve as a telephone switching center. In 2004, the New York Landmarks Conservancy awarded Tishman Interiors the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for its restoration work on

11760-500: The building was damaged during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Thicker limestone panels, measuring 16 inches (410 mm) thick, were installed around the main entrance. The ornamentation on the facade was carried out by Ulysses Ricci and John De Cesare . Walker wanted the ornamentation to attract passersby and to temper the building's large mass. For the Barclay–Vesey Building, Walker eschewed traditional motifs, such as egg-and-dart patterns, which he saw as cliched. He wrote that

11928-499: The building's completion. New York Telephone's vice president James S. McCulloh placed both the first and the last rivets. The first employees moved to the building on February 19, 1926. All construction was completed by June 1926. However, the New York City Department of Buildings did not declare the building to be completed until April 1927. New York Telephone originally had four dial telephone exchanges at

12096-437: The building's foundation. Work on the foundation began on June 20, 1923. Because the site was mostly artificial fill with riprap buttressing, water from the Hudson River sometimes leaked through to the foundation. The building's foundation needed to descend to the level of the bedrock, and the earth was described as having a slimy consistency below water level. Since the bedrock was deeper than originally anticipated, this allowed

12264-413: The building. Some 5,000 short tons (4,500 long tons; 4,500 t) of steel was used in the substructure, while 15,000 short tons (13,000 long tons; 14,000 t) of steel was used in the superstructure. The building was split mechanically into two sections: one serving the basements and lowest 16 floors, and another serving the 18th through 32nd floors. The 17th floor housed the mechanical equipment. This

12432-545: The building. The restoration was complete by late 2005. That December, Verizon announced it would move its offices from 1095 Avenue of the Americas to 140 West Street, where there would be space for 1,500 employees; the operations hub was relocated to Verizon's campus in Basking Ridge, New Jersey . The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The building was partially flooded by storm surges from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which seeped into

12600-481: The building. Two 110-to-220-volt direct current power lines provided power for the building's normal operation, though either line could provide all of the building's power if the other line failed. In addition, there were two 13,400-volt, three-phase alternating current lines for the telephone exchanges. There were also 35 motor generators with a total capacity of 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW). Heating and ventilation systems were also divided into three sections:

12768-612: The buried highway up to the George Washington Bridge, eliminating the elevated section between 59th and 72nd streets, as well as the Henry Hudson Parkway. That option was rejected because of the cost and because it would violate the Blumenthal Amendment, which prohibited any highway construction that would alter Riverside Park. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) rejected former parks commissioner Robert Moses 's proposal to relocate

12936-598: The ceiling. The chandeliers are suspended from motifs of "angelic figures". The Barclay–Vesey Building has five sub-basement levels, which house communications equipment. Originally, four of the sub-basements had lead-covered cables and storage batteries with a 3,600-kilowatt-hour (13,000 MJ) capacity. At the time of the September 11 attacks, Verizon was using the building as a main telecommunications switching center in Lower Manhattan , handling approximately 200,000 phone lines and 3.6 million data circuits. These circuits traveled as far north as 42nd Street . In emergencies,

13104-410: The central operating system and the mechanical space, which was placed inside the building's core. The mechanical core was an important consideration since, at the time, office buildings largely relied on natural ventilation through means such as light courts. Because the office space was placed on the exterior walls, the lowest ten stories did not need light courts. As a result, the base could also occupy

13272-652: The central telephone offices. Each of these stories covered approximately 1 acre (0.40 ha). The upper stories' corridors generally had terrazzo floors, as well as 4.5-foot-high (1.4 m) Botticino marble wainscoting beneath buff-colored plaster walls. The elevator lobbies on each floor were equipped with illuminated signs, indicating which sets of elevators served that floor. The 29th floor included New York Telephone's offices. The 29th-story corridors and anteroom had travertine stone floors, Levanto marble baseboards , Kato stone wainscoting, and plaster friezes and ceilings. White oak floors and curly maple paneling were used in

13440-454: The company's equipment. The initial design called for a height of 404 feet (123 m), with 680,000 square feet (63,000 m) of office space, and 38,000 square feet (3,500 m) of commercial ground-floor storefronts. In addition, the building would be erected with a steel-and-concrete frame, as well as facade trim made of limestone and buff -colored brick. The building was to be designed by Ralph Walker of Kenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin, who

