Brewster Building (Long Island City)
Encyclopedia
The Brewster Building is a 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North
in Long Island City, New York that was once an assembly plant for Rolls Royce
cars and Brewster cars and Brewster Buffalo airplanes and is now the corporate headquarters for JetBlue.
The building designed by Stephenson & Wheeler opened in 1911 to handle the assembly of the chassis for the Brewster cars were being built since 1905 at 47th and Broadway in Times Square
in New York City
. In 1915 it began building the Brewster Knight. In 1925 the company was bought by Rolls-Royce of America which had been operating out of a plant in Springfield, Massachusetts
. In 1931 the Rolls Royce Springfield operation ended From 1931 to 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II chasis were shipped directly to the Long Island City plant when Rolls Royce terminated its United States assembly program. Cole Porter
in his song You're the Top
mentioned the Brewster cars.
From 1934 to 1936 under J. S. Inskip Brewster automobiles using Ford chassis were built at the plant. The Brewster operation ceased in 1936.
The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation
manufactured the Brewster F2A Buffalo during World War II
at the plant
The building fell into disrepair following the war and its landmark clock tower was dismantled in 1950. A series of garment manufacturers occupied the building until 2003.
In 2003 Brause Realty extensively remodeled the building and an adjoining 12-story tower and it became an operational center for Metropolitan Life Insurance with 1,500 employees.
In 2010 JetBlue announced it combine its existing large Forest Hills, New York and 70-person Darien, Connecticut
office staffs in the building bringing 1,000 employees to it. JetBlue is the only major airline headquartered in New York City.
JetBlue in looking for a new corporate headquarters had also considered Orlando, Florida
. As part of taking on the moniker of being the hometown airline of New York City, JetBlue announced it would be joint branding the I Love New York
logo.
Queens Plaza, Queens
Queens Plaza is a plaza located on Queens Boulevard, between North and South Plaza streets, in Long Island City, Queens. The plaza is overlapped by an elevated railway transit , with the Queensboro Bridge starting on the eastern side...
in Long Island City, New York that was once an assembly plant for Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
cars and Brewster cars and Brewster Buffalo airplanes and is now the corporate headquarters for JetBlue.
The building designed by Stephenson & Wheeler opened in 1911 to handle the assembly of the chassis for the Brewster cars were being built since 1905 at 47th and Broadway in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1915 it began building the Brewster Knight. In 1925 the company was bought by Rolls-Royce of America which had been operating out of a plant in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. In 1931 the Rolls Royce Springfield operation ended From 1931 to 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II chasis were shipped directly to the Long Island City plant when Rolls Royce terminated its United States assembly program. Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
in his song You're the Top
You're the Top
"You're The Top" is a Cole Porter song from the 1934 musical Anything Goes. It is about a man and a woman who take turns complimenting each other...
mentioned the Brewster cars.
From 1934 to 1936 under J. S. Inskip Brewster automobiles using Ford chassis were built at the plant. The Brewster operation ceased in 1936.
The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation
Brewster Aeronautical Corporation
The Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was a North American defense contractor that operated from the 1930s until the end of World War II.It started existence as an aircraft division of Brewster & Co., a company that originally sold carriages and had branched into automobile bodies and airplane parts...
manufactured the Brewster F2A Buffalo during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at the plant
The building fell into disrepair following the war and its landmark clock tower was dismantled in 1950. A series of garment manufacturers occupied the building until 2003.
In 2003 Brause Realty extensively remodeled the building and an adjoining 12-story tower and it became an operational center for Metropolitan Life Insurance with 1,500 employees.
In 2010 JetBlue announced it combine its existing large Forest Hills, New York and 70-person Darien, Connecticut
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
office staffs in the building bringing 1,000 employees to it. JetBlue is the only major airline headquartered in New York City.
JetBlue in looking for a new corporate headquarters had also considered Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. As part of taking on the moniker of being the hometown airline of New York City, JetBlue announced it would be joint branding the I Love New York
I Love New York
I Love New York is both a logo and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign and have been used since the mid-1970s to promote tourism in New York City, and later to promote New York State as well. The trademarked logo appears in souvenir shops and brochures throughout the state, some...
logo.