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969}}HTTPS://WWW.EMPORIS.COM/BUILDINGS/114681 >ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20160305080007/HTTPS://WWW.EMPORIS.COM/BUILDINGS/114681 ARCHIVE-DATE=MARCH 5, 2016 WORK=EMPORIS, {{skyscraperpage20000243}}}}The Woolworth Building is a {{convert|792|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} residential building and early skyscraper at 233 Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Cass Gilbert, it was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930, and remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States {{as of|2024|lc=y}}.The Woolworth Building is bounded by Broadway and City Hall Park to its east, Park Place to its north, and Barclay Street to its south. It consists of a 30-story base topped by a 30-story tower. Its facade is mostly decorated with architectural terracotta, though the lower portions are limestone, and it features thousands of windows. The ornate lobby contains various sculptures, mosaics, and architectural touches. The structure was designed with several amenities and attractions, including a now-closed observatory on the 57th floor and a private swimming pool in the basement.F. W. Woolworth, the founder of a brand of popular five-and-ten-cent stores, conceived the skyscraper as a headquarters for his company. Woolworth planned the skyscraper jointly with the Irving National Exchange Bank, which also agreed to use the structure as its headquarters. The Woolworth Building had originally been planned as a 12- to 16-story commercial building but underwent several revisions during its planning process. Its final height was not decided upon until January 1911. Construction started in 1910 and was completed two years later. The building officially opened on April 24, 1913.The Woolworth Building has undergone several changes throughout its history. The facade was cleaned in 1932, and the building received an extensive renovation between 1977 and 1981. The Irving National Exchange Bank moved its headquarters to 1 Wall Street in 1931, but the Woolworth Company (later Venator Group) continued to own the Woolworth Building for most of the 20th century. The structure was sold to the Witkoff Group in 1998. The top 30 floors were sold to a developer in 2012 and converted into residences. Office and commercial tenants use the rest of the building. The Woolworth Building has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966,WEB,tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=398&ResourceType=Building, Woolworth Building, September 23, 2007, National Historic Landmark summary listing, National Park Service, August 31, 2011, dead,tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=398&ResourceType=Building," title="web.archive.org/web/20110606013413tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=398&ResourceType=Building,">web.archive.org/web/20110606013413tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=398&ResourceType=Building, June 6, 2011, WEB,npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000554_text, The Woolworth Building, Patricia Heintzelman and Cecil McKithan, January 6, 1978, PDF, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination, National Park Service, March 10, 2016, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507223619/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000554_text, live, WEB,npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000554_photos, The Woolworth Building—Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1975., National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination, January 6, 1978, National Park Service, August 31, 2011, March 4, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210304220457/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/66000554_photos, live, and a New York City designated landmark since 1983.NYCLAND, 25,

Architecture

Cass Gilbert designed the Woolworth Building in the neo-Gothic style.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} The building resembles European Gothic cathedrals; Reverend S. Parkes Cadman dubbed it “The Cathedral of Commerce” in a booklet published in 1916.WEB, Sutton, Philip, The Woolworth Building: The Cathedral of Commerce,www.nypl.org/blog/2013/04/22/woolworth-building-cathedral-commerce, Blogs, New York Public Library, July 25, 2013, May 29, 2013,www.nypl.org/blog/2013/04/22/woolworth-building-cathedral-commerce," title="web.archive.org/web/20130529020334www.nypl.org/blog/2013/04/22/woolworth-building-cathedral-commerce,">web.archive.org/web/20130529020334www.nypl.org/blog/2013/04/22/woolworth-building-cathedral-commerce, live, AIA4, 67, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1962/02/11/archives/woolworth-building-after-50-years-is-still-a-cathedral-of-commerce.html, Woolworth Building After 50 Years Is Still a ‘Cathedral of Commerce’; Gothic Tower Is Kept Up to Date, But Retains Charm of Past Era, Bartnett, Edmond J., February 11, 1962, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 26, 2019, subscription, January 27, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190127035405/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/11/archives/woolworth-building-after-50-years-is-still-a-cathedral-of-commerce.html, live, F. W. Woolworth, who had devised the idea for the Woolworth Building, had proposed using the Victoria Tower as a model for the building;{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=225}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}} he reportedly also admired the design of Palace of Westminster.NEWS, April 21, 1963, Woolworth Building Makes Half Century, C12, The Austin Statesman, {{ProQuest, 1616548322, }} Gilbert, by contrast, disliked the comparison to religious imagery.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=225}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17|ps=.}} The architect ultimately used 15th- and 16th-century Gothic ornament on the Woolworth Building, along with a complementary color scheme.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=216}} Though the building’s steel frame was uncommon to neo-Gothic structures, its facade emphasizes vertical design elements, similarly to other neo-Gothic buildings.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}}(File:WoolworthBuilding crop.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of the building’s crown|The building’s crown)The Woolworth Building was designed to be {{convert|420|ft}} high but was eventually raised to {{convert|792|ft}}.BOOK, Gilbert, C., Heilbrun, M., Heilbrun, P.M., New-York Historical Society, Hardy, H., Gotbaum, B., Inventing the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert, Columbia University Press, 2000, 978-0-231-11872-9,archive.org/details/inventingskyline0000gilb, registration, December 7, 2018, 260, {{efn|name=height|Different sources gave varying accounts, and even the building’s own pamphlets gave different figures. A building permit issued in April 1911 listed the height as {{convert|750|ft}} with 51 usable floors, while Engineering Record in 1913 gave the building’s height as {{cvt|782.5|ft}} from ground floor to the pinnacle of the building’s flagpole, with 55 usable floors.{{sfn|Holtzman|1913|p=22}} A 1913 brochure for the building gave the height as {{cvt|784|ft}}; a 1916 brochure quoted {{cvt|792|ft}}; and a 1995 brochure gave a height of {{cvt|792|ft}}, with 60 stories “from subbasement to tower”.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=445}}}} Several different height measurements have been cited over the years, but the building rises about {{convert|793.5|ft}} above the lowest point of the site.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}} The Woolworth Building was 60 stories tall when completed in 1913, though this consisted of 53 usable floors topped by several mechanical floors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}}{{efn|name=stories|The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and Skyscraper Museum consider the building to have 53 usable stories.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} Architectural writers Sarah Landau and Carl Condit quote the building as having 55 usable stories (counting the tower as being 25 stories tall), and two below-ground levels.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=382}} The count depends on whether the 55th-story former observation deck is included.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} There are no floors numbered 42, 48, or 52.}} The building’s ceiling heights, ranging from {{convert|11|to|20|ft}}, make it the equivalent of an 80-story building.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}} It remained the tallest building in the world until the construction of 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building in 1930, both in New York City.NEWS, Gray, Christopher, Streetscapes: 40 Wall Street; A Race for the Skies, Lost by a Spire, The New York Times, 0362-4331, November 15, 1992, limited,www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html, November 3, 2017, November 7, 2017,www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20171107033354www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html,">web.archive.org/web/20171107033354www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html, live, The building is assigned its own ZIP Code, 10279; it was one of 41 buildings in Manhattan that had their own ZIP Codes {{as of|2019|lc=y}}.WEB, Brown, Nicole, Why do some buildings have their own ZIP codes? NYCurious, amNewYork, March 18, 2019,www.amny.com/news/nyc-zip-codes-1-28558957/, July 8, 2022, July 8, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220708215731/https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-zip-codes-1-28558957/, live,

Form

The building’s tower, flush with the main frontage on Broadway, joins an office block base with a narrow interior court for light.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=12}}BOOK, Stichweh, Dirk, New York Skyscrapers, Prestel Publishing, 2016, 978-3-7913-8226-5, 45, 923852487, The base occupies the entire lot between Park Place to the north, Broadway to the east, and Barclay Street to the south. The site measures {{convert|155|ft}} wide on Broadway and {{convert|200|ft}} wide on both Park Place and Barclay Street.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}} The base contains two “wings” extending westward, one each on the Park Place and Barclay Street frontages, which form a rough U-shape when combined with the Broadway frontage. This ensured that all offices had outside views. The U-shaped base is approximately 30 stories tall.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}} All four elevations of the base are decorated, since the building has frontage on all sides.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}}The tower rises an additional 30 stories above the eastern side of the base, abutting Broadway.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}} Above the 30th floor are setbacks on the north and south elevations. There are additional setbacks along the north, south, and west elevations on the 45th and 50th floors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=217–218}} The 30th through 45th floors measure {{Convert|84|by|86|ft|m}}; the 46th through 50th floors, {{Convert|69|by|71|ft|m|abbr=}}; and the 51st through 53rd floors, {{Convert|69|by|61|ft|m|abbr=}}.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} The tower has a square plan below the 50th-story setback and an octagonal plan above.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=218}} Though the structure is physically 60 stories tall, the 53rd floor is the top floor that can be occupied.WEB, Willis, Carol, The Woolworth Building @ 100, The Skyscraper Museum, August 5, 1911,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/nw_ship.php, January 23, 2019, January 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190124041531/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/nw_ship.php, live, {{efn|name=stories}} Above the 53rd floor, the tower tapers into a pyramidal roof.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}}

Facade

The lowest four stories are clad in limestone.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}}{{efn|{{harvnb|Reynolds|1994|ps=|p=216}}, and {{harvnb|Nash|2005|p=17}}, give a conflicting figure of three stories. This is because the second- and third-story windows are placed within the same arches, giving the impression of a single story.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} By this calculation, if the lowest section is cited as being three stories tall, then the U-shaped base is 29 stories tall.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}}}} Above that, the exterior of the Woolworth Building was cast in limestone-colored, glazed architectural terracotta panels.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=12}} F. W. Woolworth initially wanted to clad the skyscraper in granite, while Gilbert wanted to use limestone.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=12}} The decision to use terracotta for the facade was based on both aesthetic and functional concerns. Terracotta was not only fireproof but also, in Gilbert’s mind, a purely ornamental addition clarifying the Woolworth Building’s steel construction.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=12}}NEWS, August 18, 1912, Increased Use of Atlantic Architectural Terra Cotta, 41, Buffalo Sunday Times, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27482421/, January 21, 2019, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031523/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27482421/increased-use-of-atlantic-architectural/, live, Each panel was of a slightly different color, creating a polychrome effect.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=12}} The facade appeared to have a uniform tone, but the upper floors were actually darker and more dense.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}} Behind the terracotta panels were brick walls; the terracotta pieces are attached to the brick walls by metal rods and hangers.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=216}}The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company provided the original terracotta cladding.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=218}}BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=TlNNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA67, The Brickbuilder, Rogers and Manson Company, 1913, 67, January 21, 2019, v. 22, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221130/https://books.google.com/books?id=TlNNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA67, live, {{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=205}} The panels were manufactured in shades of blue, green, sienna, and rose.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=17}} The terracotta panels were partially vitrified, allowing them to bear large loads.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=216}} Gilbert also asked that John Donnelly and Eliseo V. Ricci create full-size designs based on Atlantic Terra Cotta’s models.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=205}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=218–219}} In 1932, Atlantic Terra Cotta carried out a comprehensive cleaning campaign of the Woolworth’s facade to remove blackening caused by the city’s soot and pollution.WEB, The Woolworth Building @ 100: Restoring Woolworth’s Terracotta,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/casee_restoration.php, The Skyscraper Museum, August 10, 2020, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233127/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/casee_restoration.php, live, The Ehrenkrantz Group restored the building’s facade between 1977 and 1981. During the renovation, much of the terracotta was replaced with concrete and Gothic ornament was removed.The building has several thousand windows: the exact number is disputed, but various sources state that the Woolworth Building has 2,843,BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=F-YCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66, Rehabbing Your Skyscraper, Wiseman, Carter, November 2, 1981, New York (magazine), New York Magazine, New York Media, LLC, 66–67, January 22, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221023/https://books.google.com/books?id=F-YCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66, live, 4,400,NEWS, subscription,www.nytimes.com/1977/05/11/archives/about-real-estate-rx-for-woolworth-building-a-skin-of-cast-iron.html, About Real Estate, Oser, Alan S., May 11, 1977, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 22, 2019, January 22, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122195630/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/11/archives/about-real-estate-rx-for-woolworth-building-a-skin-of-cast-iron.html, live, or 5,000 windows.WEB, limited,www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html, Streetscapes/Metropolitan Life at 1 Madison Avenue;For a Brief Moment, the Tallest Building in the World, Gray, Christopher, May 26, 1996, The New York Times, 0362-4331, November 11, 2015, July 1, 2017,www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170701050813www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170701050813www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html, live, {{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=215}} Windows were included for lighting and comfort;{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}MAGAZINE, Cass, Gilbert, The Tenth Birthday of a Notable Structure, 11, 344, May 1923, Real Estate Magazine, because the Woolworth Building was built before air conditioning became common, every office is within {{convert|10|ft}} of a window. Most of the windows are the same size, and each story is the same height.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|pages=20–22}} Some of the Woolworth Building’s windows are set within arch-shaped openings. Most of the building’s spandrels, or triangles between the top corners of the window and the top of the arch, have golden Gothic tracery against a bright blue backdrop. On the 25th, 39th, and 40th stories, the spandrels consist of iconography found in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Gold-on-blue tracery is also found on the 26th, 27th, and 42nd floors.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}}

Base

On the part of the base facing Broadway, as well as the tower above it, there are three bays; the left and right bays have two windows per floor, while the center bay has three windows. The elevations facing Park Place and Barclay Street each have six bays with two windows per floor. The base, on its lowest four stories, is divided into three-story-high entrance and exit bays, each of which has a one-story attic above it.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}} There are nine entrances in total.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=225}}The main entrance on Broadway is a three-story Tudor arch,{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} surrounded on either side by two bays: one narrower than the main arch, the other wider.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} The five bays form a triumphal arch overhung by a balcony and stone motifs of Gothic design.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} The intrados of the arch contains 23 niches. The topmost niche depicts an owl; the lowest niches on both sides depict tree trunks; and the other twenty niches depict animated figures.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=219}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} The spandrel above the left side of the arch depicts Mercury, classical god of commerce, while that above the right side depicts Ceres, classical goddess of agriculture.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=219}} Above all of this is an ogee arch with more niches, as well as two carvings of owls hovering above a “W” monogram.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=219}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} There are salamanders within niches on either side of the main entrance.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=222}} Inside the triumphal arch, there is a smaller arch with a revolving door and a Tudor window; it is flanked by standard doors and framed with decorations.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=222}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} There is a pelican above this smaller arch.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=222}}Decorated revolving doors are also located at the northern and southern entrances, at Park Place and Barclay Street respectively.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}} The Park Place and Barclay Street entrances are nearly identical, except for the arrangement of the storefronts. Both entrances are located on the eastern sides of their respective elevations, lining up with the tower above them, and contain a wide arch flanked by two narrower arches.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} The three entrances feed into the arcaded lobby.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}} The building’s Park Place entrance contained a stair to the New York City Subway’s Park Place station, served by the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh Brooklyn}}, inside the westernmost bay of the building entrance.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}}The facade contains vertical piers, which protrude diagonally.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} There are six such piers on the Broadway elevation.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=14}} In addition, horizontal belt courses run above the 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, and 24th stories.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=386}} The 25th and 26th stories, above the topmost belt course, are separated by dark-bronze spandrels. The 27th floor contains a canopy of projecting terracotta ogee arches.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} These decorative features make the tower section “appear to merge with the atmosphere”, as architectural writer Donald Reynolds described it.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=217}} Above the 28th floor, a two-story-tall copper roof with complex tracery in the Gothic style tops the canopies. The 29th and 30th stories of the north and south wings are of similar depth to the six narrow bays on the Park Place and Barclay Street elevations but contain five bays. A small tower with three bays caps these wings.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}}