13608-423: The corners of the building, where the second-story windows contain lintels and sills with carvings of grapes and vines. The third-story windows also contain sills with grape and vine carvings. The fourth- through 32nd-story windows have plain, undecorated sills and windows. Each window bay is separated by vertical limestone piers. Cast stone decorative elements are concentrated above the 20th story. For example, at

13776-403: The curb. Above ground, there is masonry encasing the steel superstructure . Brick, cinder, concrete, and other masonry materials are used throughout the interior. The floors are made of reinforced concrete, and wood was avoided in the building where possible, with steel doors used for fireproofing. The stairs and corridors were also designed to be fire- and smoke-proof, with partitions throughout

13944-541: The days after the attack. William F. Collins AIA Architects was the lead architectural firm working on the restoration, while Tishman Interiors managed the project. The Excalibur Bronze Foundry and Petrillo Stone were hired as specialists to restore the intricate ornamental detail in the facade and in the lobby. The facade restoration involved carving motif designs in the ornamental limestone , as well as installing 5,000 cu ft (140 m) of Indiana limestone and 500 cu ft (14 m) of Stony Creek granite. For

14112-435: The decorative elements should be "so complicated in its structure as not to be readily comprehended; its framework should be as hidden as the steel structure itself." It includes complex foliage ; babies and animal heads; and a bell above the door, symbolizing the telephone company. The bell was the only decoration on the facade that indicated the building's original use as a telecommunications center. Though Walker characterized

14280-575: The design competition for the Tribune Tower. Such elements included the Barclay–Vesey Building's setbacks ; its vertical piers ; and its pyramidal roof, which had been a defining feature of Walker's Tribune Tower proposal. The Barclay–Vesey Building's architecture has been compared to San Antonio 's Milam Building , the largest pre-stressed concrete and brick office building and the first to have an integrated designed-in air conditioning system. Walker subsequently designed other Art Deco buildings in

14448-399: The designation, and the company's own media had previously described the building as a "landmark". The building became the headquarters of Bell Atlantic following Bell Atlantic's 1997 merger with NYNEX. Subsequently, in 2000, the building became Verizon Communications' headquarters after Verizon was formed from the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE . At the time of the September 11 attacks ,

14616-399: The doors are bronze screens with vine-and-grape ornamentation; these formerly also contained motifs of bells to represent the New York Telephone Company. The main entrance portals are framed with a decorative limestone lintel depicting a bird and human figures. The limestone friezes above each set of doors depict a bell flanked by a Mongolian and a Native American, which respectively symbolize

14784-413: The east, and Barclay Street to the north. Adjacent buildings include 7 World Trade Center to the east and One World Trade Center to the south. The block is parallelogram -shaped, measuring about 210 feet (64 m) along West and Washington Streets and 250 feet (76 m) along Vesey and Barclay Streets. The total area of the block is 52,000 square feet (4,800 m). Prior to the 19th century,

14952-410: The elevated section to grade also because of the Blumenthal Amendment as well as the presumed negative effect on development opportunities. Donald Trump , who had an option on the property, seized on Moses's proposal as a way to enhance his development plans, thus negating one of NYSDOT's objections, but his proposed 12,000-unit residential development went nowhere. So NYSDOT planned for a renovation of

15120-401: The elevator lobbies feature Levanto marble walls. Other doorways leading from the lobby, as well as the fluted pilasters along the lobby's length, are also made of Levanto marble. The doors from the lobby are made of bronze, as are the capitals of the pilasters, which incorporate grape-and-vine motifs. The lobby features inlaid bronze medallions in the floor, which depict the construction of

15288-399: The entire lot area, with higher setbacks than in other office buildings. The facade was inspired by Maya architecture . Above the granite base, the exterior is clad with brick in hues of green, gold, and buff , a material that Walker preferred for its texture and color. There is cast-stone ornamentation on the building's upper floors, as well as patterned motifs and limestone decoration on

15456-431: The essay with: May I say, finally, that I have no illusions of grandeur; quite to the contrary, I am very humble in my knowledge that through forty years of my life my life has been an open book of service to my fellow architects and for the public good. When I sever my connections with the A.I.A. I do so with my own self respect, as a matter of pride and I am sure within your knowledge of my character. I completely scorn

15624-401: The facades were damaged. The masonry allowed the structure to absorb much of the energy from debris hitting the building, and damage was restricted mostly to impact points. Although no fires were observed, the ground-floor murals were damaged by smoke. Tishman Realty & Construction , which had been planning work on the building prior to the attacks, did a quick assessment of the building in

