jefffreeland
i1) Walker's Western Union Building; 60 Hudson Street; NYC
Note the door handles.
From Flickr photographer extraodinaire Emilio Guerra's photostream.
Tribeca, Manhattan.
.
The Western Union Building (1928-30), designed by Ralph Walker, one of New York's foremost architects of the period, is a recognized achievement in modernistic skyscraper design. The building is characteristic of a group of communications buildings designed by Walker in the late 1920s, primarily for the telephone companies, in which he developed a distinctive design approach related to the contemporary Art Deco style. The design of the Western Union Building was influenced by the work of the German and Dutch Expressionist architects, and drew upon Walker's well-defined design theory emphasizing harmony and unity. The integrated aesthetic of form, material, and ornamentation incorporates such elements as patterned brickwork, dramatic entrances, faceted wall planes and trim, and complex and asymmetrical massing. The innovative, cliff-like form of the Western Union Building departs from the shape of the site and includes a low screen that conforms to the Hudson Street lot line. The exterior brick walls are carefully articulated in a textured, curtain-like manner, parting as proscenium-like openings at the ground story. The building was among the first to have a graded brick color scheme, from dark at the bottom to light at the upper stories, which was "a pleasing exaggeration of the natural play of light." Commissioned by Newcomb Carlton, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, the new headquarters building allowed the consolidation of all operations in one location, "the largest telegraph building in the world"; the modernistic design helped to reestablish a corporate identity for Western Union after its dominance by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. The Western Union Building remains in use as a communications center, housing both equipment and offices..
.
With the design of the Western Union Building, described at the time of its construction as representing the modern American style of architecture, Walker moved beyond the model of the Barclay-Vesey Building, with its complex ornamental program, toward the expressionistic vocabulary of the later communications buildings..
.
The building stands apart from the other buildings in the series in its exclusive use of brick for ornamentation of both the exterior of the building and the public interior spaces of the first story..
.
The design of the Western Union Building is remarkably integrated -- the forms, the materials, and the ornament -- and demonstrates Walker's achievement of harmony and unity in skyscraper design..
.
The massing of the Western Union Building belies the dictates of the building's irregularly• shaped lot; apparently Walker was responding to Lewis Mumford's criticism of the 'awry' shape of the Barclay-Vesey Building due to its filling the entire irregular site. Walker later wrote of the lasting effects of Mumford's comments and his 'early appreciation that the shape of the lot did not necessarily control the form of the building' and stated that 'a building could take its own form regardless of the land below.'20 He employed this idea in the form of the Western Union Building, and developed an inventive massing solution which departs considerably from the footprint of the lot. At the Hudson Street end of the block, three slabs, which rise sheerly to the first setbacks, meet the angled Hudson Street lot line behind a two-story screen -- a series of opening enframements -- that serves as a traditional base for the main facade. The massed piers of the screen ground the soaring corner piers 6 of the two northern slabs. The architect explained that the adoption of this unusual scheme was due to 'the superior massing of rectangular forms and through the powerful verticals rising, without interruption, at the corners of each setbaCk.'" With highly visible, vertically articulated facades on all four sides, the Western Union Building, 'a huge red rock projecting out of the city,'" is solid and cliff-like, suggesting an interest in the natural and irregular forms of palisades and cliffs as shapes to be replicated in building masses. Upon close inspection, the building is a complex and sculpted form, with greater irregularity at the Hudson Street end of the building; in contrast, the stepped massing of the West Broadway end of the building is relatively straightforward and symmetrical. with the setbacks extending along most of the long north and south facades. A low tower, which rises only slightly above a central slab, unites the mass of the building." The brick exterior walls of the Western Union Building can be likened to curtains which part at the major openings at the street level. The contemporary critic Paul T. Frankl wrote of such 'brick tapestries hung from the sky,' 'mosaics of colored stone or tinted brick' which emphasized the natural beauty of the material and were free from unnecessary detail." Incorporated into the curtain-like treatment of the brick exterior walls of the Western Union Building are elements which emphasize the complex massing of the building, a graded color scheme, distinctive curtainframed proscenium-like openings, and patterned and sculptural brickwork at the base and parapets..
.