Tower section

The 30th through 45th floors contain three bays on each elevation; the side bays contain two windows, while the center bay contains three windows. The 46th through 53rd floors also have three bays on each elevation, but the side bays only contain one window. At the 45th- and 50th-story setbacks, there are turrets at each corner of the tower.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=218}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} The northeast corner turret concealed a smokestack.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=218}}There is a pyramidal roof above the 53rd floor,{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}} as well as four ornamental tourelles at the four corners of the tower.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=388}} The roof was originally gilt but is now green.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} The pyramidal roof, as well as the smaller roofs below, used {{convert|40000|ft2}} of gold leaf.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=218}} The main roof is interspersed with small dormers, which contain windows into the maintenance levels inside. The pyramidal roof is topped by another pyramid with an octagonal base and tall pointed-arch windows. In turn, the octagonal pyramid is capped by a spire. The three layers of pyramids are about {{Convert|62|ft|m|abbr=}}, or five stories tall.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} An observation deck was located at the 55th floor, about {{convert|730|ft|m}} above ground level.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}} The deck was octagonal in plan, measuring {{convert|65|ft}} across, was accessed by a glass-walled elevator. It was patronized by an estimated 300,000 visitors per year but was closed as a security measure in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor attack.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=16}}BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=s2vZ8bU8hUgC&pg=PA120, F.W. Woolworth and the American Five and Dime: A Social History, Pitrone, J.M., McFarland, Incorporated, 2003, 978-0-7864-1433-8, 120, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221244/https://books.google.com/books?id=s2vZ8bU8hUgC&pg=PA120, live, NEWS, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27456113/, Woolworth Building 50 Years Old, April 24, 1963, Ithaca Journal, January 21, 2019, 15, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031524/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27456113/woolworth-building-50-years-old/, live, Strongly articulated piers, which carry right to the pyramidal cap without intermediate cornices, give the building its upward thrust.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=6}} This was influenced by Aus’s belief that, “From an engineering point of view, no structure is beautiful where the lines of strength are not apparent.“{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}{{sfn|Aus|1913|p=158}} The copper roof is connected to the Woolworth Building’s steel superstructure, which serves to ground the roof electrically.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=6}} The Gothic detailing concentrated at the highly visible crown is over-scaled, and the building’s silhouette could be made out from several miles away. Gilbert’s choice of the Gothic style was described as “an expression of the verticality of the tower form”, and as Gilbert himself later wrote, the style was “light, graceful, delicate and flame-like”.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|pp=10–11}} Gilbert considered several proposals for exterior lighting, including four powerful searchlights atop nearby buildings and a constantly rotating lamp at the apex of the Woolworth Building’s roof. Ultimately, the builders decided to erect nitrogen lamps and reflectors above the 31st floor, and have the intensity of the lighting increase with height.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=13}}

Structural features

Substructure

In contrast to other parts of Manhattan, the bedrock beneath the site is relatively deep, descending to between {{convert|110|and|115|ft}} on average. The site also has a high water table, which is as shallow as {{convert|15|ft}} beneath ground level.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}} Due to the geology of the area, the building is supported on either 66MAGAZINE, February 15, 1999, 1913 The Country’s First Real Skyscraper, Engineering News-Record, 242, 7, 32, {{ProQuest, 235763772, }}{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}} or 69 massive caissons that descend to the bedrock.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}{{sfn|Aus|1913|p=160}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}} The caissons range in depth from {{convert|100|to|120|ft|m}}.To give the structure a sturdy foundation, the builders used metal tubes {{convert|19|ft|m}} in diameter filled with concrete. These tubes were driven into the ground with a pneumatic caisson process to anchor the foundations to the bedrock.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=5}} Because the slope of the bedrock was so sharp, steps had to be carved into the rock before the caissons could be sunk into the ground.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1911/10/29/archives/steel-work-on-woolworth-building.html, Steel Work on Woolworth Building., October 29, 1911, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, January 22, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122044146/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/10/29/archives/steel-work-on-woolworth-building.html, live, {{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}{{sfn|Aus|1913|p=160}} The caissons were both round and rectangular, with the rectangular caissons located mainly on the southern and western lot lines.{{sfn|Holtzman|1913|p=22}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}} The caissons are irregularly distributed across the site, being more densely concentrated at the northeastern corner. This is because the building was originally planned to occupy a smaller site at the corner of Broadway and Park Place; when the site was enlarged, the caissons that had already been installed were left in place.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}} The two basement levels, descending {{convert|55|ft}}, are constructed of reinforced concrete.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=385–386}}

Superstructure

Whereas many earlier buildings had been constructed with load-bearing walls, which by necessity were extremely thick, the Woolworth Building’s steel superstructure was relatively thin, which enabled Gilbert to maximize the building’s interior area.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=456}} Engineers Gunvald Aus and Kort Berle designed the steel frame.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=5}} Each column carries a load of {{convert|24|ST/sqft|MPa|1|lk=out}}, supporting the building’s overall weight of {{Convert|233,000|ST|LT}}.{{sfn|Holtzman|1913|p=22}}{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=5}}NEWS, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27455346/, F. W. Woolworth’s Rise a Romance of the Nickel, July 14, 1912, The Sun (New York City), The New York Sun, January 21, 2019, 51, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031524/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27455346/f-w-woolworths-rise-a-romance-of-the/, live, Where the columns of the superstructure did not match up with the caissons, they were cantilevered above on plate girders between two adjoining caissons.{{sfn|Holtzman|1913|p=22}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}} These girders are extremely large; one such girder measures {{convert|8|ft}} deep, {{convert|6.75|ft|0}} wide, and {{convert|23|ft}} long.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=457}}For the wind bracing, the entire Woolworth Building was considered as a vertical cantilever, and correspondingly large girders and columns were used in the construction.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}{{sfn|Holtzman|1913|p=24}} Continuous portal bracing was used between the 1st and 28th floors, except in the interior columns, where triangular bracing was used.{{sfn|Aus|1913|p=160}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=384–385}} The portal braces on the building’s exterior direct crosswinds downward toward the ground, rather than into the building.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=6}} Interconnecting trusses were placed at five-floor intervals between the tower and the wings; these, as well as the side and court walls, provided the bracing for the wings.{{sfn|Aus|1913|p=160}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=384–385}} Directly above each of the tower’s setbacks, the outer walls are supported by girders, as the columns beneath them are offset. Above the 28th floor, knee braces and column-girder connections were used; hollow-tile floors were installed because it would have taken too long to set the concrete floors, especially during cold weather.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=385–386}}

Interior

(File:WTM3 PAT M IN NYC 0021.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph showing part of the lobby with an ornate ceiling and a staircase in the background|Part of the lobby)Upon completion, the Woolworth Building contained seven water systems—one each for the power plant, the hot-water plant, the fire-protection system, the communal restrooms, the offices with restrooms, the basement swimming pool, and the basement restaurant.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=386}}MAGAZINE,babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c0000100560&view=1up&seq=50, Water Supply System in the Fifty-Five Story Woolworth Building, New York, Engineering Record, July 12, 1913, 68, 44, August 10, 2020, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507223754/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c0000100560&view=1up&seq=50, live, There are water tanks on the 14th, 27th, 28th, 50th, and 53rd floors. Although the water is obtained from the New York City water supply system, much of it is filtered and reused.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=445–446}} A dedicated water system, separate from the city’s, was proposed during construction, but workers abandoned the plan after unsuccessfully digging {{Convert|1500|ft|m}} into Manhattan’s bedrock.The Woolworth Building was the first structure to have its own power plant with four Corliss steam engine generators totaling a capacity of {{convert|1,500|kWh|mJ}}; the plant could support 50,000 people.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=6}}{{sfn|Cochran|1918|p=10}}{{sfn|The Master Builders|1913|p=55}} The building also had a dedicated heating plant with six boilers with a capacity of {{convert|2,500|hp|kW}}.{{sfn|Cochran|1918|p=10}} The boilers were fed from subterranean coal bunkers capable of holding over 2,000 tons of anthracite coal.{{sfn|Cochran|1918|p=12}}

Lobby

The ornate, cruciform lobby, known as the “arcade”,{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=388}}{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=2}} was characterized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) as “one of the most spectacular of the early 20th century in New York City”. It consists of two perpendicular, double-height passageways with barrel-vaulted ceilings. One passageway runs between the arcade’s west wing at the Woolworth Building’s “staircase hall” and the east wing at Broadway. The other runs between the north wing at Park Place and the south wing at Barclay Street. A mezzanine crosses the arcade’s north and south wings.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}} Where the passageways intersect, there is a domed ceiling.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=224}} The dome contains pendentives that may have been patterned after those of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=224–225}}{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=19}}BOOK, Berenholtz, Richard, Manhattan architecture, Reynolds, Donald M., 1988, Prentice Hall Press, 0-13-551987-X, New York, 142, 17732386, The walls of this intersection vault are laid out in an octagonal shape, with mailboxes at the four intercardinal directions.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}}(File:Architectural details, the Woolworth Building, New York, New York LCCN2013650497.tif|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph detailing one of the lobby’s grotesques|Detail of grotesque)Veined marble from the island of Skyros in Greece covers the lobby.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=19}}{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=2}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=389}} Edward F. Caldwell & Co. provided the interior lights for the lobby and hallways.BOOK, Inventing the Skyline: The Architecture of Cass Gilbert, Heilbrun, Margaret, Columbia University Press, 2000, Betts, Mary, 122, Patterned glass mosaics that contain blue, green, and gold tiling with red accents decorate the ceilings.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}}{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=2}} There are other Gothic-style decorations in the lobby, including on the cornice and the bronze fittings.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}} Twelve plaster brackets, which carry grotesques depicting major figures in the building’s construction, are placed where the arcade and the mezzanine intersect. These ornaments include Gilbert with a model of the building, Aus taking a girder’s measurements, and Woolworth holding nickels and dimes.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}}{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=222–224}} Two ceiling murals by C. Paul Jennewein, titled Labor and Commerce, are located above the mezzanine where it crosses the south and north wings, respectively.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=2}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=389}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}}{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=234}}The staircase hall is a two-story room located to the west of the arcade. It consists of the ground level, which contains former storefronts, as well as a mezzanine level above it.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=388–389}} The ground floor originally contained 18 storefronts.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=458}} A {{Convert|15|ft|m|-wide|abbr=|adj=mid}} marble staircase leads westward from the arcade to a mezzanine, where the entrance to the Irving National Exchange Bank office was formerly located.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=388–389}}WEB,www.amny.com/secrets-of-new-york/woolworth-building-lobby-7-things-you-might-not-know-1.9697525, Secrets of the Woolworth Building lobby, December 9, 2014, am New York, January 23, 2019, January 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190124041733/https://www.amny.com/secrets-of-new-york/woolworth-building-lobby-7-things-you-might-not-know-1.9697525, live, The mezzanine contains a stained-glass skylight surrounded by the names of several nations. The skylight contains the dates 1879 and 1913, which respectively signify the years of the Woolworth Company’s founding and the building’s opening.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=389}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}} The skylight is also surrounded by sculpted grotesques,{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}} which depict merchandising activities in the five-and-dime industry.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=224}} Heinigke and Brown manufactured the leaded glass of the mezzanine ceiling, as well as the barrel vault of the lobby.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} There is a smaller space west of the staircase hall with a one-story-high ceiling. This room contains a coffered ceiling with a blue-green background.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}} The crossbeams contain Roman portrait heads, while the cornice contains generic sculpted grotesques.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=19}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=12}} The lobby also contains a set of German chimes designed by Harry Yerkes.{{sfn|The Master Builders|1913|p=36}}

Basement

The basement of the Woolworth Building contains an unused bank vault, restaurant, and barbershop. The bank vault was initially intended to be used for safe-deposit boxes, though it was used by the Irving National Exchange Bank in practice.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=66}} In 1931, Irving moved some $3 billion of deposits to a vault in its new headquarters at 1 Wall Street,NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1999/08/01/realestate/streetscapes-1-wall-street-a-bank-s-art-deco-signature.html, Streetscapes /1 Wall Street; A Bank’s Art Deco Signature, Gray, Christopher, August 1, 1999, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 23, 2019, January 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190124041742/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/01/realestate/streetscapes-1-wall-street-a-bank-s-art-deco-signature.html, live, and the Woolworth Building’s vault was converted into a storage area for maintenance workers.WEB,untappedcities.com/2014/05/14/inside-the-epic-safe-deposit-vault-in-nycs-woolworth-building/, Inside the Epic Safe Deposit Vault in NYC’s Woolworth Building, May 14, 2014, Untapped Cities, January 23, 2019, January 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190124041644/https://untappedcities.com/2014/05/14/inside-the-epic-safe-deposit-vault-in-nycs-woolworth-building/, live, There is also a basement storage room, known as the “bone yard”, which contains replacement terracotta decorations for the facade.The basement also contains closed entrances to two New York City Subway stations. There was an entrance to the Park Place station directly adjacent to the building’s north elevation, served by the {{NYCS trains|Broadway-Seventh Brooklyn|time=nolink}}. This entrance was closed after the September 11 attacks in 2001.WEB, Sommer, Jack, Go inside the rarely seen underbelly of New York’s famed Woolworth Building, Business Insider, September 22, 2015,www.businessinsider.com/inside-new-york-citys-woolworth-building-2015-9, December 7, 2018, December 9, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181209123615/https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-new-york-citys-woolworth-building-2015-9, live, Another entrance led to the City Hall station one block north, now served by the {{NYCS trains|Broadway south day}}, but this was closed in 1982 because of concerns over crime.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1983/06/26/realestate/coping-with-crime-in-office-buildings.html, Coping with Crime in Office Buildings, Buder, Leonard, June 26, 1983, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 23, 2019, March 3, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200303154239/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/26/realestate/coping-with-crime-in-office-buildings.html, live, The area in front of the former entrances was used as a bike-storage area by the 2010s.A private pool, originally intended for F. W. Woolworth, exists in the basement.WEB, A Brief History of the Woolworth Building, Commercial Observer, October 16, 2018,commercialobserver.com/2018/10/history-of-woolworth-building/, January 21, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233118/https://commercialobserver.com/2018/10/history-of-woolworth-building/, live, Proposed as early as 1910,WEB,cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/in-old-woolworth-pool-sign-of-the-luxe-life/, In Old Woolworth Pool, Sign of the Luxe Life, Dunlap, David W., December 26, 2008, City Room, January 21, 2019, June 19, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180619163109/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/in-old-woolworth-pool-sign-of-the-luxe-life/, live, the pool measured {{Convert|15|by|55|ft|m}} and had a marble perimeter. The pool was later drainedNEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1999/02/24/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-updating-a-skyscraper-that-woolworth-built.html, Commercial Real Estate; Updating a Skyscraper That Woolworth Built, Dunlap, David W., February 24, 1999, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064723/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/24/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-updating-a-skyscraper-that-woolworth-built.html, live, but was restored in the mid-2010s as part of the conversion of the Woolworth Building’s upper floors into residential units.WEB,ny.curbed.com/2015/9/16/9920666/finally-go-inside-the-woolworth-buildings-splendid-model-unit, Finally, Go Inside the Woolworth Building’s Splendid Model Unit, Plitt, Amy, September 16, 2015, Curbed NY, January 23, 2019, January 24, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190124041535/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/9/16/9920666/finally-go-inside-the-woolworth-buildings-splendid-model-unit, live,