15792-529: The falsifying, the sanctimonious, the cheap and the shoddy. Walker was reinstated to the AIA in 1965. Walker belonged to several other organizations. He was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts , serving from 1959 to 1963; he was a trustee of the Lavanburg Foundation , Vice President of the Citizen's Housing & Planning Council of New York , and

15960-539: The fifth basement. From there, two sump pumps drained the water out of the building. In his design for the Barclay–Vesey Building, Walker believed that the structure should serve "as a machine which had definite functions to perform for the benefit of its occupants." The design scheme for the interior is a continuation of that on the facade, which was a relatively rare stylistic choice of the time, since many contemporary buildings were being designed with modern-styled exteriors and historically styled interiors. Walker created

16128-497: The firm McKenzie, Voorhees, Gmelin and its successor firms Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker ; Voorhees, Walker, Foley & Smith ; Voorhees, Walker, Smith & Smith ; and Voorhees, Walker, Smith, Smith & Haines (now known as HLW ). Walker is best known for his designs for the Barclay–Vesey Building (1922–26) and 1 Wall Street (1928–31), but was also involved in numerous other Art Deco telecommunications buildings in

16296-565: The firm, Walker used his Beaux-Arts training to provide support for the firm's ongoing commissions for projects like the Brooklyn Municipal Building , completed in 1924, and the Brooklyn Edison Building , completed in 1923. With his design for the Barclay–Vesey Building (1922–1926), commissioned by New York Telephone in 1921, Walker became a lead designer and took McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin in

16464-615: The first Art Deco skyscraper because of its inventive ornament surrounding doorways and windows and elevator foyers. As a result of the success of the design, Walker made partner in the firm and its name was changed to Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker in 1926. Befitting his success, Walker moved to the suburbs of New York, to Westchester County . After the completion of the Barclay-Vesey Building, Walker designed several other buildings using its combination of asymmetrical setbacks and towers with Art Deco ornament, including

16632-421: The first Art Deco skyscrapers. It occupies the entire block bounded by West Street to the west, Barclay Street to the north, Vesey Street to the south, and Washington Street to the east, abutting the World Trade Center . The building was constructed from 1923 to 1927 and was the longtime corporate headquarters of New York Telephone and its successor Verizon Communications . The building, being adjacent to

16800-511: The first such use of steel bracing, it saved $ 30,000 compared to the temporary wood bracing that had been used in previous projects. During construction, almost 700 workers were employed for the project at any given time; tradesmen, such as plumbers and electricians, worked with concrete and steel contractors in overlapping shifts, in order to reduce delays. The superstructure incorporated 20,000 short tons (18,000 long tons; 18,000 t) of steel across its above-ground and below-ground sections, and

16968-498: The fundamental qualities of design." The building was on the frontispiece of the English version of Toward an Architecture by Le Corbusier , such was its stature. These favorable reviews have continued through the 21st century: the 2009 Guide to New York City Landmarks described the building as "one of the most significant structures in skyscraper design". The design received awards from civic groups as well. In February 1927,

17136-441: The ground, 17th, and 31st stories. The Art Deco style was not yet established when the building was erected, and contemporary publications described the building as being "Modernistic" or "Modern Perpendicular". Consequently, some architectural critics describe the Barclay–Vesey Building as being the first Art Deco skyscraper. It was also the first major structure that Walker designed for McKenzie, Voorhees & Gmelin , and, as such,

17304-414: The ground. It would be built of steel , with a cement face. A three-foot (1 m) sidewalk would be built for pedestrians , although the highway was intended mainly for motor vehicles. Two-block-long ramps would be provided with easy grades for entering and exiting the highway. Trucks would be allowed on the highway. The Board of Estimate approved the highway, now costing $ 13.5 million on June 14, 1926. It

17472-466: The highway were used in iconic pictures of the day. Emergency personnel went down the West Side Highway and were greeted by cheering crowds at Christopher Street on their return. Virtually all the debris from the Center traveled up the West Side Highway to be shipped off by barge. For the last half of the month, out-of-town ambulances waited on the highway for a chance to help injured patients. There

17640-432: The idea that led to the plan for Riverside South . The highway was not designed well, resulting in many shortcomings. Its lanes were considered too narrow and it could not accommodate trucks. Sharp "S" exit ramps proved hazardous, as did the left-hand exit and entrance lanes that made merging dangerous. On December 15, 1973, the northbound lanes between Little West 12th Street and Gansevoort Street collapsed under