These aspects of the design appear to be particularly influenced by the brick designs of the German and Dutch Expressionists in which the ornament is ingrained -- the brick itself introduces decoration -- and the exuberant use of brick creates variety in color and textural richness.25 The expressive articulation of the brick wall of the upper facade of the building gives a vertical emphasis to the building's large bulk. The complex massing of the building as a whole is echoed in the use of highly modeled piers at street level and buttresses at the upper setbacks which have the forms of setback skyscrapers. The patterns of aiternating wide and narrow piers on the Hudson Street facade and flat and modeled piers on the other facades establish a rhythm and provide richness in the design. The long south and north facades are relieved by paired bays with no fenestration which front stairwells. These strong vertical elements extend through several upper levels and as projections above the setbacks, visually blending one level into the next. The original design of the parapet walls of the setbacks -- articulated with vertical patterns, faceted forms, and irregular edges -- also led the eye upward.26 Walker explained that the client's desire for individuality in the Western Union Building prompted the graded color scheme of brick; the building was among the first buildings in which brick was used in this manner.27 The shaded brick, from dark at the base to light at the top, was much discussed in the architectural and general press, and was described as "a pleasing exaggeration of the natural play of light upon the upper portions of the building."28 The graded scheme was developed through the use of an extended palette of "tapestry brick," related shades of brick produced in a kiln-run due to the natural variation in clays and kiln temperatures. This concept and the term "tapestry brick," widely used in the 1920s, had been popularized by Louis Sullivan who recognized that the eye sees the close range of colors as harmonized, enriched tones." Nineteen shades of brick create the graded color scheme of the Western Union Building; this effect, which has been obscured by soiling and repointing, was variously described at the time of construction as being in a number of ranges of shades -- from reddish brown to light salmon and in bright sunlight reminiscent of the Indian pueblo, and from deep red to light orange, as well as from deep rose red at the base, to rose pink at midsection, to a light delicate yellowish pink at the top -attesting to the fact that the rich tones appeared differently under changing conditions. Two or three shades were used at the patterned areas of the building, the darker shades adding life to the lighter tone of the general field at the top, and the lighter shades serving the same purpose in the lower stories.30 The brick curtain walls of the upper facades part near the street level as a series of large, proscenium-like openings, where the "curtain" appears to be drawn back in a corbelled arched form. These openings, perhaps prompted by Walker's interest in the set designs of Joseph Urban and in the theatrical lighting, draped openings, and enveloping interiors of theaters, are 7 remarkably similar to that of a drawn stage or proscenium curtain. Faceted, fan-like brick forms above these openings suggest a pleated valence.31 This shouldered arched sha pe with a serrated curve, in a number of variations, is used repeatedly on the exterior of the building, as well as for openings in the first floor interior, and is the predominant design motif of the building. The void described by the arch has the form of a setback skyscraper, a design motif frequently found in the detailing of Art Deco skyscrapers..
.
All ornament on the exterior of the building, except for the bronze window and door frames and friezes, is executed in brick.32 "1 believe in ornamentation, especially when it enhances individuality, but there must above everything else be unity and harmony" asserted Walker in 1930.33 He favored the use of brick to produce ornament over terra cotta, which could produce an effect "like frosting on a plum pudding,"34 and stone, which could change in appearance in a relatively short time, although he continued to use the latter in limited amounts. The brick ornamentation on the Western Union Building is concentrated around the street-level openings of the building -below basketwork bands above the second-story windows at the upper edge of the implied base -and at the setback parapets. The patterned spandrels and parapet walls (most now removed) of the setbacks "gave a play of light and shade when seen from the street, and [would] eventually serve to make more pleasant the idle moments of clerks in adjoining high buildings"3S and created an irregular horizontal line; these designs were more robust and irregUlar in shape at the upper two setbacks. The carefully-detailed articulation of the upper areas of the building culminated in the faceted form of the upper walls and parapet of the tower..
.
The design of the Western Union Building first floor interior, unexpectedly executed in the same brick of the exterior, illustrates the extent of Walker's emphasis on unity and harmony in design..
.
In addition to the materials, other elements of the exterior design appear on the interior, including the expressionistic brick patterning of chevrons and low-relief forms, the shouldered arch form of the exterior openings which is repeated as interior doorways, the faceted bronze trim, and the incorporation of the set-back skyscraper form in the design of doors and the mail box..
.