Offices

At the time of construction, the Woolworth Building had over 2,000 offices. Each office had ceilings ranging from {{convert|11|to|20|ft}} high.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}} Gilbert had designed the interior to maximize the amount of usable office space, and correspondingly, minimize the amount of space taken up by the elevator shafts.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}MAGAZINE, Mortimer, George T., July 1912, The Woolworth Building, Most Modern Example of the Fireproof Skyscraper; How It Was Built, 1, 56, Real Estate Magazine, The usable-space consideration affected the placement of the columns in the wings, as the columns in the main tower were positioned around the elevator shafts and facade piers.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=384}}{{sfn|Aus|1913|pp=159–160}} Each of the lowest 30 stories had 31 offices, of which ten faced the light court, eight faced Park Place, eight faced Barclay Street, and five faced Broadway. Above the 30th-story setback, each story had 14 offices.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=458}} For reasons that are unknown, floor numbers 42, 48, and 52 are skipped.Woolworth’s private office on the 24th floor, revetted in green marble in the French Empire style, is preserved in its original condition.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=219}} His office included a mahogany desk with a leather top measuring {{convert|7.5|by|3.75|ft}}.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=219–222}} That desk contained a hidden console with four buttons to request various members of his staff. The marble columns in the office are capped by gilded Corinthian capitals. Woolworth’s reception room contained objects that were inspired by a visit to the Château de Compiègne shortly after the building opened. These included a bronze bust of Napoleon, a set of French Empire-style lamps with gold figures, and an inkwell with a depiction of Napoleon on horseback.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=219–222}} The walls of the office contained portraits of Napoleon, and gold-and-scarlet chairs were arranged around the room.NEWS, May 7, 1953, Woolworth Building Past Its Early Glamour Role, B11, The Austin Statesman, {{ProQuest, 1559313507, }} At some point, Woolworth replaced the portrait of Napoleon with a portrait of himself.

Elevators

(File:Woolworth Building Elevator.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph showing an ornately detailed elevator door|Detail of elevators)The Woolworth Building contains a system of high-speed elevators capable of traveling {{convert|650|ft}} or {{convert|700|ft|m}} per minute.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=386}}{{sfn|Cochran|1918|p=14}} The Otis Elevator Company supplied the units, which were innovative in that there were “express” elevators, stopping only at certain floors, and “local” elevators, stopping at every floor between a certain range.NEWS, Otis Elevator Co., January 6, 1912, 5, The Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 129391724, }} There were 26 Otis electric elevators with gearless traction, as well as an electric-drum shuttle elevator within the tower once construction was complete.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=386}} Of these, 24 were passenger elevators, which were arranged around cruciform elevator lobbies on each floor. Two freight elevators and two emergency staircases were placed at the rear of the building.{{sfn|Springer|1912|p=458}}The elevators are accessed from bays in the eastern and western walls of the arcade. The walls are both divided by two bays with round arches, and there are four elevators on each wall.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=11}} The elevator doors in the lobby were designed by Tiffany Studios.{{sfn|Nash|2005|p=19}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} The patterns on the doors have been described as “arabesque tracery patterns in etched steel set off against a gold-plated background”.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=234}}

History

Planning

The entrepreneur F. W. Woolworth immigrated to the U.S. in 1886 and became successful because of his “Five-and-Dime” (5- and 10-cent stores).{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=18}} He began planning a new headquarters for the F. W. Woolworth Company in 1910. Around the same time, Woolworth’s friend Lewis Pierson was having difficulty getting shareholder approval for the merger of his Irving National Bank and the rival New York Exchange Bank.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=3}} Woolworth, who was looking for funding, mentioned his plans for the building at a lunch with Pierson.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=18}} Woolworth offered to acquire shares in New York Exchange Bank and vote in favor of the merger if Pierson agreed to move the combined banks’ headquarters to the F. W. Woolworth Company’s new headquarters.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=3}} Having received a commitment from the banks, Woolworth acquired a corner site on Broadway and Park Place in Lower Manhattan, opposite City Hall.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=18}} Woolworth briefly considered purchasing a plot at West Broadway and Reade Street several blocks north. He decided against it because of the prestige that a Broadway address provided; despite its name, West Broadway is a separate street from Broadway.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|pp=64–65}}Woolworth and the Irving National Exchange Bank then set up the Broadway–Park Place Company to construct and finance the proposed structure.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=65}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|pages=18–20}} Initially, the bank was supposed to purchase the company’s stock gradually until it owned the entire company, and thus, the Woolworth Building.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=65}} Irving would be able to manage the 18 floors on a 25-year lease.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=65}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} In addition, Irving would be able to control two of the Broadway–Park Place Company’s seats, while Woolworth would control the other three seats and serve as that firm’s president.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} While negotiations to create the Broadway-Park Place Company were ongoing, Woolworth and his real estate agent Edward J. Hogan purchased several parcels from the Trenor Luther Park estate and other owners.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=65}}NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1910/03/11/archives/in-the-real-estate-field-woolworth-co-buy-broadway-and-park-place.html, In the Real Estate Field; Woolworth & Co. Buy Broadway and Park Place Corner, March 11, 1910, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, January 22, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122044523/https://www.nytimes.com/1910/03/11/archives/in-the-real-estate-field-woolworth-co-buy-broadway-and-park-place.html, live, The entire footprint of the current building, a rectangular lot, had been acquired by April 15, 1910, at a total cost of $1.65 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1650000|start_year=1910}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=65}}

Original designs

(File:Bird’s-eye views of Woolworth Bldg. under construction, New York City - June 22, 1912 LCCN2002705857.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photographs of steel girders as the Woolworth Building is built|The Woolworth Building under construction on June 22, 1912)Woolworth commissioned Cass Gilbert to design the new building.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=215}} There are few print documents that indicate early correspondence between Woolworth and Gilbert, and news articles as late as March 1910 mentioned that no architect had been chosen.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=68}} Gilbert later mentioned that he had received the commission for the Woolworth Building after getting a phone call from Woolworth one day.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=68}} The architect had recently finished designing the nearby Broadway–Chambers Building and 90 West Street, whose architecture Woolworth admired.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=66}} Woolworth wanted his new structure to be of similar design to the Palace of Westminster in London, which was designed in the Gothic style. At the time, Gilbert was well known for constructing modern skyscrapers with historicizing design elements.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|p=215}}Gilbert was originally retained to design a standard 12- to 16-story commercial building for Woolworth, who later said he “had no desire to erect a monument that would cause posterity to remember me”.NEWS, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27555700/, Manhattan’s Master Tower Builders, April 13, 1919, New York Herald, January 21, 2019, 57, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031524/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27555700/manhattans-master-tower-builders/, live, By 1910, the plans called for a building with a 20-story base and 10-story upper section.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} Woolworth then wanted to surpass the nearby New York World Building, which sat on the other side of City Hall Park and stood 20 stories and {{convert|350|ft|m}}. A drawing by Thomas R. Johnson, dated April 22, 1910, shows a 30-story building rising from the site.WEB,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/case1_tallest.php, The Woolworth Building @ 100: World’s Tallest Building, The Skyscraper Museum, August 10, 2020, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233112/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/case1_tallest.php, live, Because of the change in plans, the organization of the Broadway-Park Place Company was rearranged.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=66}} Woolworth would be the major investor in the Broadway–Park Place Company, contributing $1 million, and the bank would contribute the other $500,000.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=66}}{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|pages=18–20}} The Irving Bank would take up a 25-year lease for the ground floor, fourth floor, and basement.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=66}}By September 1910, Gilbert had designed an even taller structure, with a 40-story tower on Park Place adjacent to a shorter 25-story annex, yielding a {{convert|550|ft|m|adj=on}}-tall building.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=3}} The next month, Gilbert’s design had evolved into a 45-story building roughly the height of the nearby Singer Building.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} This proposal called for a neo-Gothic structure with a 26-story base, topped by a square tower rising another 19 stories.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=20}} After the latest design, Woolworth wrote to Gilbert in November 1910 and asked for the building’s height to be increased to {{convert|620|ft|m}}, which was {{convert|8|ft|m}} taller than the Singer Building, Lower Manhattan’s tallest building. Woolworth was inspired by his travels in Europe, where he would constantly be asked about the Singer Building. He decided that housing his company in an even taller building would provide invaluable advertising for the F. W. Woolworth Company and make it renowned worldwide. This design, unveiled to the public the same month, was a 45-story tower rising {{convert|625|ft|m}}, sitting on a lot by {{convert|105|by|197|ft}}.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=3}}NEWS, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27500475/, New Woolworth Building on Broadway Will Eclipse Singer Tower in Height, November 13, 1910, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, 57, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031524/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27500475/new-woolworth-building-on-broadway-will/, live, {{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=380}} Referring to the revised plans, Woolworth said, “I do not want a mere building. I want something that will be an ornament to the city.“{{sfn|Nash|2005|pp=17, 19}} He later said that he wanted visitors to brag that they had visited the world’s tallest building. Louis J. Horowitz, president of the building’s main contractor Thompson-Starrett Company, said of Woolworth, “Beyond a doubt his ego was a thing of extraordinary size; whoever tried to find a reason for his tall building and did not take that fact into account would reach a false conclusion.“{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}{{sfn|Horowitz|1937|p=120}}

Plans for world’s tallest building

Even after the revised height was unveiled, Woolworth still yearned to make the building even taller as it was now close to the {{convert|700|ft|m|adj=on}} height of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, then the tallest building in New York City and the world. On December 20, 1910, Woolworth sent a team of surveyors to measure the Metropolitan Life Tower’s height and come up with a precise measurement, so he could make his skyscraper {{convert|50|ft}} taller.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=4}}{{sfn|Nash|2005|pp=17, 19}} He then ordered Gilbert to revise the building’s design to reach {{convert|710|or|712|ft|m}}, despite ongoing worries over whether the additional height would be worth the increased cost. In order to fit the larger base that a taller tower necessitated, Woolworth bought the remainder of the frontage on Broadway between Park Place and Barclay Street.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|p=4}} He also purchased two lots to the west, one on Park Place and one on Barclay Street; these lots would not be developed, but would retain their low-rise buildings and preserve the proposed tower’s views. Such a tall building would produce the largest income of any building globally.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=380–381}}On January 1, 1911, the New York Times reported Woolworth was planning a {{convert|625|ft|m}} building at a cost of $5 million.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}}NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/01/104852802.pdf, A Skyscraper Built by the Nickels of Millions, January 1, 1911, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221446/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/01/104852802.pdf, live, That month, Woolworth and Hogan acquired the final site for the project.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}} In total, the site had cost $4.5 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4500000|start_year=1911}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) and measured {{convert|152|ft}} on Broadway, {{convert|192.5|ft}} on Barclay Street, and {{convert|197.83|ft|0}} on Park Place.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=381}} In a New York Times article two days later, Woolworth said that his building would rise {{convert|750|ft|m}} to its tip.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/20/104855321.pdf, 55-Story Building in Lower Broadway, January 20, 1911, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221459/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/01/20/104855321.pdf, live, These plans called for a 30-story base and 25-story square tower above it.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}} The 750-foot height was the absolute minimum that Woolworth would agree to,{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}} but Gilbert increased the height tp {{convert|792|ft|m|adj=on}} so the architectural proportions would fit. Renderings by illustrator Hughson Hawley, completed in April 1911, are the first official materials that reflect this final height.Gilbert had to reconcile both Woolworth’s and Pierson’s strict requirements for the design of the structure. The architect’s notes describe late-night conversations that he had with both men. The current design of the lobby, with its arcade, reflected these conflicting pressures.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1983|p=8}} Sometimes, Gilbert also faced practical conundrums, such as Woolworth’s requirement that there be “many windows so divided that all of the offices should be well lighted”, and so that tenants could erect partitions to fit their needs. Gilbert wrote this “naturally prevented any broad wall space”.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|pp=4–5}} Woolworth commented at length on each of the dozens of drawings that Gilbert drew up.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}} Woolworth and Gilbert sometimes clashed during the design process, especially because of the constantly changing designs and the architect’s fees.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=122}} Nevertheless, Gilbert commended Woolworth’s devotion to the details and beauty of the building’s design, as well as the entrepreneur’s enthusiasm for the project.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|pp=4–5}}{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=122}} Such was the scale of the building that, for several years, Gilbert’s sense of scale was “destroyed [...] because of the unprecedented attuning of detail to, for these days, such an excessive height”.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}BOOK, Gilbert, Julia Finch, Cass Gilbert; Reminiscences and Addresses, The Scribner Press, 1935,books.google.com/books?id=GIM5AAAAMAAJ, 14, August 10, 2020, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221045/https://books.google.com/books?id=GIM5AAAAMAAJ, live,