17808-607: The interior elements by machine when it was possible. Mumford likened this continuity in interior and exterior design to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright , Henry Hobson Richardson , and Louis Sullivan , which also exhibited such consistency. The interior space covers 1.2 million sq ft (110,000 m). When used as a telephone facility, the Barclay–Vesey Building could accommodate 6,000 workers in 850,000 square feet (79,000 m) of usable space. There are 26 elevators to transport tenants to upper floors. The second through 16th floors are served by two elevator lobbies, while

17976-486: The interiors of the elevator cabs had walnut panels. A telephone alcove is also placed off the lobby. Since the upper floors' residential overhaul in the 2010s, the western half of the lobby is still used by Verizon, but the eastern half is used as a residents' lounge. The lobby has an Art Deco decorative scheme. These works were designed by Ricci and De Cesare, and executed by Edgar Williams and Mack, Jenney & Tyler. The elevator doors are framed by bronze surrounds, while

18144-449: The invention of smaller telephone equipment, leading to an increase in available office space at the Barclay–Vesey Building. By the 1990s, some office workers were moving back into the Barclay–Vesey Building. The exteriors and ground-floor lobbies of the Barclay–Vesey Building and two other telecommunications buildings were designated city landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1991. New York Telephone supported

18312-406: The left lane for passing and putting ramps on the right side, and to the method popular around the 1950s of putting ramps on whichever side was easier. The highway would "carry buses that will make both its conveniences and its beauties available to the general public", according to Miller. He suggested Hudson River Boulevard for the name of the highway. On April 24, 1925, Governor Al Smith signed

18480-479: The length of the highway to Battery Park City was one of the first additions. Piers are currently being refurbished and other work continues, with Pier 84 as the largest. Even though the highway has had two other official names, the official names have never stuck. The first official name was the Miller Highway, in honor of the city council president who pushed for the highway. On March 30, 1999, at

18648-462: The lobby as "a gay efflorescence of remarkably good decoration". Similarly, Hamlin wrote that the lobby "proves that as beautiful a richness of color and form can be obtained freely and non-stylistically as in any of the historical styles". Following the September 11 attacks, Verizon's corporate-real-estate manager praised the Barclay–Vesey Building's resilience, referring to the building as a "tank". West Street (Manhattan) The current highway

18816-428: The lower floors. The builders used machines to create as many of the decorative features as possible. The Barclay–Vesey Building also contains serrated stone-and-light-brick parapets, which, when combined with the building's vertical piers, give a naturalistic "alpine" look to the setbacks. When taken as a whole, the materials of the facade were intended to give an impression of stability and mass. The facade also serves

18984-549: The middle. This service would be free, and would be a substitute for new subways in the corridor. Above the second floor would be about ten stories of apartments, offices, businesses, and other uses appropriate for the neighborhoods; these would be the main source of revenue to pay for the project. A high-speed motor parkway, open to passenger cars only, would lie on top. Cars would reach the upper level via ramps at both ends and elevators at convenient intervals. Dr. Benjamin Battin,

19152-401: The most congested thoroughfare in the city. Vast quantities of the city's foodstuffs [were] handled in the territory adjacent to West Street." He cited traffic congestion as an extra cost of doing business and a blockage for fire engines . On February 2, 1925, it was announced that the railroad would build a combined double-decker elevated highway and freight railroad (with the highway above

19320-571: The murals in the lobby, hypodermic needles were used to inject acrylic resin to restore the paint and plaster. On the executive office floors, workers restored the barrel-vaulted ceilings, plaster friezes , and other elements. Restoration of the building also involved replacing a corner column; A+ Construction of Rye, New York was responsible for this work. The building's 23 elevators were also upgraded; new fire alarms, building command systems, and chillers were installed; and restrooms were made accessible to those with disabilities . Restoration of

19488-468: The name to Trump City. Six civic organizations opposed to Trump City proposed a plan that would relocate and bury the highway in conjunction with a much smaller development and a southward extension of Riverside Park . Trump eventually agreed to this plan, known as Riverside South . After city approval in 1992, work began on the new apartment complex. As part of the Riverside South agreement,

19656-549: The new developer began construction of a tunnel between 61st and 65th streets for the relocated highway. Following the end of the Westway project, there were debates on what to do about the rest of the highway. Vollmer Associates was contracted for the highway replacement project in September 1986. There were four alternatives: three at-grade options with a varying number of lanes and quality of roadway, and one option with grade-separated ramps over busy intersections. By November,

