It is October, which means it’s Archtober, New York City’s Architecture and Design Month. Archtober is an annual celebration of architecture and design that takes place throughout the month. Organized by the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with over 100 partners and sponsors, the festival offers events ranging from daily building tours and lectures by design experts, to architecture-themed competitions and parties.
To celebrate, For the Record is checking in on the Manhattan Buildings Plans processing and rehousing project. Earlier articles featured the project: The Manhattan Building Records Project, 1977-2018; In the Details; Inside the Manhattan Building Plan Collection; and, Building Histories - the Bellevue Psychopathic Hospital and the Rivington Street Bath.
Steady progress continues to be made on this extensive collection. The buildings plans team recently completed a project funded by the New York State Archives’ Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF). The LGRIMF support enabled the team to process, rehouse and catalog 10,365 drawings covering 130 blocks in Lower Manhattan, primarily the Financial and Seaport Districts.
Plans for buildings in the Financial District illuminate its role as a center of all kinds of commerce. Ambitious, early skyscrapers and office buildings featured impressive facades as well as bespoke interiors designed for specific industries like banking and insurance.
The sundry buildings of the Seaport District speak to its history as a center of maritime trade by presenting evidence of the warehouses, offices, and infrastructure that supported the shipping and import/export industries.
Completed in 1894, the Diamond Exchange Building at 14 Maiden Lane is an example of an early skyscraper with impressive decorative details. Architect Gilbert A. Schellenger designed the 10-story building specifically for the diamond and jewelry trade, with extra-strong floors and frame to carry the weight of the heavy safes used by the merchants. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
The 28-story Art Deco Indemnity Building, completed in 1928 by architectural firm Buchman & Kahn, at 111 John Street, was bespoke built for the insurance industry. Various firms such as the Hanover Fire Insurance Company and Standard Accident Insurance Company designed their own floor layouts, and the building plans indicate the names of the employees who occupied particular offices and desks. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
McKim, Mead & White's “new” Vanderbilt Building at 15 Beekman Street was completed in 1893 and was demolished in 2021. It was one of the esteemed architecture firm’s few "tall buildings.” These plans show the merging of the original Vanderbilt Building at the corner of Beekman and Nassau Streets with the “new” building. Built for Cornelius and William K. Vanderbilt, the building featured steam heating, fireproofing, a telephone system, and an Otis elevator. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
Starrett & Van Vleck’s New York Steam Corporation Building at Water Street and Burling Slip (later John Street) was built in 1916 and later demolished. The plans show the impressive exterior as well as the fascinating interior structure of the steam plant. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
H. J. Hardenbergh’s building at 160 Front Street, completed in 1918, was the revered architect’s last commission. It housed the offices of the New Jersey Zinc Company, for many years the largest producer of zinc and zinc products in the United States. The horsehead cartouche above the entrance was a symbol of the company, echoing the horse on the great seal of the State of New Jersey. The unique interior office space featured a two-bedroom apartment space on the same floor as the milling department workspace and the staff lunchroom. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
This building at 207-211 Water Street is now part of the South Street Seaport Museum, but was once the Fulton Market outpost of William Ottmann & Company, Butchers, Packers and Exporters. The building dates from circa 1835; these alteration plans display the company’s signage as it was in 1913, and the interior in 1909, which includes empty barrel storage on the lowest level and the pickling room, freezer, and packed meat storeroom on the upper floors. Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
One of the best-known occupants of the Seaport District was the Fulton Fish Market, which existed from 1822 to 2005 on the block of South Street between Beekman and Fulton Streets. Two alteration plans show a new mezzanine floor in Stall #14 for the Greater New York Fillet Company (1951), and a mezzanine plan for Wood’s Shellfish, Inc. in Stalls #22 and 23 (1955). Department of Buildings Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
This is just a sampling of the thousands of plans that have been identified, cataloged, and rehoused, each offering a glimpse of the City’s past. Processing work continues on the remaining the blocks of Lower Manhattan. The team is concurrently completing a New York State Library-funded project focusing on 127 blocks of Greenwich Village. Look for future blog posts highlighting the architectural plans of artist studios, elegant townhouses, pre-war apartment buildings, and all manner of buildings that comprise the iconic New York City neighborhood of Greenwich Village. Slated for processing next will be the Lower East Side and beyond. And please take the opportunity this Archtober to look around (and up!) and appreciate the built environment of New York City. You can learn more about Archtober here: Archtober: NYC's Architecture and Design Month