Construction

(File:Woolworth bldg. ironwork, made April 4th, 1912 LCCN90715771.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|alt=Black-and-white photograph of the Woolworth Building’s ironwork being erected, taken in April 1912|Photograph of the Woolworth Building under construction in April 1912)In September 1910, wrecking crews demolished the five-and-six-story structures which previously occupied the site.{{sfn|The Master Builders|1913|p=16}} Construction officially began on November 4, 1910, with excavation by the Foundation Company, using a contract negotiated personally by Frank Woolworth.WEB,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/casec_construction.php, The Woolworth Building @ 100: Construction, The Skyscraper Museum, August 10, 2020, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233152/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/casec_construction.php, live, The start of construction instantly raised the site’s value from $2.25 million to $3.2 million. The contract of over $1 million was described as the largest contract for foundation construction ever awarded in the world.{{sfn|The Master Builders|1913|p=17}} It took months for Woolworth to decide upon the general construction company. George A. Fuller’s Fuller Company was well experienced and had practically invented skyscraper construction, but Louis Horowitz’s Thompson-Starrett Company was local to New York; despite being newer, Horowitz had worked for Fuller before, and thus had a similar knowledge base.{{sfn|Fenske|Moudry|2003|p=32}}{{sfn|Horowitz|1937|p=104}} On April 20, 1911, Thompson-Starrett won the contract with a guaranteed construction price of $4,308,500 for the building’s frame and structural elements.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/04/20/104823727.pdf, High Building Contract Let, April 20, 1911, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221509/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/04/20/104823727.pdf, live, The company was paid $300,000 for their oversight and management work, despite Woolworth’s attempts to get the company to do the job for free due to the prestige of the project.{{sfn|Horowitz|1937|p=107}}The first potential tenants began applying for space in the building in May 1911, before work had even started.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} On June 12, 1911, the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company received a $250,000 contract to manufacture the terracotta. The next month, Donnelly and Ricci received the $11,500 contract for the terracotta work and some of the interior design work.{{sfn|Reynolds|1994|pp=218–219}} Gilbert requested Atlantic Terra Cotta use an office next to his while they drew several hundred designs.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=205}} The construction process involved hundreds of workers, and daily wages ranged from $1.50 for laborers ({{inflation|index=US|start_year=1913|value=1.50|fmt=eq}}) to $4.50 for skilled workers ({{inflation|index=US|start_year=1913|value=4.50|fmt=eq}}). By August 1911, the building’s foundations were completed ahead of the target date of September 15; construction of the skyscraper’s steel frame began August 15.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/05/28/105028497.pdf, Foundation Work For Big Building, The New York Times, 0362-4331, May 28, 1911, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221519/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1911/05/28/105028497.pdf, live, The steel beams and girders used in the framework weighed so much that, to prevent the streets from caving in, a group of surveyors examined them on the route along which the beams would be transported.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=5}}{{sfn|Horowitz|1937|p=110}} The American Bridge Company provided steel for the building from their foundries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; manufacturing took over 45 weeks.{{sfn|The Master Builders|1913|p=20}}(File:Woolworth Building, made July 1st, 1912 LCCN90710127.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph of the Woolworth Building topped out|The Woolworth Building topped out on July 1, 1912)The first above-ground steel had been erected by October 1911, and installation of the building’s terracotta began on February 1, 1912.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=202}}WEB,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/southwall_install.php, The Woolworth Building @ 100, Installing Terra Cotta, The Skyscraper Museum, August 10, 2020, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121232956/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/southwall_install.php, live, The building rose at the rate of {{frac|1|1|2}} stories a week and the steelworkers set a speed record for assembling 1,153 tons of steel in six consecutive eight-hour days.{{sfn|Fenske|Moudry|2003|p=33}} By February 18, 1912, work on the steel frame had reached the building’s 18th floor.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/02/18/100352432.pdf, February 18, 1912, The Woolworth Building, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221528/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/02/18/100352432.pdf, live, By April 6, 1912, the steel frame had reached the top of the base at the 30th floor and work then began on constructing the tower of the Woolworth Building. Steel reached the 47th floor by May 30 and the official topping out ceremony took place two weeks ahead of schedule on July 1, 1912, as the last rivet was driven into the summit of the tower.{{sfn|Fenske|Moudry|2003|p=33}}NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/06/30/100586937.pdf, Flag to Fly 830 Feet Up, The New York Times, 0362-4331, June 30, 1912, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221536/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1912/06/30/100586937.pdf, live, After the building was topped out, Gilbert initially told Woolworth that he thought the building was about {{convert|787|ft}} tall, but Woolworth’s own engineers found the true height to be {{convert|792|ft}}.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} The skyscraper was substantially completed by the end of 1912. The final estimated construction cost was {{US$|13.5 million}} ({{inflation|index=US|start_year=1913|value=13500000|fmt=eq|r=-6}}),{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=380}}{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=3}} up from the initial estimates of {{US$|5 million}} for the shorter versions of the skyscraper ({{inflation|index=US|start_year=1913|value=5000000|fmt=eq|r=-6}}). This was divided into $5 million for the land, $1 million for the foundation, and $7 million for the structure.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} Woolworth provided $5 million, while investors provided the remainder, and financing was completed by August 1911.NEWS, August 2, 1911, Obtains $8,000,000 for Big Skyscraper; Gillespie Finds Abroad the Balance of $13,000,000 for 55-story Woolworth Building., The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1911/08/02/archives/obtains-8000000-for-big-skyscraper-gillespie-finds-abroad-the.html, live, limited, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122044304/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/08/02/archives/obtains-8000000-for-big-skyscraper-gillespie-finds-abroad-the.html, January 22, 2019, 0362-4331,

Woolworth operation

Opening and 1910s

The building opened on April 24, 1913. Woolworth held a grand dinner on the building’s 27th floor for over 900 guests, and at exactly 7:30 p.m. EST, President Woodrow Wilson pushed a button in Washington, D.C., to turn on the building’s lights.WEB,www.wdl.org/en/item/11376/, Study for Woolworth Building, New York, World Digital Library, December 10, 1910, July 25, 2013, September 27, 2013,www.wdl.org/en/item/11376/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130927124658www.wdl.org/en/item/11376/,">web.archive.org/web/20130927124658www.wdl.org/en/item/11376/, live, NEWS,bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/9351385/, Wilson Lights Up Woolworth Tower, April 25, 1913, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 22, 2019, 9, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031525/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/9351385/cass-gilbert-brooklyn-daily-eagle/, live, {{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=390}} Attendees included: Francis Hopkinson Smith, who served as toastmaster; author William Winter; businessmen Patrick Francis Murphy and Charles M. Schwab; Rhode Island Governor Aram J. Pothier; Judge Thomas C. T. Crain; US Senator from Arkansas Joseph Taylor Robinson; Ecuadorian minister Gonzalo Córdova; New York Supreme Court Justices Charles L. Guy and Edward Everett McCall; Commissioner of Education of the State of New York John Huston Finley; Collector of the Port of New York William Loeb Jr.; naval architect Lewis Nixon; Rear Admiral Charles Dwight Sigsbee; Commissioner of Docks and Ferries of the City of New York R. A. C. Smith; Colonel William Conant Church; United States Representative from New York Herman A. Metz; New York City Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo; banker James Speyer; former Lieutenant Governor of New York Timothy L. Woodruff; writer Robert Sterling Yard; Admiral Albert Gleaves; and reportedly between 69 and 80 congressmen who arrived via a special train from Washington, DC.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/04/25/100395425.pdf, 55-Story Building Opens on a Flash, The New York Times, 0362-4331, April 25, 1913, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221555/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/04/25/100395425.pdf, live, NEWS,chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1913-04-25/ed-1/seq-3/, The New York Sun, April 25, 1913, 3, President Lights Up Woolworth Tower, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214115630/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1913-04-25/ed-1/seq-3/, live, Additional congratulations were sent via letter from former President William Howard Taft, Governor of New Jersey James Fairman Fielder and United States Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels.The building was declared ready for occupancy on May 1, 1913, and Woolworth began renting the offices at a minimum rate of {{convert|4|$/ft2}}.WEB, The Woolworth Building @ 100,www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/realestate.php, live,web.archive.org/web/20190121233027/https://www.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/WOOLWORTH/realestate.php, January 21, 2019, August 10, 2020, The Skyscraper Museum, A Real Estate Venture, To attract tenants, Woolworth hired architecture critic Montgomery Schuyler to write a 56-page brochure outlining the building’s features.NEWS, Pham, Diane, October 23, 2014, Accounting for the Strange Faces That Adorn the Woolworth Building (And Other Fun Facts), 6sqft,www.6sqft.com/accounting-for-the-strange-faces-adorning-the-woolworth-building-and-other-fun-facts/, live, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123223119/https://www.6sqft.com/accounting-for-the-strange-faces-adorning-the-woolworth-building-and-other-fun-facts/, January 23, 2019, Schuyler later described the Woolworth Building as the “noblest offspring” of buildings erected with steel skeletons.{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=387}}BOOK, Schuyler, Montgomery,books.google.com/books?id=SdzkAAAAIAAJ, American Architecture: And Other Writings, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1961, Jordy, William H., 608, 620, The Woolworth Building, August 10, 2020, Coe, Ralph,web.archive.org/web/20210507221108/https://books.google.com/books?id=SdzkAAAAIAAJ, May 7, 2021, live, v. 2, On completion, the Woolworth Building topped the record set by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower as the world’s tallest building, a distinction it held until 1930.{{sfn|National Park Service|1966|p=3}}{{sfn|Landau|Condit|1996|p=391}} Woolworth had purchased all of the Broadway-Park Place Company’s shares from the Irving National Exchange Bank by May 1914; his company held no ownership stake in the building.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=23}} The bank, whose only involvement in the building was now as a tenant, agreed to lease the entire second story for $100,000 a year.{{Sfn|Tauranac|Little|1985|page=22}} The building contained offices for as many as 14,000 employees. By the end of 1914, the building was 70% occupied and generating over $1.3 million a year in rents for the F. W. Woolworth Company.NEWS, December 12, 1914, Woolworth Building, 2, The Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 129433328, }}

1920s to 1960s

(File:View of Woolworth Building fixed crop.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph of the Woolworth Building and those surrounding it|Woolworth Building c.1913)During World War I, only one of the Woolworth Building’s then-14 elevators was turned on, and many lighting fixtures in hallways and offices were turned off. This resulted in about a 70% energy reduction compared to peacetime requirements.NEWS, January 22, 1918, Skyscrapers Obey Ruling Rigorously; Balked by Prospect of Climbing Steps, Most Business Men Take a Holiday, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1918/01/22/archives/skyscrapers-obey-ruling-rigorously-balked-by-prospect-of-climbing.html, live, limited, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064707/https://www.nytimes.com/1918/01/22/archives/skyscrapers-obey-ruling-rigorously-balked-by-prospect-of-climbing.html, January 21, 2019, 0362-4331, The building had more than a thousand tenants by the 1920s, who generally occupied suites of one or two rooms. These tenants reportedly collectively employed over 12,000 people in the building.{{sfn|Cochran|1918|p=7}} In 1920, after F. W. Woolworth died, his heirs obtained a $3 million mortgage loan on the Woolworth Building from Prudential Life Insurance Company to pay off $8 million in inheritance tax.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=2RE8AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA2664, The Commercial & Financial Chronicle ...: A Weekly Newspaper Representing the Industrial Interests of the United States, William B. Dana Company, 1920, 2664, January 22, 2019, v. 110, pt. 2, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507220841/https://books.google.com/books?id=2RE8AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA2664, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_065_52.pdf, 834, June 26, 1920, Woolworth Heirs Borrow Money to Pay Inheritance Tax, 105, 26, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302112753/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_065_52.pdf, live, By this point, the building was worth $10 million and grossed $1.55 million per year in rent income.NEWS, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27511675/, Woolworth Building Mortgaged for 3 Million for Taxes, June 23, 1920, Ithaca Journal, January 21, 2019, 1, May 5, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220505031525/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27511675/woolworth-building-mortgaged-for-3/, live, The Broadway-Park Place Corporation agreed to sell the building to Woolco Realty Co., a subsidiary of the F. W. Woolworth Company, in January 1924 at an assessed valuation of $11.25 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=11250000|start_year=1924}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).NEWS, January 11, 1924, $15,000,000 Woolworth Building Sold, 16, The Hartford Courant, 1047-4153, {{ProQuest, 553606111, }}NEWS, January 15, 1924, From Day to Day in Old New York, 4, Buffalo Enquirer, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/27511877/, live, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20220505031525/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27511877/from-day-to-day-in-old-new-york/, May 5, 2022, The company paid $4 million in cash and obtained a five-year, $11 million mortgage from Prudential Life Insurance Company at an annual interest rate of 5.5%.NEWS, Woolworth Building Sold for $11,000,000, The Wall Street Journal, April 2, 1924, 13, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 130268131, }} The sale was finalized in April 1924, after which F. W. Woolworth’s heirs no longer had any stake in the building.NEWS, April 2, 1924, Woolworth Building Control Passes From Heirs to Realtors, 2, The New York Herald, New York Tribune, {{ProQuest, 1112952421, }}NEWS, April 2, 1924, Woolworth Building Sold for $11,000,000, 21, The Hartford Courant, 1047-4153, {{ProQuest, 553735752, }}In 1927, the building’s pinnacle was painted green, and the observation tower was re-gilded for over $25,000 (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=25000|start_year=1927}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).NEWS, April 27, 1927, Woolworth Tower of Gold and Dimes, 13, The Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 130428298, }} The Atlantic Terra Cotta Company cleaned the Woolworth Building’s facade in 1932. Prudential extended its $3.7 million mortgage on the building by ten years in 1939,NEWS, March 13, 1939, $3,700,000 Lien Extended On Woolworth Building, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1939/03/13/archives/3700000-lien-extended-on-woolworth-building.html, February 22, 2023, 0362-4331, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222003820/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/13/archives/3700000-lien-extended-on-woolworth-building.html, live, and the observation deck was closed after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Ten of the building’s 24 elevators were temporarily disabled in 1944 because of a shortage of coal.NEWS, January 6, 1944, Elevators Cut Off to Conserve Coal, The New York Times,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/01/06/86837898.pdf, live, subscription, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20220505031525/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/01/06/86837898.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false, May 5, 2022, 0362-4331, The next year, the building’s owners replaced the elevators and closed off the building above the 54th story.By 1953, a new chilled water air conditioning system had been installed, bringing individual room temperature control to a third of the building. The old car-switch-control elevators had been replaced with a new automatic dispatching systems and new elevator cars.NEWS, Woolworth Building Observes 40th Year as City Landmark, April 12, 1953, The New York Times, 0362-4331, R1, {{ProQuest, 112851741, }} The structure was still profitable by then, although it was now only the sixth-tallest building, and tourists no longer frequented the Woolworth Building. The building’s terracotta facade deteriorated easily, and, by 1962, repairs to the terracotta tiles were occurring year-round.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/realestate/09scap.html, Dark Spots Mar an Aging, Yet Exquisite, Face, Gray, Christopher, September 9, 2007, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 26, 2019, limited, January 27, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190127040635/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/realestate/09scap.html, live, The Woolworth Company had considered selling the building as early as the 1960s, though the planned sale never happened.