19824-495: The new, ceremonial name of the highway were erected on April 25, 1999. This was in the midst of a reconstruction, finished on March 29, 2002, after the September ;11 attacks in 2001 destroyed part of the road, which was still being rebuilt. Only minimal signage for the new name was erected as a result, while "West Side Highway" signs abound. Completion of the project was originally set for October 2001, but it

19992-430: The newest sections (south of Canal Street), because ramps south of the collapse only permitted northbound entrances and southbound exits. The southernmost northbound exit was at 23rd Street. In 1971, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) proposed rebuilding the highway as Interstate 478 . UDC's "Water Edge Study" called for the highway to be routed above the water at the ends of the then mostly abandoned piers on

20160-408: The only means of living in this age of machine. It is an expression and reflection of the age. And of the designer of these buildings: The architect of the future will have to be a psychologist, because it is as important for the architect to design a building for man to be mentally comfortable in as it is for him to design one in which he will be physically comfortable. In his first few years with

20328-401: The organizational structure found that its New York City operations were housed in multiple buildings across the city and were thus inefficient. The company's main office was at 15 Dey Street, which had not been enlarged since 1904 and could not house the company's 33,000 employees. The company's president from 1919 to 1924, Howard Ford Thurber , sought to centralize the company's operations into

20496-473: The ornamental program as "free and flowing", it was actually rigid and complex. Architectural critic Lewis Mumford stated that the ornamental program at ground level was an extensive "rock garden". The main facades are on West and Washington Streets to the west and east, respectively. At the center of each side, there are large entrance portals that are three bays wide and two stories tall. These portals contain bronze-framed doorways with decorative motifs. Above

20664-424: The pedestrian bridge adjacent to Vesey Street to be removed. On October 31, 2017, a man intentionally drove a pickup truck for a mile through the Hudson River Park 's bike path, parallel to the West Side Highway, between Houston Street and Chambers Street, killing eight people and injuring at least 11. In 2022, Manhattan borough president Mark Levine proposed converting one lane of the West Side Highway into

20832-543: The plan for the West Side Elevated Highway , which was to eventually bear his name. The proposal immediately ran into stiff opposition. The City Club and New York City Mayor James J. Walker objected to the highway on the grounds that it would block waterfront-bound freight traffic. At the time, West Street exhibited a "daily avalanche of freight and passengers in traffic", and was "walled by an unbroken line of bulkhead sheds and dock structures" blocking

21000-503: The plan through without input from the Port Authority. The Port Authority wanted a system of inland terminals and belt-line railroads. According to Port Authority Chairman Julian Gregory, it was almost certain that NYCRR would not go along with the Port Authority plan. It was also believed that giving NYCRR elevated tracks on the west side would allow the railroad to monopolize freight and raise prices. The Port Authority believed it

21168-455: The railroad) for $ 24 million at no cost to the city. At the time, Eleventh Avenue was popularly known as "Death Avenue" owing to the dangers of the surface line. The elevated structure would eliminate 106 grade crossings over 84 blocks. The proposal came about after six months of negotiations between Manhattan Borough President Julius Miller and the NYCRR. The planned highway would no longer go to

21336-438: The relief of traffic congestion"; he had already widened many avenues and removed several Midtown elevated railroad spurs. He said the plan would not give the NYCRR any rights they did not already have; it was merely a relocation of existing tracks. The tracks had been on the surface for 55 years despite legal action taken against them, and Miller claimed they would be there for another 50 if nothing were done. Miller also received

21504-415: The rest of the neighborhood. The company owned the entire block by 1923, by which it had spent $ 1.5 million on acquisitions. In April 1923, the company announced that it intended to build a new headquarters at a projected cost of $ 11.5 million. The structure was to house 6,000 employees from the company's six central offices , who would work with 120,000 telephones, as well as mechanical equipment to support

21672-478: The route passes close to the site of the World Trade Center at Vesey Street. The route continues with this name passing by numerous piers along the Hudson River until Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District where it becomes Eleventh Avenue. Eleventh Avenue begins just north of the intersection with Tenth Avenue . The highway is concurrent with Eleventh Avenue north of this point, passing by

21840-597: The section between Canal Street and West 72nd Street was completed in 1937, with a "Southern Extension" to the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel completed in 1951. Before the West Side Highway was built, the road along the Hudson River was busy, with significant cross traffic going to docks and ferries . At 22nd Street, most traffic continued north along Eleventh Avenue , along which the New York Central Railroad (NYCRR)'s West Side Line ran; it