- From the 1991 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
i1) Walker's Western Union Building; 60 Hudson Street; NYC
Note the door handles.
From Flickr photographer extraodinaire Emilio Guerra's photostream.
Tribeca, Manhattan.
.
The Western Union Building (1928-30), designed by Ralph Walker, one of New York's foremost architects of the period, is a recognized achievement in modernistic skyscraper design. The building is characteristic of a group of communications buildings designed by Walker in the late 1920s, primarily for the telephone companies, in which he developed a distinctive design approach related to the contemporary Art Deco style. The design of the Western Union Building was influenced by the work of the German and Dutch Expressionist architects, and drew upon Walker's well-defined design theory emphasizing harmony and unity. The integrated aesthetic of form, material, and ornamentation incorporates such elements as patterned brickwork, dramatic entrances, faceted wall planes and trim, and complex and asymmetrical massing. The innovative, cliff-like form of the Western Union Building departs from the shape of the site and includes a low screen that conforms to the Hudson Street lot line. The exterior brick walls are carefully articulated in a textured, curtain-like manner, parting as proscenium-like openings at the ground story. The building was among the first to have a graded brick color scheme, from dark at the bottom to light at the upper stories, which was "a pleasing exaggeration of the natural play of light." Commissioned by Newcomb Carlton, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, the new headquarters building allowed the consolidation of all operations in one location, "the largest telegraph building in the world"; the modernistic design helped to reestablish a corporate identity for Western Union after its dominance by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. The Western Union Building remains in use as a communications center, housing both equipment and offices..
.
With the design of the Western Union Building, described at the time of its construction as representing the modern American style of architecture, Walker moved beyond the model of the Barclay-Vesey Building, with its complex ornamental program, toward the expressionistic vocabulary of the later communications buildings..
.
The building stands apart from the other buildings in the series in its exclusive use of brick for ornamentation of both the exterior of the building and the public interior spaces of the first story..
.
The design of the Western Union Building is remarkably integrated -- the forms, the materials, and the ornament -- and demonstrates Walker's achievement of harmony and unity in skyscraper design..
.
The massing of the Western Union Building belies the dictates of the building's irregularly• shaped lot; apparently Walker was responding to Lewis Mumford's criticism of the 'awry' shape of the Barclay-Vesey Building due to its filling the entire irregular site. Walker later wrote of the lasting effects of Mumford's comments and his 'early appreciation that the shape of the lot did not necessarily control the form of the building' and stated that 'a building could take its own form regardless of the land below.'20 He employed this idea in the form of the Western Union Building, and developed an inventive massing solution which departs considerably from the footprint of the lot. At the Hudson Street end of the block, three slabs, which rise sheerly to the first setbacks, meet the angled Hudson Street lot line behind a two-story screen -- a series of opening enframements -- that serves as a traditional base for the main facade. The massed piers of the screen ground the soaring corner piers 6 of the two northern slabs. The architect explained that the adoption of this unusual scheme was due to 'the superior massing of rectangular forms and through the powerful verticals rising, without interruption, at the corners of each setbaCk.'" With highly visible, vertically articulated facades on all four sides, the Western Union Building, 'a huge red rock projecting out of the city,'" is solid and cliff-like, suggesting an interest in the natural and irregular forms of palisades and cliffs as shapes to be replicated in building masses. Upon close inspection, the building is a complex and sculpted form, with greater irregularity at the Hudson Street end of the building; in contrast, the stepped massing of the West Broadway end of the building is relatively straightforward and symmetrical. with the setbacks extending along most of the long north and south facades. A low tower, which rises only slightly above a central slab, unites the mass of the building." The brick exterior walls of the Western Union Building can be likened to curtains which part at the major openings at the street level. The contemporary critic Paul T. Frankl wrote of such 'brick tapestries hung from the sky,' 'mosaics of colored stone or tinted brick' which emphasized the natural beauty of the material and were free from unnecessary detail." Incorporated into the curtain-like treatment of the brick exterior walls of the Western Union Building are elements which emphasize the complex massing of the building, a graded color scheme, distinctive curtainframed proscenium-like openings, and patterned and sculptural brickwork at the base and parapets..
.