Restoration and landmark status

The National Park Service designated the Woolworth Building as a National Historic Landmark in 1966.NEWS, May 6, 1967, Woolworth Building Gains Landmark Status, 17E, The Hartford Courant, 1047-4153, {{ProQuest, 549474087, }} The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered giving the Woolworth Building official city-landmark status in 1970.NEWS, April 27, 1970, 36 Buildings May Be Rated As Landmarks, 23, Daily News, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/122679033/36-buildings-may-be-rated-as-landmarks/, April 11, 2023, April 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230411164504/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122679033/36-buildings-may-be-rated-as-landmarks/, live, The F. W. Woolworth Company called the landmark law “onerous” since it would restrict the company from making modifications to many aspects of the building.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1970/04/29/archives/owners-of-woolworth-building-call-landmark-law-onerous.html, Owners of Woolworth Building Call Landmark Law ‘Onerous’, Burks, Edward C., April 29, 1970, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 26, 2019, subscription, January 27, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190127040728/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/29/archives/owners-of-woolworth-building-call-landmark-law-onerous.html, live, The commission ultimately declined to give the Woolworth Building a designated-landmark status because of the company’s opposition to such a measure, as well as the increased costs and scrutiny.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1983/04/13/nyregion/landmark-status-given-to-woolworth-building.html, Landmark Status Given to Woolworth Building, Dunlap, David W., April 13, 1983, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121065849/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/13/nyregion/landmark-status-given-to-woolworth-building.html, live, The lobby was cleaned in 1974.NEWS, Wallach, Amei, April 11, 1978, Preserving The People’s Architecture: Corporations are refurbishing the Woolworth and Chrysler Buildings, and a public outcry apparently will save Radio City Music Hall from destruction, 4A, Newsday, 2574-5298, {{ProQuest, 966641090, }}The F. W. Woolworth Company commissioned an appraisal of the building’s facade in 1975 and found serious deterioration in the building’s terracotta. Many of the blocks of terracotta had loosened or cracked from the constant thermal expansion and contraction caused by New York’s climate.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1981/11/05/nyregion/a-life-renewed-for-cathedral-of-commerce-an-appraisal.html, November 5, 1981, A Life Renewed for ‘Cathedral of Commerce’; An Appraisal, Paul, The New York Times, 0362-4331, Goldberger, January 25, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064923/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/05/nyregion/a-life-renewed-for-cathedral-of-commerce-an-appraisal.html, live, The cracks in the facade had let rain in, which caused the steel superstructure to rust. By 1976, the Woolworth Company had placed metal netting around the facade to prevent terracotta pieces from dislodging and hitting pedestrians.NEWS, Horsley, Carter B., April 4, 1976, Decaying Facades a Latent Hazard to Pedestrians, R1, The New York Times, 0362-4331, {{ProQuest, 122663074, }} The issues with the facade were exacerbated by the fact that very few terracotta manufacturers remained in business, making it difficult for the company to procure replacements. The New York City Industrial and Commercial Incentives Board approved a $8.5 million tax abatement in September 1977, which was to fund a proposed renovation of the Woolworth Building.NEWS, Sterne, Michael, September 16, 1977, Hotel Project on Site of Landmark On Madison Ave. Gets Abatement, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1977/09/16/archives/hotel-project-on-site-of-landmark-on-madison-ave-gets-abatement.html, April 11, 2023, 0362-4331, July 9, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210709231013/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/16/archives/hotel-project-on-site-of-landmark-on-madison-ave-gets-abatement.html, live, The Woolworth Company still occupied half the building; its vice president for construction said “we think the building merits the investment”,NEWS, Morehouse III, Ward III, February 23, 1979, Skyscraper renaissance: Seven new towers are rising in New York as dozens of old ones like the Woolworth Building are renovated, 3, The Christian Science Monitor, {{ProQuest, 512163995, }} in part because F. W. Woolworth had used his own wealth to fund the building’s construction. Much of the remaining space was occupied by lawyers who paid {{convert|7|to|12|$/ft2}}.The F. W. Woolworth Company began a five-year restoration of the building’s terracotta and limestone facade, as well as replacement of all the building’s windows, in 1977.NEWS, Banner, Randy, April 13, 1983, A Landmark Decision, 117, Newsday, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/122677269/a-landmark-decisionrandy-banner/, April 11, 2023, April 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230411154208/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122677269/a-landmark-decisionrandy-banner/, live, Initially, the company had considered replacing the entire terracotta facade with concrete; this was canceled due to its high cost and potential backlash from preservationists. The renovation, carried out by Turner Construction to plans by the New York architectural firm Ehrenkrantz Group, involved the replacement of roughly one-fifth of the building’s terracotta. Since there were so few remaining terracotta manufacturers, so Woolworth’s replaced 26,000 of the tiles with concrete lookalikes; many of those tiles had to be custom-cut. The concrete was coated with a surface that was meant to be replaced every five years, like the glazing on the terracotta blocks. Similarly, the original copper windows were replaced with aluminum frames which allowed them to be opened, whereas the originals were sealed in place. The company also removed some decorative flying buttresses near the tower’s crown and refaced four tourelles in aluminum because of damage.The building’s renovation was completed without fanfare in 1982.NEWS, Carroll, Maurice, January 25, 1982, Landmark Status is Proposed for the Woolworth Building, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1982/01/25/nyregion/landmark-status-is-proposed-for-the-woolworth-building.html, April 11, 2023, 0362-4331, April 17, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230417023646/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/25/nyregion/landmark-status-is-proposed-for-the-woolworth-building.html, live, The estimated cost of the project had risen from $8 million to over $22 million. Much of the renovation was financed through the city government’s tax break, which had increased to $11.4 million.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1982/10/27/nyregion/woolworth-gets-tax-abatement-of-11.4-million.html, Woolworth Gets Tax Abatement of $11.4 Million, Goodwin, Michael, October 27, 1982, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 22, 2019, limited, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064721/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/27/nyregion/woolworth-gets-tax-abatement-of-11.4-million.html, live, The LPC again considered the Woolworth Building for landmark designation in early 1982, shortly after the renovation was completed.NEWS, White, Joyce, February 8, 1982, Landmarks Commission to consider 13 buildings, 105, Daily News, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/122677438/landmarks-commission-to-consider-13/, April 11, 2023, April 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230411154208/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122677438/landmarks-commission-to-consider-13/, live, Upon the request of the building’s lawyers, the LPC postponed a public hearing for the proposed landmark designationNEWS, White, Joyce, February 10, 1982, Neighbors of ex-synagogue saved by landmark decision, 109, Daily News, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/78388007/neighbors-of-ex-synagogue-saved-by/, April 11, 2023, May 27, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210527002508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78388007/neighbors-of-ex-synagogue-saved-by/, live, to April 1982.NEWS, Miele, Al, March 30, 1982, Landmark list a ‘What’s What’ in buildings, 121, Daily News, newspapers.com,www.newspapers.com/clip/122677675/landmark-list-a-whats-what-in/, April 11, 2023, April 11, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230411154209/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122677675/landmark-list-a-whats-what-in/, live, That year, the building’s entrance to the City Hall subway station was closed because of fears over crime. The LPC granted landmark protection to the building’s facade and the interior of its lobby in April 1983. The Woolworth Company (later Venator Group) continued to own the building for a decade and a half. After struggling financially for years, and with no need for a trophy office building, Venator Group began discussing a sale of the building in 1996. To raise capital for its other operations,NEWS, Kirkpatrick, David D., June 22, 1998, Accord Is Reached To Sell Landmark Woolworth Tower, A14, The Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 398610900, }} Venator formally placed the Woolworth Building for sale in April 1998.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/1998/04/29/nyregion/woolworth-plans-to-sell-its-landmark-building.html, Woolworth Plans to Sell Its Landmark Building, Dunlap, David, The New York Times, 0362-4331, April 29, 1998, January 25, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064824/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/29/nyregion/woolworth-plans-to-sell-its-landmark-building.html, live, MAGAZINE, Seckler, Valerie, April 29, 1998, Woolworth Building Put On the Block: Landmark Woolworth Building For Sale, Could Fetch $100M, Women’s Wear Daily, 175, 81, 4, 14, {{ProQuest, 1445687026, }}

Witkoff Group ownership

Sale and initial plan

(File:New york city 1985.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photograph of the Woolworth Building in 1985 with several sky scrapers, including the towers of the former World Trade Center in the background|The Woolworth Building in 1985, right, the former World Trade Center in the background)Venator Group agreed to sell the building in June 1998 to Steve Witkoff’s Witkoff Group and Lehman Brothers for $155 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=155000000|start_year=1998}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).NEWS, June 23, 1998, Nation in Brief / New York; Woolworth Building Sold for $155 Million, 12, Los Angeles Times, 0458-3035, {{ProQuest, 421424548, }}NEWS, June 23, 1998, Metro Business; Woolworth Building Brings $155 Million, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1998/06/23/nyregion/metro-business-woolworth-building-brings-155-million.html, live, limited, January 25, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121071422/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/23/nyregion/metro-business-woolworth-building-brings-155-million.html, January 21, 2019, 0362-4331, Before the sale was finalized in December 1998, Witkoff renegotiated the purchase price to $137.5 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=137500000|start_year=1998}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), citing a declining debt market.NEWS, December 7, 1998, Purchase of Woolworth Building, A23, The Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 398812581, }} Venator shrunk its space in the building from eight floors to four; this was a sharp contrast to the 25 floors the company had occupied just before the sale. Witkoff also agreed to license the Woolworth name and invest $30 million in renovating the exterior and interior of the building. After purchasing the building, the Witkoff Group rebranded it in an attempt to attract entertainment and technology companies. In April 2000, the Venator Group officially moved their headquarters to 112 West 34th Street,NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/2000/11/02/garden/condos-to-top-vaunted-tower-of-woolworth.html, Condos to Top Vaunted Tower Of Woolworth, Dunlap, David, The New York Times, 0362-4331, November 2, 2000, January 25, 2019, March 28, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190328042256/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/02/garden/condos-to-top-vaunted-tower-of-woolworth.html, live, and Witkoff indicated that he would sell the upper half of the building as residential condominiums.NEWS, April 17, 2000, Developer Will Sell Upper Half of Famed Woolworth Building in NY as Residences, A2, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Associated Press, {{ProQuest, 403995326, }} That October, the company proposed a two-story addition to the 29th-floor setbacks on the north and south elevations of the tower, to be designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who were also leading the renovation of the building. The LPC denied the proposal.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2000/10/18/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-change-the-woolworth-no-way-a-board-says.html, limited, Commercial Real Estate; Change the Woolworth? No Way, a Board Says, Dunlap, David, The New York Times, 0362-4331, October 18, 2000, January 25, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121064818/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/18/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-change-the-woolworth-no-way-a-board-says.html, live, The company unveiled an ambitious plan in November 2000 that would have converted the top 27 floors of the building into 75 condominiums, including a five-story penthouse. The plan would have included a new residential lobby on Park Place, a 100-space garage, a 75-seat underground screening room, and a spa in the basement. The developers planned to spend $60 to $70 million on the conversion and to be ready for occupancy by August 2002. The LPC opposed the plan because it would have required exterior changes to the roof. The commission eventually approved a modified version of the plan. Following the September 11 attacks, and the subsequent collapse of the nearby World Trade Center, the status of the plan was in doubt, and the proposal was later canceled.WEB, Brozan, Nadine, Residential Real Estate; Luxury Units on Rise Near City Hall, The New York Times, 0362-4331, August 9, 2002,www.nytimes.com/2002/08/09/nyregion/residential-real-estate-luxury-units-on-rise-near-city-hall.html, January 28, 2019, limited, January 28, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190128083045/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/09/nyregion/residential-real-estate-luxury-units-on-rise-near-city-hall.html, live,

Security increases and new plan

Prior to the September 11 attacks, the World Trade Center was often photographed in such a way that the Woolworth Building could be seen between the complex’s twin towers.NEWS, Woolworth Building Turns 100,www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324485004578424454055347498, The Wall Street Journal, February 7, 2016, 0099-9660, April 23, 2013, Picture 11 of 19: The World Trade Center, shown under construction in 1970, and other modern skyscrapers eventually dwarfed the Woolworth Building, visible here at the center between the Trade Center’s two towers., September 23, 2015,www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324485004578424454055347498," title="web.archive.org/web/20150923093242www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324485004578424454055347498,">web.archive.org/web/20150923093242www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324485004578424454055347498, live, After the attacks occurred only a few blocks away, the Woolworth Building was without electricity, water and telephone service for a few weeks; its windows were broken, and falling rubble damaged a top turret. Increased post-attack security restricted access to most of the ornate lobby, previously a tourist attraction.WEB,chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/american-architectural-wonder-keep-out/5596, American Architectural Wonder: Keep Out, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Fendrich, Laurie, January 8, 2008, August 30, 2011, October 15, 2012,chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/american-architectural-wonder-keep-out/5596," title="web.archive.org/web/20121015215945chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/american-architectural-wonder-keep-out/5596,">web.archive.org/web/20121015215945chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/american-architectural-wonder-keep-out/5596, live, New York Times reporter David W. Dunlap wrote in 2006 that a security guard had asked him to leave within twelve seconds of entering the Woolworth Building.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/nyregion/so-you-think-you-can-see-a-landmark.html, So, You Think You Can See a Landmark?, Dunlap, David W., January 20, 2006, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, January 30, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200130174652/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/nyregion/so-you-think-you-can-see-a-landmark.html, live, However, there was renewed interest in restoring public access to the Woolworth Building during planning for its centennial celebrations. The lobby reopened to public tours in 2014, when Woolworth Tours started accommodating groups for 30- to 90-minute tours. The tours were part of a partnership between Cass Gilbert’s great-granddaughter, Helen Post Curry, and Witkoff’s vice president for development, Roy A. Suskin.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/off-limits-for-over-a-decade-lobby-of-woolworth-building-is-open-for-tours.html, Woolworth Building’s Grand Arcade Is Once Again a Sight All Can See, David W., Dunlap, The New York Times, 0362-4331, December 31, 2014, July 28, 2016, May 20, 2016,www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/off-limits-for-over-a-decade-lobby-of-woolworth-building-is-open-for-tours.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160520105246www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/off-limits-for-over-a-decade-lobby-of-woolworth-building-is-open-for-tours.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160520105246www.nytimes.com/2015/01/01/nyregion/off-limits-for-over-a-decade-lobby-of-woolworth-building-is-open-for-tours.html, live, In June 2003, Credit Suisse First Boston provided $201 million in financing for the property spread across a $125.4 million senior loan, a $49.6 million junior interest and a $26 million mezzanine loan.NEWS,www.crenews.com/general_news/general/woolworth-building-loan-part-of-recent-securitization.html, Woolworth Building Loan Part of Recent Securitization, June 20, 2003, Commercial Real Estate Direct, Potter, Susanna, May 9, 2019, May 9, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190509013450/https://www.crenews.com/general_news/general/woolworth-building-loan-part-of-recent-securitization.html, live, In April 2005, Bank of America provided a $250 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=250000000|start_year=2005}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) commercial mortgage-backed security interest-only loan on the office portion of the building. At the time, the building was 96% occupied, appraised at $320 million, and generated almost $18 million a year in net operating income.WEB,www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1005007/000095013605003719/file001.htm, Banc of America Commercial Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2005-3, June 2005, Securities and Exchange Commission, May 9, 2019, May 9, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190509010222/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1005007/000095013605003719/file001.htm, live, By 2007, the concrete blocks on the Woolworth Building’s facade had deteriorated because of neglect. A lack of regular re-surfacing had led to water and dirt absorption, which stained the concrete blocks. Though terracotta’s popularity had increased since the 1970s, Suskin had declined to say whether the facade would be modified, if at all. Around the same time, Witkoff planned to partner with Rubin Schron to create an “office club” on the top 25 floors building to attract high-end tenants like hedge funds and private equity firms. The plan would have restored the 58th floor observatory as a private amenity for “office club” tenants, in addition to amenities like a private dining room, meeting rooms, and a new dedicated lobby. The partners planned to complete the project by the end of 2008, but the financial crisis of 2007–2008 derailed the plans, leaving the top floors gutted and vacant.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/realestate/commercial/30woolworth.html, Downtown Landmark Makes a High-End Play, Gregor, Alison, May 30, 2007, The New York Times, 0362-4331, limited, August 10, 2020, May 9, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190509003929/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/realestate/commercial/30woolworth.html, live,