22008-455: The site could not be taller than 43 stories. Consequently, Walker created designs for a structure containing 10, 16, 26, 29, 32, 36, and 42 floors. Voorhees's studies found that a 16-story building was most efficient in terms of "quantities of space", while a 29-story building would have the lowest construction costs per square foot. The latter calculation also allowed the architects to determine how many basement stories were required. The height of

22176-470: The streets below, they later became a defining feature of the Art Deco style. The lowest ten floors of the building occupy the entire area of the city block. Above the 10th floor, there are setbacks on the north and south elevations of the facade. Narrow and deep light courts , to the west and east, create an H-shaped floor plan from the 11th to the 17th floors. There are smaller setbacks at each corner on

22344-480: The striped bass. At the same time, Congress moved to deny necessary funding for the landfill. On September 30, 1985, New York City officially gave up on the project, allocating 60 percent of its interstate highway funds to mass transit and setting aside $ 811 million for the "West Side Highway Replacement Project". In the 1970s, debates raged about what to do with the elevated section from West 72nd Street and 59th Street. One version of Westway would have continued

22512-403: The structure to have an imposing form, with vertical piers designed as buttresses ; setbacks at upper floors; and a program of elaborate ornamentation on the exterior and interior. The Barclay–Vesey Building's design has been widely praised by architectural critics, both for its design scheme and for its symbolism. The building's exterior and first-floor interior were declared city landmarks by

22680-514: The suite itself. The 31st floor contained an assembly room that could hold 6,500 workers. There was also a training school for workers. The stories above the 10th floor have been converted into 157 luxury condominium units. There is a separate lobby for residents on the Barclay Street side, which connects to the original lobby. The penthouse apartment , a duplex unit on the 31st and 32nd floors, covers 14,500 square feet (1,350 m) with

22848-560: The surface section. The West Side Highway's surface section takes three names: West Street from the Battery Park Underpass north to Tenth Avenue , then Eleventh Avenue to 22nd Street, and finally Twelfth Avenue to 72nd Street. The highway begins from Battery Park close to the mouth of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel where it also accepts traffic from the southern terminus of FDR Drive . From there,

23016-509: The telephone system. The medallion on the eastern side depicts a female telephone operator, and that on the western side depicts a lineworker . There are twelve ceiling murals that depict how human communication has progressed, from Aztec runners to the telephone . Nine murals (five at the western entrance and four at the eastern entrance) demonstrate the ancient methods of communication. The three center murals depict modern communication. Two bronze chandeliers with complex ornamentation hang from

23184-668: The time; Henry Curran of the City Club called elevated structures "a misfit in New York". The City Club also objected to more passenger cars in downtown Manhattan. Concerns were raised by the Women's League for the Protection of Riverside Park, which opposed routing trucks through Riverside Park , which would contain a parkway extending from the north end of the planned elevated highway. The League emphasized that commercial traffic should be banned north of 72nd Street (as it currently

23352-484: The tower was in part influenced by how many elevators were required, since elevators took up a significant part of the rentable area on upper stories. Walker tested out different architectural styles, such as the Gothic and Italian Renaissance styles, before settling on a "modernistic" Art Deco style. The 32-story proposal was ultimately deemed the most efficient. The blueprints for the 32-story proposal, with setbacks at

23520-524: The traffic pattern and long-term construction disruptions. This prompted New York Governor George Pataki to cancel the tunnel project in favor of a boulevard . The boulevard was finished by 2014. In 2004, the police forces of both the PANYNJ and the NYPD announced concerns that the proposed One World Trade Center would be too close to the West Side Highway and thus vulnerable to car bombs . This prompted

23688-405: The upper stories through 3,000 radiators . Within the lobby, two recirculating systems were installed, taking hot air from the ceiling and discharging it into the floor. The restrooms had their own ventilation shaft, discharging air at the roof. There was also an ice-making plant in the basement, which could create 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of ice every 24 hours. The building's water-supply system

23856-431: The urging of Mayor Giuliani, the highway was renamed for legendary New York Yankees player Joe DiMaggio , who had died three weeks earlier. Legislation to rename the highway had been introduced before DiMaggio died. Giuliani championed the name change because the highway would have been the approach to the proposed West Side Stadium at the highway and 32nd Street. DiMaggio lived on Manhattan's east side. Signs bearing

