Entrance, Graybar Building, NYC

This is the third and final of my posts on the entrances to the Graybar Building along Lexington Avenue. This entrance is in the centre of the building and, I suppose, as the main entrance to the building it is different to the other two entrances.

Firstly there is a flagpole sitting on an extrodinary black, gold and red support with a stylised eagle at the base of the flagstaff. The whole thing really stands out against the gray background of the building.

This entrance is also flanked by two figures but while the figures on the other entrances look like gods or kings, these figures appear to represent the ordinary man. Again, like the other figures, they are richly detailled and each is holding an object but in this case we see modern objects.

One man is holding a telephone.

The other, a truck.

It is also interesting to note that each figure is holding something in their other hand which could be a lantern and these in turn are used to disguise the anchor points for chains that connect to the actual lights either side of the door. A nice way to hide some structural aspects of the decoration.

Equinox Entrance, Graybar Building, NYC

This is the second of the three entrances to the Graybar Building in Lexington Avenue, NYC. You'll notice it is very similar to the Grand Central Terminal entrance with the two Ayssrianlike figures. Again each of the figures is holding something. The figure on the left is holding a bird and the one on the right is holding fire.

On Friday I'll post photos of the Graybar's third entrance.

Grand Central Terminal Entrance, Graybar Building, NYC

Quite some time ago I posted a photo of the Art Deco rats on the Graybar Building, NYC.

This is what the whole entrance looks like. You can see the rats crawling up the supports of the canopy over the doors. But also have a look at the heads of various creatures holding the rods for the rest of the canopy and then much higher up two figures, one on each side of the entrance.

Those figures are wonderfully detailled and look a bit Assyrian to me. The one on the left is clutching a globe.

The other one is holding a sea creature.

This entrance, leading to Grand Central Terminal, is one of three along this facade of the Graybar Building. I'll show you the other two over the rest of the week.

Hotel Edison, New York

The Hotel Edison is my favourite place to stay in New York. It is always busy and wonderfully located just off Time Square. And the Cafe Edison, next door to the main hotel entrance, is a great place for a quick bite to eat whether you are a guest or not.

The Edison was built in 1931 and while the rooms no longer have deco features the lobby has been restored and looks fantastic.

Reference:
Hotel Edison website

Fuller Building, New York

The Fuller Building in E 57th Street, built 1928-29, was designed by architects Walker & Gillette.

The Fuller Construction Company had a previous building in New York City. The earlier one was designed by Daniel Burnham and built in 1902. It was meant to carry the name Fuller Building but because of its unusual shape it was called the Flatiron Building and remains so today, a major NYC landmark.

With the 1928-29 building, the Fuller Construction Company built the name into the decoration above the entrance and it has outlived the company and is still known as The Fuller Building today.

Above the name, two figures seem to rest contentedly on the city they have just completed and the decoration in the foyer also includes various tools of the building trade. Very fitting for a construction company.

References:
Fuller Building, A View on Cities website
Flatiron Building, A View on Cities website

former Horn & Hardart Automat, New York

I snapped Shelly's Restaurant at 104 W57th Street in June 2005 with no inkling that before the end of the following year it would be demolished to make way for a residential tower.

The building was originally constructed as a Horn & Hardart Automat in 1938 and an on-line petition directed to the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission and Manhatten Councilmembers failed to save the Automat.

Reference:
This condo evicts another cherished landmark, by Jim in Time Square on Flickr.com
Save the Former 1938 NYC Automat From Demolition!!!, www.petitiononline.com

Film Center Building, New York City

The Film Center Building at 630 Ninth Avenue, NYC was designed by Ely Jacques Khan and constructed 1928-29.

Above the main doorway is set back from street level with the sides stepping back into the facade of the building. The decoration in the stonework around the doorway is similar but not identical to the patterns in the metal grill above the doors.

But it is the interior of this building that is so striking and it is the interior that was recognised by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in the 1980s.

The listing document specifically mentions many of the elements in the foyer, including the mailbox, directory board and elevator doors.

The photo on the left shows the bottom part of the mail box with wonderful Art Deco lettering and a series of red discs as part of the decoration.

The photo on the right shows the top of the directory board with the same style of lettering used but as opposed to the letterbox, the letters themselves are coloured red.

The elevators are marked with vertical lines either side contrasting with the horizontal banding on the foyer walls and the horizontal decoration on the actual elevator doors.

A decoration made up of geometric shapes, incorporing six red capped cylinders and a single red disc in the middle of the composition, sits, centered, above the elevator door.

Elsewhere in the foyer the decoration takes the form of an abstract mosiac featuring reds, blues, golds and silvers.

There is no doubt this is one of the best intact Art Deco interiors in New York City.

Reference: New York Landmarks Preservation Commission Report, 9th Nov 1982, prepared by William B Stargard, Student Intern, edited by Anthony W Robins, Senior Preservation Specialist

Firehouse Engine 34, Hook & Ladder 21, Hell's Kitchen

While exploring Hell's Kitchen in NYC, I saw the rooline of this building, over a wall, from about a block away so I had to investigate. The building turned out to be a Firehouse, Engine 34 and Hook & Ladder 21.

A brass plaque on the wall between the doors dates the building to 1937 and lists the men in cahrge of the city and the Fire Department at that time.

Fiorello H LaGuardia - Mayor
John J McElligott - Fire Chief & Commissioner
Francis X Giaccone - Deputy Fire Commissioner
Hubert J Treacy - Bureau of Fire Department Buildings

Hearst Tower, New York

The Art Deco six-storey New York headquarters for the Hearst Corporation were completed in 1929.

Newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, choose architect and set designer Joseph Urban to design the building which included sculptural figures representing various aspects of the Arts, Commerce and Industry.

In the 21st century, Norman Foster designed a glass skyscraper for the Hearst Corporation. The Hearst Tower is 46 storeys tall and uses the original Hearst Building as its base.