Residential conversion

On July 31, 2012, an investment group led by New York developer Alchemy Properties which included Adam Neumann and Joel Schreiber, bought the top 30 floors of the skyscraper for $68 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=68000000|start_year=2012}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) from the Witkoff Group and Cammeby’s International.WEB, Higgins, Michelle, limited,www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/realestate/top-floors-of-woolworth-building-to-be-remade-as-luxury-apartments.html, Luxury Living in Old Temple of the 5 and Dime, The New York Times, 0362-4331, August 7, 2012, August 24, 2014, February 25, 2015,www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/realestate/top-floors-of-woolworth-building-to-be-remade-as-luxury-apartments.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150225065251www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/realestate/top-floors-of-woolworth-building-to-be-remade-as-luxury-apartments.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150225065251www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/realestate/top-floors-of-woolworth-building-to-be-remade-as-luxury-apartments.html, live, WEB, Konrad, Putzier, The story of WeWork’s mysterious first investor, The Real Deal (magazine), The Real Deal, December 1, 2017,therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-story-of-weworks-mysterious-first-investor/, August 3, 2019, August 3, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190803153016/https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-story-of-weworks-mysterious-first-investor/, live, The firm planned to renovate the space into 33 luxury apartments and convert the penthouse into a five-level living space.MAGAZINE, Polsky, Sara, August 7, 2012, Woolworth Building’s Top Floors Will Become Luxury Condos,ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/07/woolworth_buildings_top_floors_will_become_luxury_condos.php, Curbed, August 24, 2014, October 17, 2015,ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/07/woolworth_buildings_top_floors_will_become_luxury_condos.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20151017202603ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/07/woolworth_buildings_top_floors_will_become_luxury_condos.php,">web.archive.org/web/20151017202603ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/08/07/woolworth_buildings_top_floors_will_become_luxury_condos.php, live, The lower 28 floors are still owned by the Witkoff Group and Cammeby’s International, who planned to maintain them as office space. The project was expected to cost approximately $150 million including the $68 million purchase price. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the changes to the building in October 2013.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20131031/REAL_ESTATE/131039968/woolworth-building-can-get-minor-makeover, Woolworth Building can get minor makeover, Anuta, Joe, October 31, 2013, Crain’s New York, December 11, 2019, December 11, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191211010833/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20131031/REAL_ESTATE/131039968/woolworth-building-can-get-minor-makeover, live, When the sale was first announced in 2012, the developers expected the building’s conversion to be complete by 2015. However, construction took longer than expected. Workers could not attach a construction hoist to the building’s landmarked facade without damaging it, and they were prohibited from using the elevators because of the active office tenants on the lower floors and the regular public tours of the landmarked lobby. The renovation included many restorations and changes to the building’s interior. Two of the elevator shafts only went to the 29th floor, allowing extra floor space for the residents above.NEWS,nypost.com/2017/07/11/woolworth-renovations-are-a-perfect-blend-of-the-past-and-the-future/, Woolworth renovations are a perfect blend of the past and the future, Weiss, Lois, July 11, 2017, New York Post, January 25, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233141/https://nypost.com/2017/07/11/woolworth-renovations-are-a-perfect-blend-of-the-past-and-the-future/, live, A new private lobby was also built for residents and the coffered ceiling from F.W. Woolworth’s personal 40th floor office was relocated to the entryway.NEWS,www.forbes.com/sites/heathersenison/2019/03/08/historic-new-york-ceilings-restored-to-old-new-york-grandeur/, March 8, 2019, Forbes, Historic New York Ceilings Restored To Old New York Grandeur, Senison, Heather, March 29, 2019, March 29, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190329141633/https://www.forbes.com/sites/heathersenison/2019/03/08/historic-new-york-ceilings-restored-to-old-new-york-grandeur/, live, Thierry Despont and Eve Robinson designed the building’s new interiors with Miele appliances and custom cabinetry. Each unit also received space in a wine cellar, along with access to the restored private pool in the basement. The 29th floor was converted to an amenity floor named the “Gilbert Lounge” after the structure’s architect, while the 30th floor hosts a fitness facility.In August 2014, the New York Attorney General’s office approved Alchemy’s plan to sell 34 condos at the newly branded Woolworth Tower Residences for a combined total of $443.7 million.MAGAZINE, Samtani, Hiten,therealdeal.com/blog/2014/08/21/revealed-pricing-floor-plans-for-woolworth-condos-photos, Revealed: Floor plans for $110M Woolworth penthouse: PHOTOS, The Real Deal (magazine), The Real Deal, August 21, 2012, August 24, 2014, limited, August 23, 2014,therealdeal.com/blog/2014/08/21/revealed-pricing-floor-plans-for-woolworth-condos-photos/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140823171351therealdeal.com/blog/2014/08/21/revealed-pricing-floor-plans-for-woolworth-condos-photos/,">web.archive.org/web/20140823171351therealdeal.com/blog/2014/08/21/revealed-pricing-floor-plans-for-woolworth-condos-photos/, live, After a soft launch in late 2014, units at the building were officially listed for sale in mid-2015.NEWS,observer.com/2015/06/whats-in-a-name-quite-a-lot-if-that-name-is-woolworth/, What’s in a Name? Quite a Lot, If That Name Is Woolworth, New York Observer, June 3, 2015, Velsey, Kim, May 9, 2019, May 9, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190509005321/https://observer.com/2015/06/whats-in-a-name-quite-a-lot-if-that-name-is-woolworth/, live, Alchemy initially intended to leverage an in-house sales staff and hired a director from Corcoran Sunshine to lead the effort.NEWS,therealdeal.com/2014/08/19/alchemy-to-keep-woolworth-building-sales-in-house, Alchemy to keep Woolworth Building sales in-house, August 19, 2014, May 14, 2019, Samtani, Hiten, The Real Deal (magazine), The Real Deal, May 15, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190515000412/https://therealdeal.com/2014/08/19/alchemy-to-keep-woolworth-building-sales-in-house/, live, However, the new sales director left at the end of 2015 for Extell Development Company amid rumors of slow sales at the project.NEWS,therealdeal.com/2015/11/17/jp-forbes-leaves-alchemy-amid-rumblings-of-slow-sales-at-woolworth-building, JP Forbes leaves Alchemy amid rumblings of slow sales at Woolworth Building, November 17, 2015, May 14, 2019, The Real Deal, Clarke, Katherine, May 15, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190515000407/https://therealdeal.com/2015/11/17/jp-forbes-leaves-alchemy-amid-rumblings-of-slow-sales-at-woolworth-building/, live, Following his departure, the company hired Sotheby’s International Realty to market the units.NEWS,therealdeal.com/2016/04/14/alchemy-brings-in-sothebys-to-ramp-up-sales-at-the-woolworth, Alchemy brings in Sotheby’s to ramp up sales at the Woolworth, April 14, 2016, May 14, 2019, The Real Deal, Clarke, Katherine, May 15, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190515000402/https://therealdeal.com/2016/04/14/alchemy-brings-in-sothebys-to-ramp-up-sales-at-the-woolworth/, live, The building’s penthouse unit, dubbed “The Pinnacle”, was listed at $110 million, the highest asking price ever for an apartment in downtown Manhattan.WEB, Perlberg, Heather, June 2, 2014, NYC Woolworth Tower Condo Priced at Record $110 Million,www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/nyc-woolworth-tower-condo-priced-at-record-110-million.html, subscription, live,www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/nyc-woolworth-tower-condo-priced-at-record-110-million.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140826160832www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/nyc-woolworth-tower-condo-priced-at-record-110-million.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140826160832www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/nyc-woolworth-tower-condo-priced-at-record-110-million.html, August 26, 2014, August 24, 2014, Bloomberg News, WEB, Clarke, Katherine, September 20, 2017, Woolworth Building Penthouse Hits the Market for $110 Million,www.wsj.com/articles/woolworth-building-penthouse-hits-the-market-for-110-million-1505917256, February 22, 2023, Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222015941/https://www.wsj.com/articles/woolworth-building-penthouse-hits-the-market-for-110-million-1505917256, live, If it had sold at that price, the unit would have surpassed the record $50.9 million penthouse at Ralph Thomas Walker’s Walker Tower, and even the $100.5 million record price for a Manhattan penthouse set by Michael Dell at Extell’s One57 in 2014.NEWS, Sugar, Rachel, October 2, 2017, Woolworth Building’s $110M penthouse may just be aspirational, say brokers, Curbed NY,ny.curbed.com/2017/10/2/16399570/woolworth-building-penthouse-sales-sothebys, live, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122044003/https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/2/16399570/woolworth-building-penthouse-sales-sothebys, January 22, 2019, In 2015, The Blackstone Group provided a $320 million loan on the office portion of the building to refinance the maturing Bank of America loan from 2005.NEWS,www.crenews.com/general_news/general/blackstone-lends-$320mln-against-office-space-at-manhattans-woolworth-building.html, Blackstone Lends $320Mln Against Office Space at Manhattan’s Woolworth Building, May 19, 2015, Commercial Real Estate Direct, Josh, Mrozinksi, May 9, 2019, May 9, 2019,www.crenews.com/general_news/general/blackstone-lends-" title="web.archive.org/web/20190509010701www.crenews.com/general_news/general/blackstone-lends-">web.archive.org/web/20190509010701www.crenews.com/general_news/general/blackstone-lends-$320mln-against-office-space-at-manhattans-woolworth-building.html, live, United Overseas Bank of Singapore provided a $220 million (about ${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=220000000|start_year=2016}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) construction loan for the residential conversion in June 2016.NEWS, June 13, 2016, Alchemy borrows $220M for Woolworth Building conversion, The Real Deal,therealdeal.com/2016/06/13/alchemy-borrows-220m-for-woolworth-building-conversion, live, limited, January 25, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123121300/https://therealdeal.com/2016/06/13/alchemy-borrows-220m-for-woolworth-building-conversion/, January 23, 2019, Due to delays, the conversion was expected to be completed by February or March 2019, about six and a half years after Alchemy bought the property.NEWS,commercialobserver.com/2018/10/a-star-is-horn-how-ken-horn-redeveloped-the-woolworth-building-2/, A Star Is Horn: How Ken Horn Redeveloped the Woolworth Building, Baird-Remba, Rebecca, October 16, 2018, Commercial Observer, January 25, 2019, January 21, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190121233205/https://commercialobserver.com/2018/10/a-star-is-horn-how-ken-horn-redeveloped-the-woolworth-building-2/, live, By February 2019, only three of the building’s 31 condos had been sold, since the developers had refused to discount prices, despite a glut of new luxury apartments in New York City.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/dispute-among-partners-superluxe-moma-tower, Dispute among partners of superluxe MoMA tower, Geiger, Daniel, February 13, 2019, Crain’s New York, February 13, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214015045/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/dispute-among-partners-superluxe-moma-tower, live, The still-vacant penthouse’s asking price was reduced to $79 million.NEWS, Warren, Katie, November 2, 2019, The penthouse of NYC’s Woolworth Building just got a $31 million price cut, Business Insider,www.businessinsider.com/what-is-white-box-apartment-listing-woolworth-building-penthouse-2019-10, live, July 31, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210730201524/https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-white-box-apartment-listing-woolworth-building-penthouse-2019-10, July 30, 2021, WEB, Clarke, Katherine, October 31, 2019, Pitching a New York Landmark’s Puzzling Penthouse,www.wsj.com/articles/pitching-a-new-york-landmarks-puzzling-penthouse-11572539514, February 22, 2023, Wall Street Journal, 0099-9660, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222015944/https://www.wsj.com/articles/pitching-a-new-york-landmarks-puzzling-penthouse-11572539514, live, By 2021, Alchemy had sold 22 condominiums to tenants such as entrepreneur Rudra Pandey.WEB, March 10, 2021, Healthcare data exec snaps up Woolworth condo at 40% discount, Erin, Hudson,therealdeal.com/new-york/2021/03/10/healthcare-data-exec-snaps-up-woolworth-condo-at-40-discount/, February 22, 2023, The Real Deal, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222015945/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2021/03/10/healthcare-data-exec-snaps-up-woolworth-condo-at-40-discount, live,