24024-489: The viaduct. A subsequent development project, Lincoln West , accepted the elevated highway, but, although Lincoln West won approval from the City, it failed to obtain financing. Later, Trump acquired the property and proposed Television City, a design based on a massive 13-block-long podium to hide the elevated highway. Responding to criticism, Trump switched architects, reduced the podium to eight blocks in length, and changed

24192-411: The view not only of the river, but even of the ships being serviced, and the commerce carried out on those piers and slips was vital to the economic health of the city. They believed that the plans should wait until the surface railroad tracks were removed in the area, at which point the elevated highway might not be necessary. Many objected that it would be ugly. Finally, in 1929, construction started, and

24360-403: The weight of a dump truck , which was carrying over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg) of asphalt for ongoing repairs of the highway. A four-door sedan followed the truck through the hole; neither driver was seriously injured. The next day, both directions were 'indefinitely' closed south of 18th Street . This not only closed off the oldest section (between Canal Street and 18th Street), but also

24528-420: The windows, though the building as a whole was not in immediate danger of collapse. Debris also sliced water mains, flooding the basements. As a result, underground cable vaults belonging to Verizon, along with other underground utility infrastructure, were heavily damaged from water and debris. The building received only moderate damage because its thick-masonry design gave the building added strength, but two of

24696-757: Was a Rotch Traveling Scholar in 1916. Walker practiced in various offices in Boston , Montreal , and New York City , "in charge of planning and design of churches, monumental buildings, universities and commercial buildings." In World War I , Walker served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the American Expeditionary Force as a second lieutenant in the Camouflage Section, from 1917 to 1918, as did many other artists, sculptors and architects. In 1919, at age 30, after his return from Europe for his military service, Walker

24864-406: Was a compromise design because the city wanted to expand the street during the building's construction, while Walker wanted a larger base. The arcade was called "one of the most comfortable shopping fronts in New York City" when the Barclay–Vesey Building was completed, but because it was so dark, the arcade did not receive too much pedestrian traffic. Nevertheless, numerous enterprises were located in

25032-427: Was aesthetically distinguished from the firm's previous commissions. The building was constructed by general contractor Marc Eidlitz & Son , with several consulting engineers assisting in the project. Walker intended the building to be "as modern as the telephone activity it houses". His design took several elements from Eliel Saarinen's proposal for Chicago's Tribune Tower , as well as from Walker's own entry in

25200-554: Was apprenticed to Providence architect Howard K. Hilton . The three-year apprenticeship paid one dollar a week for the first year, two a week for the second year and three a week for the third. While working there Walker attended classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . After two years had moved up to a design position, paying nine dollars a week. He left during his final semester before graduating, and, in 1913, married Stella Forbes, of Providence. He

25368-590: Was born on November 28, 1889, in Waterbury, Connecticut , and was raised in Connecticut and Rhode Island by a working-class family. His father was a construction worker, and he received his love of the arts from his mother, who exposed him to theatre, where he saw operettas and other light entertainment. He attended Classical High School in Providence, Rhode Island . In 1907, at the age of 18, Walker

25536-426: Was complete by 2001, but required reconstruction after the September 11 attacks that year, when the collapse of the World Trade Center caused debris to fall onto the surrounding areas, damaging the highway. It uses the surface streets that existed before the elevated highway was built: West Street, Eleventh Avenue and Twelfth Avenue. A short section of Twelfth Avenue still runs between 125th and 138th Streets, under

25704-459: Was completed between the Battery and 59th Street in August 2001. The period between the 1973 collapse and the 1985 demise of Westway was a chaotic time for drivers as the original elevated highway was dismantled (finally in 1989) and traffic was rerouted to temporary highways. The new highway permits trucks, which the old elevated did not. Together with the northern Henry Hudson Parkway , it creates

25872-528: Was completed. New York Telephone dubbed the headquarters "a symbol of service and progress", while Mumford said that the design "expresses the achievements of contemporary American architecture...better than any other skyscraper I have seen." Joseph Pennell called the building "the most impressive modern building in the world", and Talbot Hamlin predicted it would be "a monument of American progress in architecture." The New York Herald, New York Tribune wrote: "The architects deserve our thanks for their trust in

26040-523: Was debate over whether to rebuild the damaged section of the road as a surface street or a tunnel. As a master plan was developed for Ground Zero, plans initially called for the West Side Highway to be buried in a tunnel between the site and Battery Park City that was expected to cost $ 1 billion. Goldman Sachs , which had planned to build its headquarters in Battery Park City, announced its intention to cancel those plans because of concerns about