These aspects of the design appear to be particularly influenced by the brick designs of the German and Dutch Expressionists in which the ornament is ingrained -- the brick itself introduces decoration -- and the exuberant use of brick creates variety in color and textural richness.25 The expressive articulation of the brick wall of the upper facade of the building gives a vertical emphasis to the building's large bulk. The complex massing of the building as a whole is echoed in the use of highly modeled piers at street level and buttresses at the upper setbacks which have the forms of setback skyscrapers. The patterns of aiternating wide and narrow piers on the Hudson Street facade and flat and modeled piers on the other facades establish a rhythm and provide richness in the design. The long south and north facades are relieved by paired bays with no fenestration which front stairwells. These strong vertical elements extend through several upper levels and as projections above the setbacks, visually blending one level into the next. The original design of the parapet walls of the setbacks -- articulated with vertical patterns, faceted forms, and irregular edges -- also led the eye upward.26 Walker explained that the client's desire for individuality in the Western Union Building prompted the graded color scheme of brick; the building was among the first buildings in which brick was used in this manner.27 The shaded brick, from dark at the base to light at the top, was much discussed in the architectural and general press, and was described as "a pleasing exaggeration of the natural play of light upon the upper portions of the building."28 The graded scheme was developed through the use of an extended palette of "tapestry brick," related shades of brick produced in a kiln-run due to the natural variation in clays and kiln temperatures. This concept and the term "tapestry brick," widely used in the 1920s, had been popularized by Louis Sullivan who recognized that the eye sees the close range of colors as harmonized, enriched tones." Nineteen shades of brick create the graded color scheme of the Western Union Building; this effect, which has been obscured by soiling and repointing, was variously described at the time of construction as being in a number of ranges of shades -- from reddish brown to light salmon and in bright sunlight reminiscent of the Indian pueblo, and from deep red to light orange, as well as from deep rose red at the base, to rose pink at midsection, to a light delicate yellowish pink at the top -attesting to the fact that the rich tones appeared differently under changing conditions. Two or three shades were used at the patterned areas of the building, the darker shades adding life to the lighter tone of the general field at the top, and the lighter shades serving the same purpose in the lower stories.30 The brick curtain walls of the upper facades part near the street level as a series of large, proscenium-like openings, where the "curtain" appears to be drawn back in a corbelled arched form. These openings, perhaps prompted by Walker's interest in the set designs of Joseph Urban and in the theatrical lighting, draped openings, and enveloping interiors of theaters, are 7 remarkably similar to that of a drawn stage or proscenium curtain. Faceted, fan-like brick forms above these openings suggest a pleated valence.31 This shouldered arched sha pe with a serrated curve, in a number of variations, is used repeatedly on the exterior of the building, as well as for openings in the first floor interior, and is the predominant design motif of the building. The void described by the arch has the form of a setback skyscraper, a design motif frequently found in the detailing of Art Deco skyscrapers..
.
All ornament on the exterior of the building, except for the bronze window and door frames and friezes, is executed in brick.32 "1 believe in ornamentation, especially when it enhances individuality, but there must above everything else be unity and harmony" asserted Walker in 1930.33 He favored the use of brick to produce ornament over terra cotta, which could produce an effect "like frosting on a plum pudding,"34 and stone, which could change in appearance in a relatively short time, although he continued to use the latter in limited amounts. The brick ornamentation on the Western Union Building is concentrated around the street-level openings of the building -below basketwork bands above the second-story windows at the upper edge of the implied base -and at the setback parapets. The patterned spandrels and parapet walls (most now removed) of the setbacks "gave a play of light and shade when seen from the street, and [would] eventually serve to make more pleasant the idle moments of clerks in adjoining high buildings"3S and created an irregular horizontal line; these designs were more robust and irregUlar in shape at the upper two setbacks. The carefully-detailed articulation of the upper areas of the building culminated in the faceted form of the upper walls and parapet of the tower..
.
The design of the Western Union Building first floor interior, unexpectedly executed in the same brick of the exterior, illustrates the extent of Walker's emphasis on unity and harmony in design..
.
In addition to the materials, other elements of the exterior design appear on the interior, including the expressionistic brick patterning of chevrons and low-relief forms, the shouldered arch form of the exterior openings which is repeated as interior doorways, the faceted bronze trim, and the incorporation of the set-back skyscraper form in the design of doors and the mail box..
.
- From the 1991 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report