Broadway Chambers Building
Encyclopedia
The Broadway Chambers building (277 Broadway, New York City) is an office building designed by architect Cass Gilbert
and built in 1900.
Gilbert was a famous architect, responsible for many impressive buildings such as the Woolworth Building
, but Broadway Chambers was his first New York project. Situated on the northwest corner of Chambers Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan, it is an 18-story commercial office building with retail on the ground floor now owned by Feldman Realty Group. The New York Times considers that with this building it "Gilbert refined the proportions between these elements and articulated them by using different materials for each: stone base, brick shaft, terra cotta crown. The brickwork, red flecked with blue, is especially fine. In contrast with the light-colored stone and terra cotta, it gives an almost colonial feel to an otherwise classically conceived structure. Garlands, cornucopias and a polychrome penthouse arcade garnish the composition."
On the Broadway-Chambers building's completion in 1900, the critic Montgomery Schuyler
praised it as the finest skyscraper in town. Several companies collaborated to create an exhibit about the construction of the building at the Paris Exposition of 1900.
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
and built in 1900.
Gilbert was a famous architect, responsible for many impressive buildings such as the Woolworth Building
Woolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York City. More than a century after the start of its construction, it remains, at 57 stories, one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City...
, but Broadway Chambers was his first New York project. Situated on the northwest corner of Chambers Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan, it is an 18-story commercial office building with retail on the ground floor now owned by Feldman Realty Group. The New York Times considers that with this building it "Gilbert refined the proportions between these elements and articulated them by using different materials for each: stone base, brick shaft, terra cotta crown. The brickwork, red flecked with blue, is especially fine. In contrast with the light-colored stone and terra cotta, it gives an almost colonial feel to an otherwise classically conceived structure. Garlands, cornucopias and a polychrome penthouse arcade garnish the composition."
On the Broadway-Chambers building's completion in 1900, the critic Montgomery Schuyler
Montgomery Schuyler
Montgomery Schuyler, AIA, was a highly influential critic, journalist and editorial writer in New York City who wrote about and influenced art, literature, music and architecture during the city's "Gilded Age." He was active as a journalist for over forty years but is principally noted as a highly...
praised it as the finest skyscraper in town. Several companies collaborated to create an exhibit about the construction of the building at the Paris Exposition of 1900.