Lower Manhattan as seen from the Promenade in Brooklyn Heights, taken 1988 and 2021. Images by Richard Koenig; for more of this project please go here.

#architecture #woolworthbuilding #skyscraper

They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to! Amazing photographs documenting the ornate terra cotta detailing on the Woolworth Building. The skyscraper, funded by five-and-dime store king Frank W. Woolworth, was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and would become the tallest building in the world when it opened in 1913. Dubbed the "Cathedral of Commerce" after its neo-gothic ornament and iconic silhouette, the facade was clad in glazed terra-cotta, molded into gothic crockets, pinnacles, and gargoyles. The skyscraper housed a public observation deck at the top of its tower, offering tourists a chance to see the surrounding city from 792-feet up. The photos were taken during construction of the skyscraper by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company, who were commissioned by FW Woolworth to fabricate 7,500 tons/16.5 million pounds of architectural terra cotta, one of the largest contracts ever commissioned for a single structure. The jewels of the Woolworth Building’s crown were the four towers, or tourelles, at each corner of the tower. Each tourelle was adorned with vibrant terra cotta ornamentation including 32 gargoyles. During a 1975 restoration, all 32 gargoyles disappeared and are still missing to this date except for one we discovered in an office in the tower. #woolworthbuilding #terracotta #skyscraper #nyc #fidi #tower #architecture #urbanism #architecturehistory #nyhistory #nychistory #gothicarchitecture #cathedralofcommerce #fwwoolworth #gargoyles #gargoyle #manhattan #nyc #1913 #nyarchitecture #architecturedesign #urbandesign #bostonterracotta #atlanticterracotta #woolworthresidences #urbanism #nycurbanism (at Woolworth Building) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0ncxQHe1o/?igshid=130tf8j9jqvzl

Night shift under the Manhattan Bridge in the East River ⛵️ . . . . . . #sailing #yachting #newyork #nyc #newyorkcity #manhattan #manhattanbridge #brooklynbridge #freedomtower #woolworthbuilding #eastriver #sunrise #citylights (at Manhattan Bridge)

Three images by Richard Koenig; taken at the end of March, 2004.

Silhouette of a man gazing out over the mountainous skyline from 63 Wall, 1930. The newly constructed 40 Wall stands to the left with the Woolworth and Empire State Buildings in the distance. #Skyline #wallstreet #manhattan #40wall #woolworthbuilding #skyscraper #artdeco #nycskyline #urbanismdesigns #chryslerbuilding #empirestatebuilding #nychistory #nyhistory #fidi #tribeca #urbanism #architecture #skyscrapers #nycurbanism (at 63 Wall Street) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bwI2NHJIU/?igshid=2dnkcqgp11ae

One image by Richard Koenig; taken January of 1988.

The hidden pool inside the Woolworth Building that once belonged to the building's owner and developer Frank W. Woolworth, was recently restored and unveiled this week! The pool has always been a mystery to skyscraper enthusiasts, sitting drained and abandoned for the last two decades. The 'Cathedral of Commerce" as the Woolworth was known, was built in 1913 – at the time the tallest building in the world – for American retail giant, the F. W. Woolworth Company. When designing the tower, Woolworth and his architect Cass Gilbert planned to include a swimming pool and Turkish bath in the basement, lined with marble. Some accounts say the amenities were actually included to attract tenants to the building at a time when there was a surplus of commercial office space in Lower Manhattan, not for Woolworth's personal use. A prospectus on the building from 1913 lists the pool and bath along with the building's other features. The 15-by-55-foot pool was drained in 1999, only to be recently restored by Alchemy Properties, who has converted the top thirty stories of the tower for thirty-three luxury rresidences. This week we got to visit the pool, which had just received its permits to operate. #woolworthbuilding #woolworthresidences #skyscraper #skyline #hiddennyc #manhattan #newyorkcity #nyc #downtownnyc #parkrow #cathedralofcomerce #alchemyproperties #woolworth #cassgilbert #architect #architecture #urbannism #nycurbanism #nyhistory #nychistory (at Woolworth Building) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xeyY0nsfX/?igshid=3tbmss1fwzot