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Scribner Building
The Scribner Building (also known as the Old Scribner Building) is a commercial structure at 155 Fifth Avenue, near 21st Street, in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Ernest Flagg in the Beaux Arts style, it was completed in 1893 as the corporate headquarters of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing company.
The Fifth Avenue facade contains a base of rusticated limestone blocks on its lowest two stories. On the third through fifth stories, the facade is subdivided into five limestone bays, while at the sixth story is a mansard roof. Among the facade's details are vertical piers at the center of the facade. At ground level is a retail space that was originally used as Scribner's bookstore. The upper stories originally contained the offices of Charles Scribner's Sons and were subsequently converted into standard office space.
Charles Scribner's Sons was founded in 1846 as Baker & Scribner, which occupied several buildings before moving to 155 Fifth Avenue. The company used the Old Scribner Building until 1913, when the firm moved to 597 Fifth Avenue, a structure also designed by Flagg. The family continued to hold the building until 1951, leasing it as office space. The Old Scribner Building was used as the headquarters of the United Synagogue of America from 1973 to 2007. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in 1976 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is a contributing property to the Ladies' Mile Historic District, which was designated by the LPC in 1989.
The Old Scribner Building is at 155 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, on the eastern side of the avenue between 22nd Street to the north and 21st Street to the south. The building spans the addresses 153–157 Fifth Avenue. The trapezoidal land lot covers 4,825 square feet (448.3 m2), with a frontage of 59.25 feet (18.06 m) on Fifth Avenue and a depth of 87.58 feet (26.69 m). Nearby buildings include the Flatiron Building and 935–939 Broadway to the north, as well as the Sohmer Piano Building to the west.
The surrounding stretch of Fifth Avenue was developed with residences in the 1840s, which were demolished to make way for commercial and office uses by the late 19th century. The Scribner Building is one of several late-19th century office structures developed in the neighborhood. Just prior to the Old Scribner Building's construction, the lots at 153–155 Fifth Avenue may have been occupied by the Glenham Hotel. However, city records show that the hotel could have been on the adjoining lot to the south.
The Old Scribner Building was designed by Ernest Flagg in the Beaux Arts style for the company Charles Scribner's Sons. It has a gross floor area of 37,288 square feet (3,464.2 m2). The building is similar in appearance to the successor Scribner's bookstore at 597 Fifth Avenue, which Flagg also designed. Both structures have symmetrical limestone facades divided horizontally into multiple sections. The Old Scribner Building's superstructure consists of a steel frame with brick infill. The main contractor was Charles T. Wills.
Upon the completion of the building, Scribner's Magazine said its headquarters had a "dignified and striking facade". According to Scribner's Magazine, the building was "the first in America built from ground to top distinctly for the uses of a publishing house". The design was praised by the architectural critic Francis Swales as being "one of the earliest" small stores in New York City to "possess any architectural merit".
The facade is horizontally separated into three sections—the ground-story base, the second through fifth stories, and the sixth-story roof—each subdivided into five vertical bays. The facade uses rusticated blocks of limestone at the base, contrasted with plain limestone on the upper stories, to resemble a load-bearing wall. The ground or first story was designed with large central openings flanked by smaller doorways. It is clad with rusticated limestone blocks and has an arched glass-and-iron storefront in the three center bays. The arch was intended to give the impression of a truss supporting the stories above. Above the center of the first floor is a cartouche with the capital letters "Charles Scribner's Sons", above a garland flanked by putti. There are rectangular doorways on either side of the storefront. Above each doorway is an entablature as well as cornice supported on brackets. Originally, a curved glass marquee projected from the storefront.
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Scribner Building
The Scribner Building (also known as the Old Scribner Building) is a commercial structure at 155 Fifth Avenue, near 21st Street, in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Ernest Flagg in the Beaux Arts style, it was completed in 1893 as the corporate headquarters of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing company.
The Fifth Avenue facade contains a base of rusticated limestone blocks on its lowest two stories. On the third through fifth stories, the facade is subdivided into five limestone bays, while at the sixth story is a mansard roof. Among the facade's details are vertical piers at the center of the facade. At ground level is a retail space that was originally used as Scribner's bookstore. The upper stories originally contained the offices of Charles Scribner's Sons and were subsequently converted into standard office space.
Charles Scribner's Sons was founded in 1846 as Baker & Scribner, which occupied several buildings before moving to 155 Fifth Avenue. The company used the Old Scribner Building until 1913, when the firm moved to 597 Fifth Avenue, a structure also designed by Flagg. The family continued to hold the building until 1951, leasing it as office space. The Old Scribner Building was used as the headquarters of the United Synagogue of America from 1973 to 2007. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in 1976 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is a contributing property to the Ladies' Mile Historic District, which was designated by the LPC in 1989.
The Old Scribner Building is at 155 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, on the eastern side of the avenue between 22nd Street to the north and 21st Street to the south. The building spans the addresses 153–157 Fifth Avenue. The trapezoidal land lot covers 4,825 square feet (448.3 m2), with a frontage of 59.25 feet (18.06 m) on Fifth Avenue and a depth of 87.58 feet (26.69 m). Nearby buildings include the Flatiron Building and 935–939 Broadway to the north, as well as the Sohmer Piano Building to the west.
The surrounding stretch of Fifth Avenue was developed with residences in the 1840s, which were demolished to make way for commercial and office uses by the late 19th century. The Scribner Building is one of several late-19th century office structures developed in the neighborhood. Just prior to the Old Scribner Building's construction, the lots at 153–155 Fifth Avenue may have been occupied by the Glenham Hotel. However, city records show that the hotel could have been on the adjoining lot to the south.
The Old Scribner Building was designed by Ernest Flagg in the Beaux Arts style for the company Charles Scribner's Sons. It has a gross floor area of 37,288 square feet (3,464.2 m2). The building is similar in appearance to the successor Scribner's bookstore at 597 Fifth Avenue, which Flagg also designed. Both structures have symmetrical limestone facades divided horizontally into multiple sections. The Old Scribner Building's superstructure consists of a steel frame with brick infill. The main contractor was Charles T. Wills.
Upon the completion of the building, Scribner's Magazine said its headquarters had a "dignified and striking facade". According to Scribner's Magazine, the building was "the first in America built from ground to top distinctly for the uses of a publishing house". The design was praised by the architectural critic Francis Swales as being "one of the earliest" small stores in New York City to "possess any architectural merit".
The facade is horizontally separated into three sections—the ground-story base, the second through fifth stories, and the sixth-story roof—each subdivided into five vertical bays. The facade uses rusticated blocks of limestone at the base, contrasted with plain limestone on the upper stories, to resemble a load-bearing wall. The ground or first story was designed with large central openings flanked by smaller doorways. It is clad with rusticated limestone blocks and has an arched glass-and-iron storefront in the three center bays. The arch was intended to give the impression of a truss supporting the stories above. Above the center of the first floor is a cartouche with the capital letters "Charles Scribner's Sons", above a garland flanked by putti. There are rectangular doorways on either side of the storefront. Above each doorway is an entablature as well as cornice supported on brackets. Originally, a curved glass marquee projected from the storefront.