Tenants

Early tenants

(File:Woolworth Building 9495.JPG|thumb|alt=Photograph of the tower from the east|Seen from the east)On the building’s completion, the F. W. Woolworth Company occupied only one and a half floors. However, as the owner, the Woolworth Company profited from renting space out to others. The Woolworth Building was almost always fully occupied because of its central location in Lower Manhattan, as well as its direct connections to two subway stations. The Irving Trust Company occupied the first four floors when the building opened. It had a large banking room on the second floor accessible directly from a grand staircase in the lobby, vaults in the basement, offices on the third-floor mezzanine, and a boardroom on the fourth floor.WEB,www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2001OneWallStreet.pdf, 1 Wall Street Landmark Designation Report, March 6, 2001, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 2, January 20, 2019, March 11, 2010,www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2001OneWallStreet.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20100311024753www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2001OneWallStreet.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20100311024753www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2001OneWallStreet.pdf, live, In 1931, the company relocated their general, out-of-town, and foreign offices from the Woolworth Building after building their own headquarters at 1 Wall Street.NEWS,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/03/17/94235133.pdf, Big Bank Building Opens Next Monday, March 17, 1931, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, subscription, Columbia Records was one of the Woolworth Building’s tenants on opening day and housed a recording studio in the skyscraper.BOOK, Hoffman, Frank, Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, Taylor & Francis, 2004, 978-0-203-48427-2,books.google.com/books?id=xV6tghvO0oMC&pg=PA212, January 25, 2019, 212, Columbia (Label), July 29, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200729152112/https://books.google.com/books?id=xV6tghvO0oMC&pg=PA212, live, In 1917, Columbia made what are considered the first jazz recordings, by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, in this studio.BOOK, Cogan, Jim, Clark, William, Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios, Chronicle Books, 2003, 978-0-8118-3394-3,books.google.com/books?id=hO-KQ4o_B2MC, January 25, 2019, Columbia Studios, July 26, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200726125510/https://books.google.com/books?id=hO-KQ4o_B2MC, live, Shortly after the building opened, several railroad companies rented space. The Union Pacific Railroad and Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad occupied the ground floor retail space with ticket offices.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/12/10/100121506.pdf, December 10, 1914, The New York Times, 0362-4331, The Real Estate Field, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221604/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/12/10/100121506.pdf, live, Other railroad companies that leased office space included the Alton Railroad, on the 13th floor; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), on the 14th floor; the Canadian Pacific Railway, Great Northern Railway, and New York Central Railroad on the 15th floor; the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, on the 17th floor; the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, on the 19th floor; the Canadian Northern Railway; the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad; the Pennsylvania Railroad; the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway; the Kansas City Southern Railway; and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.NEWS, Real Estate Note, April 30, 1914, The Wall Street Journal, 4, 0099-9660, {{ProQuest, 129496006, }}MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_056_48.pdf, 908, November 27, 1915, Leases, 96, 2489, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302101259/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_056_48.pdf, live, NEWS,chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1915-01-26/ed-1/seq-13/, New York Tribune, January 26, 1915, 13, In The Real Estate Market, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214115642/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1915-01-26/ed-1/seq-13/, live, NEWS, The New York Tribune, April 12, 1916, 17,chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1916-04-12/ed-1/seq-17, Woolworth Building Leases, February 14, 2019, February 15, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190215102746/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1916-04-12/ed-1/seq-17/, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_051_17.pdf, 886, April 26, 1913, Leases, 91, 2354, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302105815/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_051_17.pdf, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_053_43.pdf, 733, April 25, 1914, Leases, 93, 2406, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302103708/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_053_43.pdf, live, NEWS,books.google.com/books?id=aglSAQAAMAAJ&pg=PP495, 7, October 26, 1914, Bulletin of the Merchant’s Association of New York, Headquarters in the Woolworth Building, The inventor Nikola Tesla also occupied an office in the Woolworth Building beginning in 1914; he was evicted after a year because he could not pay his rent. Scientific American moved into the building in 1915 before departing for Midtown Manhattan in 1926.WEB,blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-on-the-move/, Scientific American, on the Move, Scientific American, August 28, 2015, August 10, 2020, February 27, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210227072222/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-on-the-move/, live, The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America was present at the building’s opening, occupying the southern half of the 18th floor after signing a lease in January 1913.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/01/29/100387400.pdf, Marconi Co. in Woolworth Building, January 29, 1913, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221545/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/01/29/100387400.pdf, live, Other early tenants included the American Hardware Manufacturers Association headquarters, the American Association of Foreign Language Newspapers, Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Remington Arms, Simmons-Boardman Publishing headquarters, the Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Company, and the Hudson Motor Car Company.MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_060_46.pdf, 659, November 17, 1917, Trade and Technical Society Events, 100, 2592, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302104212/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_060_46.pdf, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_055_42.pdf, 642, April 17, 1915, Leases, 95, 2457, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302105056/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_055_42.pdf, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_051_9.pdf, 466, March 1, 1913, Leases, 91, 2346, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302104941/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_051_9.pdf, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_050_15.pdf, 667, October 12, 1912, Leases – Manhattan, 90, 2326, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302103615/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_050_15.pdf, live, MAGAZINE, The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, Columbia University, columbia.edu,rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_055_29.pdf, 100, January 16, 1915, Leases – Manhattan, 95, 2444, February 14, 2019, March 2, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210302110902/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_055_29.pdf, live,

Later 20th century

By the 1920s, the building also hosted Newport News Shipbuilding and Nestlé. In the 1930s, prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey maintained his offices in the building while investigating racketeering and organized crime in Manhattan. His office took up the entire fourteenth floor and was heavily guarded.NEWS,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/08/02/93691234.pdf, Police Post Guard at Dewey Offices, August 2, 1935, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 21, 2019, subscription, NEWS,bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/27660654/, Dewey Fortress Taking Shape as Model Prosecutor’s Office, August 4, 1935, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 21, 2019, 8, Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com {{open access, }} The regional headquarters of the National Labor Relations Board also moved into the building in 1937, shortly after its founding in 1935.NEWS, subscription,timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/07/01/94395469.pdf, July 1, 1937, The New York Times, 0362-4331, NLRB Staff is Doubled, January 21, 2019, During World War II, the Kellex Corporation, part of the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons, was based here.WEB,www.atomicheritage.org/history/corporate-partners, Corporate Partners, Atomic Heritage Foundation, January 31, 2018, January 13, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180113150410/https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/corporate-partners, live, During the early 1960s, public relations expert Howard J. Rubenstein opened an office in the building.MAGAZINE,www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/02/12/the-fixer, The Fixer, Auletta, Ken, The New Yorker, February 12, 2007, May 20, 2019, July 28, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190728181437/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/02/12/the-fixer, live, In 1975, the city signed a lease for state judge Jacob D. Fuchsberg’s offices in the Woolworth Building.WEB, Fowler, Glenn, Fuchsberg Staff Provided Offices, The New York Times, 0362-4331, March 21, 1975,www.nytimes.com/1975/03/21/archives/fuchsberg-staff-provided-offices-estimate-board-reluctantly.html, January 28, 2019, subscription, January 28, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190128083003/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/21/archives/fuchsberg-staff-provided-offices-estimate-board-reluctantly.html, live,

Higher education

The structure has a long association with higher education, housing a number of Fordham University schools in the early 20th century. In 1916, Fordham created “Fordham Downtown” at the Woolworth Building by moving the School of Sociology and Social Service and the School of Law to the building.{{sfn|Shelley|2016|p=281}} The Fordham University Graduate School was founded on the building’s 28th floor in the same year and a new Teachers’ College quickly followed on the seventh floor.{{sfn|Shelley|2016|pp=259–282}} In September 1920, the Business School was also established on the seventh floor, originally as the School of Accounting. By 1929, the school’s combined programs at the Woolworth Building had over 3,000 enrolled students.{{sfn|Shelley|2016|p=291}} Between 1916 and 1943 the building was also home at various times to the Fordham College (Manhattan Division), a summer school, and the short-lived School of Irish Studies.{{sfn|Shelley|2016|p=281}}WEB,www.fordham.edu/info/20880/about/3267/history/1, Fordham University History, Fordham University, January 22, 2019, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071702/https://www.fordham.edu/info/20880/about/3267/history/1, live, WEB,fordham.libguides.com/c.php?g=451084&p=3617668, Fordham’s Dodransbicentennial – 175 years of Fordham: Fordham in the City celebrates 100 Years, Fordham University, January 22, 2019, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071659/https://fordham.libguides.com/c.php?g=451084&p=3617668, live, In 1943, the Graduate School relocated to Keating Hall at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in Fordham, Bronx, and the rest of the schools moved to nearby 302 Broadway because of reduced attendance because of World War II.{{sfn|Shelley|2016|pp=262, 287}}The New York University School of Professional Studies’ Center for Global Affairs leased {{convert|94,000|sqft|m2}} on the second, third, and fourth floors in 2002 from defunct dot-com startup FrontLine Capital Group.NEWS, limited,www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/business/commercial-real-estate-regional-market-downtown-nyu-leasing-space-woolworth.html, Commercial Real Estate: Regional Market – Downtown; N.Y.U. Is Leasing Space In the Woolworth Building, Holusha, John, November 20, 2002, The New York Times, 0362-4331, January 22, 2019, January 22, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190122095134/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/20/business/commercial-real-estate-regional-market-downtown-nyu-leasing-space-woolworth.html, live, NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030512/SUB/305120714/colleges-enroll-in-landgrab-101, Colleges Enroll in Landgrab 101, Crain’s New York, May 12, 2003, Temes, Judy, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214233345/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030512/SUB/305120714/colleges-enroll-in-landgrab-101, live, The American Institute of Graphic Arts also moved its headquarters to the Woolworth Building.WEB,www.aiga.org/national-design-center, AIGA National Design Center, AIGA {{!, the professional association for design|access-date=January 25, 2019|archive-date=January 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126060823www.aiga.org/national-design-center|url-status=live}}

21st-century tenants

By the early 2000s, the Woolworth Building was home to numerous technology tenants. Digital advertising firm Xceed occupied {{convert|65,000|sqft|m2}} across four floors as its headquarters, Organic, Inc. took {{convert|112,000|sqft|m2}}, and advertising agency Fallon Worldwide used two floors.NEWS, F.W. Woolworth Didn’t Sleep Here: Landmark Tower Goes Residential, April 17, 2000,observer.com/2000/04/fw-woolworth-didnt-sleep-here-landmark-tower-goes-residential/, Creamer, Matthew, New York Observer, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214115619/https://observer.com/2000/04/fw-woolworth-didnt-sleep-here-landmark-tower-goes-residential/, live, NEWS, Woolworth Building turns on new media firms, December 12, 1999,www.crainsnewyork.com/node/516811/printable/print, Crain’s New York, Croghan, Lore, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214174238/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/node/516811/printable/print, live, Xceed terminated its lease in April 2001 during the midst of the Dot-com bubble collapse in order to move to smaller offices in the Starrett–Lehigh Building.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20010402/SUB/104020715/at-deadline, At Deadline, Lipowicz, Alice, Crain’s New York, April 2, 2001, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214233414/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20010402/SUB/104020715/at-deadline, live, One month after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Northeast Regional Office at 7 World Trade Center was destroyed in the September 11 attacks, the commission’s 334 employees moved into {{convert|140,000|sqft|m2}} across five floors of the Woolworth Building.NEWS, October 16, 2001, SEC Opens New Office in Woolworth Building, A59, Newsday, 2574-5298, {{ProQuest, 279497512, }}WEB,www.sec.gov/news/headlines/neroreopens.htm, SEC Northeast Regional Office Reopens in Manhattan, October 15, 2001, Securities and Exchange Commission, May 9, 2019, December 8, 2002,www.sec.gov/news/headlines/neroreopens.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20021208023618www.sec.gov/news/headlines/neroreopens.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20021208023618www.sec.gov/news/headlines/neroreopens.htm, live, The SEC left for a larger space in Brookfield Place in early 2005.WEB, Dunaief, Daniel, SEC Moving Staff to 3 WFC, New York Daily News, March 9, 2005,www.nydailynews.com/2005/03/09/sec-moving-staff-to-3-wfc/, October 8, 2023, November 4, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231104185449/https://www.nydailynews.com/2005/03/09/sec-moving-staff-to-3-wfc/, live, The General Services Administration took over the commission’s space on November 1, 2005 and used it as offices for approximately 200 staff of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System. Following the completion of renovations at the historic Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in late October 2017, both offices moved into newly vacated space in the nearby Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.WEB,www.gsa.gov/cdnstatic/2015_New_York_NY_U_S_Probation_Office_and_U_S_Pretrail_Services_Office.pdf, Prospectus – Lease: U.S. Probation Office & U.S. Pretrial Services Office, 233 Broadway, New York, NY, General Services Administration, September 29, 2014, December 11, 2019, December 11, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191211010839/https://www.gsa.gov/cdnstatic/2015_New_York_NY_U_S_Probation_Office_and_U_S_Pretrail_Services_Office.pdf, live, The New York City Police Department pension fund signed a lease for {{convert|56,000|sqft|m2}} on the 19th and 25th floors in April 2002.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20020422/SUB/204220717/new-leasing-game-at-toy-center, New leasing game at Toy Center, April 22, 2002, Crain’s New York, Croghan, Lore, February 14, 2019, February 14, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190214233434/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20020422/SUB/204220717/new-leasing-game-at-toy-center, live, The pension fund renewed their lease for another 20-year term in October 2010.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20101024/SUB/310249970/for-the-record, For the Record, Crain’s New York, October 24, 2010, December 11, 2019, December 11, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191211010834/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20101024/SUB/310249970/for-the-record, live, Starbucks opened a {{convert|1,500|sqft|m2|adj=on}} location on the ground floor in the spring of 2003.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030420/FREE/304200702/starbucks-sets-unit-in-woolworth-building, Starbucks sets unit in Woolworth Building, Lore, Croghan, Crains NY, April 20, 2003, January 25, 2019, limited, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123121342/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20030420/FREE/304200702/starbucks-sets-unit-in-woolworth-building, live, In 2006, Levitz Furniture moved its headquarters to the 23rd floor from Woodbury, Long Island, after declaring bankruptcy a second time.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20061020/FREE/610200709/levitz-furniture-moves-to-woolworth-building, Levitz Furniture moves to Woolworth building, October 20, 2006, Crains NY, Jones, David, January 25, 2019, limited, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071644/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20061020/FREE/610200709/levitz-furniture-moves-to-woolworth-building, live, The design firm Control Group Inc. leased an entire floor in 2006.WEB,ny.curbed.com/2013/7/3/10223302/ugly-betty-offices-irl-fireworks-beef-damn-high-rents-more, Ugly Betty Offices IRL; Fireworks Beef; Damn High Rents; More!, Alberts, Hana R., July 3, 2013, Curbed NY, January 25, 2019, January 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190126001141/https://ny.curbed.com/2013/7/3/10223302/ugly-betty-offices-irl-fireworks-beef-damn-high-rents-more, live, {{As of|2010}}, the Lawrence Group handles leasing at the Woolworth Building.WEB, Woolworth Tower Residences, The Real Deal New York, March 13, 2019,therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/woolworth-tower-residences-the/, July 12, 2020, October 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191018012206/https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/woolworth-tower-residences-the/, live, In May 2013, SHoP Architects moved the company’s headquarters to the entire 11th floor, occupying {{convert|30,500|sqft|m2}} of space.NEWS,commercialobserver.com/2013/05/shop-architects-doubles-space-in-move-to-woolworth-building-as-business-booms/, SHoP Architects Doubles Space in Move to Woolworth Building as Business Booms, Al, Barberino, Commercial Observer, May 31, 2013, January 25, 2019, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071424/https://commercialobserver.com/2013/05/shop-architects-doubles-space-in-move-to-woolworth-building-as-business-booms/, live, In February 2016, the New York City Law Department leased the entire {{convert|32,000|sqft|m2}} fifth floor for the Department’s tort office.NEWS,therealdeal.com/2016/02/16/nyc-law-rules-in-favor-of-woolworth-building-for-new-digs/, NYC Law rules in favor of Woolworth Building for new digs, Mashayekhi, Rey, Parker, Will, February 16, 2016, The Real Deal, December 11, 2019, December 11, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191211010830/https://therealdeal.com/2016/02/16/nyc-law-rules-in-favor-of-woolworth-building-for-new-digs/, live, Joseph Altuzarra’s namesake fashion brand, Altuzarra, signed on to occupy the 14th floor in June 2016.NEWS,commercialobserver.com/2016/06/altuzarra-finds-a-new-home-in-the-woolworth-building/, Altuzarra Finds a New Home in the Woolworth Building, Rao, Rheaa, June 14, 2016, Commercial Observer, January 25, 2019, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071646/https://commercialobserver.com/2016/06/altuzarra-finds-a-new-home-in-the-woolworth-building/, live, In November 2017, Thomas J. Watson’s Watson Foundation signed a lease to relocate to the 27th floor.NEWS,commercialobserver.com/2017/11/watson-foundation-lease-woolworth-building-233-broadway-cammebys-international/, As 50th Anniversary Approaches, Nonprofit Signs Deal to Move to Woolworth Building, November 27, 2017, Commercial Observer, Schram, Laura, January 25, 2019, August 26, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180826064028/https://commercialobserver.com/2017/11/watson-foundation-lease-woolworth-building-233-broadway-cammebys-international/, live, In 2017, the New York Shipping Exchange moved into the 21st floor. In May 2018, architecture and design firm CallisonRTKL signed a lease for the entire {{convert|28,100|sqft|m2}} 16th floor.NEWS,rebusinessonline.com/callisonrtkl-signs-10-year-lease-at-woolworth-building-in-manhattan/, CallisonRTKL Signs 10-Year Lease at Woolworth Building in Manhattan, Cohen, David, REBusiness Online, January 25, 2019, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071618/https://rebusinessonline.com/callisonrtkl-signs-10-year-lease-at-woolworth-building-in-manhattan/, live, The Vera Institute of Justice left the building’s 12th floor a few months later for a larger space in Industry City, Brooklyn.NEWS,www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/vera-institute-move-hq-industry-city, Vera Institute to move HQ to Industry City, September 10, 2018, Geiger, Daniel, January 25, 2019, limited, Crain’s New York, January 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190123071610/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/vera-institute-move-hq-industry-city, live,

