Postcard of the Singer Building, New York City, c1920
This tall, thin skyscraper style post card is published by the American Art Publishing Company of NYC that appears to have been active between 1918 and 1925 and who produced them for H. Finkelstein & Son.
The Singer Building was, when completed in 1908, was for a year the tallest building in the world standing at 612ft (187m) and was designed by architect Ernest Flagg in the Beaux-Arts style popular in architecture at the time. It was constructed for the Singer Manufacturing Company under their leadership of their then President Gilbert Bourne. Bourne is best recalled as the person who, in popularising the use of the Singer sewing machine, by way of worldwide production and the use of marketing and sales, introduced one of the first 'world brands'.
The building was topped as can be seen by a flagpole 62ft high that flew the Singer Company's flag or banner.
The building at Liberty St and Broadway in Manhattan also had for many years the dubious honour of being the tallest building in the world purposely demolished as in 1968/9 it was taken down by US Steel for the site of their new building. This was to allow a greater footprint to be utilised than had been provided for in the rather slender tower provided by the original that was a deliberate move by the architect who felt that tall buildings shoudl be set back from the street line - a precursor to the long arguments that produced much debate around the NYC building ordnances over the decades.
The greatest loss was apparently that of the interior lobby of the building described as having a quality of "celestial radiance" that helped made it one of the most iconic of NYC buildings that did not make it to the list of the Landmark Preservation Commission.
Postcard of the Singer Building, New York City, c1920
This tall, thin skyscraper style post card is published by the American Art Publishing Company of NYC that appears to have been active between 1918 and 1925 and who produced them for H. Finkelstein & Son.
The Singer Building was, when completed in 1908, was for a year the tallest building in the world standing at 612ft (187m) and was designed by architect Ernest Flagg in the Beaux-Arts style popular in architecture at the time. It was constructed for the Singer Manufacturing Company under their leadership of their then President Gilbert Bourne. Bourne is best recalled as the person who, in popularising the use of the Singer sewing machine, by way of worldwide production and the use of marketing and sales, introduced one of the first 'world brands'.
The building was topped as can be seen by a flagpole 62ft high that flew the Singer Company's flag or banner.
The building at Liberty St and Broadway in Manhattan also had for many years the dubious honour of being the tallest building in the world purposely demolished as in 1968/9 it was taken down by US Steel for the site of their new building. This was to allow a greater footprint to be utilised than had been provided for in the rather slender tower provided by the original that was a deliberate move by the architect who felt that tall buildings shoudl be set back from the street line - a precursor to the long arguments that produced much debate around the NYC building ordnances over the decades.
The greatest loss was apparently that of the interior lobby of the building described as having a quality of "celestial radiance" that helped made it one of the most iconic of NYC buildings that did not make it to the list of the Landmark Preservation Commission.