26208-479: Was delayed for years due to damage caused by the September 11 attacks . The highway, which runs just west of the World Trade Center , played a major role in the September ;11, 2001 attacks and its aftermath. The famous flag raising photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record took place by the highway on the northwest corner of the site. In addition, three chunks of the tower that crashed into

26376-419: Was divided into several sections. In the basements and the first story, the sanitary system discharged into ejectors in the fifth basement. On and above the second story, there were two main sanitary stacks serving alternate floors. The roof had a separate drainage system that connected directly to the city's sewer system. Subsoil water and floor drains emptied into a 70,000-U.S.-gallon (260,000 L) sump in

26544-457: Was in contrast to other buildings, where mechanical equipment were usually contained on their roofs or in their basements. The floors could handle live structural loads of up to 150 or 275 pounds per square foot (730 or 1,340 kg/m), depending on the intended uses of each floor section. The Barclay–Vesey Building was equipped with electric ducts on every floor, so a wire could be brought to within 2 or 3 feet (0.61 or 0.91 m) of any point in

26712-609: Was known by many as " Death Avenue " for the many crashes caused by trains and automobiles colliding. The first official proposal for an elevated highway along Manhattan's west side was made by Police Commissioner Richard Edward Enright on January 12, 1924, in a letter to the New York City Board of Estimate . The highway was to be 100 feet (30 m) wide, running north from the Battery to 72nd Street at Riverside Drive , West End Avenue , or Amsterdam Avenue . According to Enright, "During business hours West Street [was]

26880-443: Was linked to a plan by the city for more piers for ocean steamships; since the highway required land takings between 47th Street and 51st Street , it was easier to combine the projects and prevent additional expense. On February 17, 1927, the Board of Estimate adopted the final plans for the highway, setting a hearing date of March 24. It was split into two sections, Section one went from Canal Street to 59th Street . Section two

27048-399: Was offered a junior design position with McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin , a New York firm that was the successor firm to the one begun by Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz . Walker was to remain there for the remainder of his career. Skyscraper design was to be the focus of Walker's career, and he was to be influential in determining what they would should look like. He said of it: The skyscraper is

27216-408: Was primarily a freight problem, but NYCRR and New York City considered it to be a grade-crossing elimination project. Miller responded by arguing that something had to be done right away. He said that if the Port Authority could put forward a comprehensive plan within five years, he would put his full support behind it. He also pointed out that his plan was only one part of his "comprehensive plan for

27384-408: Was renamed "Westway" in 1974. Hugh Carey , who was to become governor, and Ed Koch , who was to become mayor, both campaigned against the plan, saying that it would be a waste of government funds and would be a windfall for private developers. After the two were elected, they both reversed their position and supported the plan. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan 's Department of Transportation and

27552-538: Was then thirty-four years old and relatively inexperienced. At the time, construction was expected to be completed in July 1925. Walker may have started planning the Barclay–Vesey Building in 1921. He wished to create a "strong corporate image " for the structure, and he sought to ensure that the proposed headquarters would comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution while also being spacious and relatively inexpensive. According to S. F. Voorhees, an efficiently designed building on

27720-409: Was to be 60 feet (18 m) wide, wide enough for six lanes of traffic; the existing surface road would carry local traffic beneath the highway. Ramps would be provided at Canal Street , Christopher Street , 14th Street , 23rd Street , 34th Street , 42nd Street , and 57th Street . Slow-moving traffic would use the left lanes, due to the left-hand ramps . This contrasts with the current method of using

27888-495: Was to be built so a second deck could be added at a later time for about $ 9 million if traffic warranted. Controller Charles W. Berry questioned the proposal until he realized the money would come from tax assessments, at which time he agreed with the project. On November 10, 1926, the Sinking Fund Commission voted to give the city title to the waterfront property along the proposed highway. The highway plan

28056-546: Was to carry the road over the NYCRR's 60th Street Yard from 59th Street to 72nd Street . Section two was approved by the Board of Estimate on August 16, 1928; section one was postponed until September 27 due to objections. On October 18, the Board of Estimate approved section one. The highway was advocated by most business interests, including the Downtown League, the Fifth Avenue Association ,

28224-432: Was used for baseboards and trim. Toward the center of the lobby, there are two alcoves each on the north and south walls, which lead to the elevator banks. The northern alcoves both contain eight elevators while the southern alcoves both contain four elevators. All of the elevator alcoves contain painted ceilings and ornate bronze fixtures for ventilation and lights. The elevator doors were originally made of hammered iron, and

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