Impact

Reception and design influence

File:Rachael Robinson Elmer, Woolworth Building June Night, 1916, NGA 147751.jpg|alt=lithograph of the Woolworth Building by Rachael Robinson Elmer|thumb|Woolworth Building June Night, 1916 lithograph by Rachael Robinson Elmer, National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of ArtBefore construction, Woolworth hired New York photographer Irving Underhill to document the building’s construction. These photographs were distributed to Woolworth’s stores nationwide to generate enthusiasm for the project. During construction, Underhill, Wurts Brothers, and Tebbs-Hymans each took photographs to document the structure’s progression. These photos were often taken from close-up views, or from far away to provide contrast against the surrounding structures. They were part of a media promotion for the Woolworth Building.{{sfn|Fenske|2008|p=162}} Both contemporary and modern figures criticized the photos as “’standard solutions’ at best and ‘architectural eye candy’ at worst”.{{sfn|Woods|2001|p=151}}Later critics praised the building. Amei Wallach of Newsday wrote in 1978 that the building resembled “a giant cathedral absurdly stretched in a gigantic fun mirror” and that the lobby “certainly looks like a farmboy’s dream of glory”. A writer for The Baltimore Sun wrote in 1984 that the lobby’s lighting, ceiling mosaic, and gold-leaf decorations “combine for a church-like atmosphere”, yet the grotesques provided a “touch of irreverence”.NEWS, June 10, 1984, Grand lobbies are forewords to New York history in stone, G9, The Sun, {{ProQuest, 536628811, }} Richard Berenholtz wrote in his 1988 book Manhattan Architecture that, at the Woolworth Building, Gilbert “succeeded in uniting the respected traditions of architecture and decoration with modern technology”. In a 2001 book about Cass Gilbert, Mary N. Woods wrote that “the rich and varied afterlife of the Woolworth Building ... enhances [Gilbert’s] accomplishment”.{{sfn|Woods|2001|p=155}} Dirk Stichweh described the building in 2005 as being “the Mozart of skyscrapers”. In 2007, the building ranked 44th among 150 buildings in the AIA’s List of America’s Favorite Architecture.WEB, FavoriteArchitecture.org, AIA,favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php, List of America’s Favorite Architecture, 2007, September 27, 2010, dead,favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20110510113118favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php,">web.archive.org/web/20110510113118favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php, May 10, 2011, In recognition of Gilbert’s role as the building’s architect, the Society of Arts and Sciences gave Gilbert its gold medal in 1930, calling it an “epochal landmark in the history of architecture”.NEWS, November 17, 1930, Cass Gilbert Gets Gold Medal As Woolworth Building Designer: Arts and Sciences Society Calls Structure Epochal Architectural Landmark, 5, New York Herald Tribune, 1941-0646, {{ProQuest, 1113688103, }}NEWS, January 17, 1931, Cass Gilbert Gets Arts Gold Medal; Woolworth Building Designer Hailed as Prophet of New Movement in Architecture, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1931/01/17/archives/cass-gilbert-gets-arts-gold-medal-woolworth-building-designer.html, February 22, 2023, 0362-4331, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222003826/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/01/17/archives/cass-gilbert-gets-arts-gold-medal-woolworth-building-designer.html, live, On the 40th anniversary of the building’s opening in 1953, one news source called the building “a substantial middle-aged lady, with a good income, unconcern over years—and lots of friends”. A one-third-scale replica of the Woolworth Building, the Lincoln American Tower in Memphis, Tennessee, was also built in 1924.NEWS, Ashby, Andy, May 16, 2008, Lincoln American lands first tenants, American City Business Journals, Memphis Business Journal,www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/19/story2.html, live, September 22, 2008,www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/19/story2.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110526064006www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/19/story2.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110526064006www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/19/story2.html, May 26, 2011,

Media

The Woolworth Building has had a large impact in architectural spheres, and has been featured in many works of popular culture, including photographs, prints, films, and literature.{{sfn|Woods|2001|pp=149–150}} One of the earliest films to feature the skyscraper was Manhatta (1921), a short documentary film directed by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand.{{sfn|Woods|2001|p=161}} Since then, the building has made cameo appearances in several films,{{sfn|Woods|2001|p=162}} such as the 1929 film Applause.BOOK, White, J., Haenni, S., Fifty Key American Films, Taylor & Francis, Routledge Key Guides, 2009, 978-1-135-97932-4,books.google.com/books?id=B8uTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA28, January 27, 2019, 28, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221003/https://books.google.com/books?id=B8uTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA28, live, It was also the setting of several film climaxes, such as in Enchanted (2007),WEB,freetoursbyfoot.com/new-york-tours/self-guided-walking-tours/lower-manhattan-film-and-tv-locations/, Lower Manhattan Film and TV Locations, December 16, 2014, Free Tours by Foot, January 25, 2019, January 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190126001108/https://freetoursbyfoot.com/new-york-tours/self-guided-walking-tours/lower-manhattan-film-and-tv-locations/, live, as well as the setting of major organizations, such as in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016).MAGAZINE, ‘Fantastic Beasts’: 5 secrets in our photo you might have missed,www.ew.com/article/2015/11/06/fantastic-beasts-secrets, Hibberd, James, November 6, 2015, Entertainment Weekly, June 10, 2018, June 12, 2018,www.ew.com/article/2015/11/06/fantastic-beasts-secrets/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180612163337www.ew.com/article/2015/11/06/fantastic-beasts-secrets/,">web.archive.org/web/20180612163337www.ew.com/article/2015/11/06/fantastic-beasts-secrets/, live, WEB,ny.curbed.com/2015/12/15/10620642/in-harry-potter-spin-off-the-woolworth-building-is-magical, In Harry Potter Spin-Off, the Woolworth Building is Magical, Plitt, Amy, December 15, 2015, Curbed NY, January 25, 2019, January 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190126060829/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/12/15/10620642/in-harry-potter-spin-off-the-woolworth-building-is-magical, live, The television show Ugly Betty used the Woolworth Building as the ‘Meade Publications’ building, a major location in the series,MAGAZINE,www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20233561,00.html?xid=rss-allabout-TVUglyBetty-TV+show’s+shot+in+NYC, The Deep Dive: Made in NYC, Soll, Lindsay, October 17, 2008, Entertainment Weekly, January 21, 2010, May 27, 2013,www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20233561,00.html?xid=rss-allabout-TVUglyBetty-TV+show%27s+shot+in+NYC," title="web.archive.org/web/20130527163146www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20233561,00.html?xid=rss-allabout-TVUglyBetty-TV+show%27s+shot+in+NYC,">web.archive.org/web/20130527163146www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20233561,00.html?xid=rss-allabout-TVUglyBetty-TV+show%27s+shot+in+NYC, live, while one of the vacant condominiums was used in filming the TV series Succession in 2021.WEB, Jones, Sasha, July 6, 2022, Woolworth Tower apartment featured in “Succession” sells for $20M,therealdeal.com/new-york/2022/07/06/woolworth-tower-apartment-featured-in-succession-sells-for-20m/, February 22, 2023, The Real Deal, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222015943/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2022/07/06/woolworth-tower-apartment-featured-in-succession-sells-for-20m, live, WEB, Vora, Shivani, December 10, 2021, Inside the $23.355 Million Succession Penthouse,www.architecturaldigest.com/story/inside-the-succession-penthouse, February 22, 2023, Architectural Digest, February 22, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230222015944/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/inside-the-succession-penthouse, live, The building has also appeared in literature, such as Langston Hughes’s 1926 poem “Negro“WEB,poems.com/poem_print.php?date=16477, Two Poems, Hughes, Langston, 1926, Poetry Daily, a new poem every day, January 27, 2019, January 28, 2019,poems.com/poem_print.php?date=16477," title="web.archive.org/web/20190128135333poems.com/poem_print.php?date=16477,">web.archive.org/web/20190128135333poems.com/poem_print.php?date=16477, live, and the 2007 novel Peak.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=5Jr9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA185, Booklist’s 1000 Best Young Adult Books since 2000, Engberg, G., Chipman, I., Cart, M., American Library Association, 2014, 978-0-8389-1150-1, 185, January 27, 2019, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507220921/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Jr9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA185, live,

See also

• Early skyscrapers
• List of tallest buildings in the United States
• List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street

{{Clear}}

References

Notes

{{notelist}}

Citations

{{reflist}}

Sources

• MAGAZINE, Gunvald, Aus,babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007552022&view=1up&seq=551, Engineering Design of the Woolworth Building, American Architect, 103, March 26, 1913, 159–160, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507223727/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007552022&view=1up&seq=551, live,
• BOOK, The Cathedral of Commerce, Cochran, Edward, 1918, Broadway Park Place Co.,catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100854326, HathiTrust, January 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190126001101/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100854326, live,
• BOOK, Fenske, Gail,archive.org/details/skyscrapercitywo0000fens, The Skyscraper and the City: The Woolworth Building and the Making of Modern New York, University of Chicago Press, 2008, 978-0-226-24141-8, Phoenix Poets Series, registration,
• BOOK, The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories, Moudry, Roberta, Cambridge University Press, 2005, Fenske, Gail, {{harvid, Fenske, Moudry, 2003, }}
• MAGAZINE, Holtzman, S.F.,babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c0000100560&view=1up&seq=29, Design of the Woolworth Building, Engineering Record, July 5, 1913, 68, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507223818/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c0000100560&view=1up&seq=29, live,
• BOOK, Horowitz, Louis J., The towers of New York: the memoirs of a master builder, Simon and Schuster, 1937,books.google.com/books?id=AyhVAAAAMAAJ, 978-1-25818-724-8, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507220940/https://books.google.com/books?id=AyhVAAAAMAAJ, live,
• NYSKY,
• BOOK, Nash, Eric, Manhattan Skyscrapers, Princeton Architectural Press, 2005, 978-1-56898-652-4, 407907000,
• REPORT,npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NHLS/Text/66000554.pdf, National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: The Woolworth Building, National Park Service, November 13, 1966, February 28, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170228091510/https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NHLS/Text/66000554.pdf, live, {{harvid, National Park Service, 1966, }}
• BOOK, Reynolds, Donald, The Architecture of New York City: Histories and Views of Important Structures, Sites, and Symbols, J. Wiley, New York, 1994, 978-0-471-01439-3, 45730295,
• BOOK, Shelley, Thomas J., Fordham: A History of the Jesuit University of New York, 1841-2003, Fordham University Press, 2016, 978-0-8232-7151-1,books.google.com/books?id=RvsmDAAAQBAJ, December 23, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20191223153956/https://books.google.com/books?id=RvsmDAAAQBAJ, live,
• MAGAZINE, Springer, J. F., September 1, 1912, Tallest Office Building in the World: The 55-Story Woolworth Building in New York City—The Work of Construction—Its Foundations, Building Age, {{ProQuest, 128346446, }}
• BOOK, Tauranac, John, Elegant New York, Little, Christopher, 1985, Abbeville Press, 978-0-89659-458-6,
• BOOK, The Master Builders: A Record of the Construction of the World’s Highest Commercial Structure, 1913, Hugh McAtamney & Company,archive.org/details/masterbuildersre00hugh, {{harvid, The Master Builders, 1913, }}
• BOOK, Woods, Mary N., Stern, Robert A.M., Cass Gilbert, Life and Work: Architect of the Public Domain, W.W. Norton, 2001, 978-0-393-73065-4,books.google.com/books?id=x3X_D6L5JEwC&pg=PA6, 149–162, In the Camera’s Eye: The Woolworth Building and American Avant-Garde Photography and Film, May 7, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210507221346/https://books.google.com/books?id=x3X_D6L5JEwC&pg=PA6, live,
• REPORT,s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1273.pdf, Woolworth Building, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, April 12, 1983, March 3, 2016,www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/83-WOOLWORTH-EXT.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160303184443www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/83-WOOLWORTH-EXT.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160303184443www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/83-WOOLWORTH-EXT.pdf, live, {{harvid, Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1983, }}
• REPORT,s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1121.pdf, Woolworth Building Interior, April 12, 1983, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, December 27, 2016,s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1121.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20161227034110s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1121.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20161227034110s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1121.pdf, live, {{harvid, Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior, 1983, }}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• {{Owebthewoolworthtower.com/}}

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