Architecture
The Engineers' Club Building was designed by
Henry D. Whitfield and
Beverly S. King, of the firm
Whitfield & King, in the
neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...
style.
It is 13 stories tall,
also cited as 12 stories.
There is also a basement and subbasement under the above-ground stories.
The building occupies its whole land lot at the base. Above the third story, the building is shaped like a dumbbell, with
light courts to the west and east.
Facade
The primary
facade is on the north, facing 40th Street. It is three
bays wide and is organized into three horizontal sections: a base, shaft, and capital.
It uses a combination of white marble and red brick..
''The New York Times'' wrote the building design "strikes even the layman as sumptuous in the extreme. It is doubtful if anywhere in this country so luxurious a club dwelling exists."
The lowest three stories on 40th Street are clad in stone
and are each tall.
The ground story is designed with
rusticated blocks and contains a central entrance flanked by round-arched windows. Above the entrance are large
console bracket
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
s carrying an
entablature.
The entrance was designed as a doorway wide, while the windows to either side are wide and twice as high.
There is a plaque commemorating Nikola Tesla, who received an
IEEE Edison Medal
The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this fi ...
at the building in 1917.
There is a
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to:
*Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible:
**First Epistle to the Corinthians
**Second Epistle to the Corinthians
**Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox)
*A demonym relating to ...
-style
colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...
of fluted
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s on the second and third stories, with
capitals at the top of each pilaster.
According to the ''
AIA Guide to New York City'', the pilasters "give this a scale appropriate to the New York Public Library opposite".
The second-floor windows have eared surrounds, above which are entablatures with
swags. The third story has round-arched windows with carved frames. Above is a decorative
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
, as well as a
cornice with
dentil
A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian R ...
s.
On 40th Street, the fourth through tenth stories are clad in brick, and the outer edges of the facade have stone
quoins. The windows are square and have marble frames for the most part.
The fourth story is a transitional story and consists of a stone entablature.
Four urns flank the fourth-story windows. On the fourth through ninth stories, there is a console bracket above each window, serving as a
keystone. At the tenth story, the windows are flanked by carved shields.
A stone balustrade runs above the tenth story and is carried on brackets.
The top stories contain a double-height colonnade supported by
Ionic-style stone columns.
The arches have a slightly different window arrangement at the base, and there is a brick wall behind each column. Atop each arch is a console bracket supporting an attic.
The facade is topped by a cornice with dentils, supporting a stone balcony.
The west and east elevations are visible above the fifth story and are mostly clad in plain brick with some windows. There are air shafts on both elevations and a fire escape on the western elevation. The Engineers' Club Building was also attached to the immediately adjacent buildings on either side. To the east, the Engineers' Club Building adjoins a brick-and-brownstone structure at 28 West 40th Street, containing four stories and an attic. To the west is a brick structure over a stone storefront at 36 West 40th Street.
Features
The building is served by a set of service stairs and three elevators. The three elevators and the stairs run from basement to roof; one elevator is designed for freight and the two others are for passengers.
The passenger elevators fit 12 to 15 people and originally skipped the third floor, while the freight elevator serves the whole building.
Also in the clubhouse was a
dumbwaiter
A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restau ...
, connecting the lobby, clubroom, and billiards floor.
In addition to the thirteen above-ground levels are two basement levels. The first basement had a restroom and some storage and staff rooms, while the sub-basement had the building's mechanical plant with heat, light, power, and refrigeration.
Lower stories
The main entrance leads to a vestibule, which in turn is connected to the lobby.
The lobby's piers and Ionic columns made of wood; the wall and the column capitals are made of marble; and the molded ceiling is made with plaster.
On the left was the reception room for visitors, while on the right was the writing room for members, containing such furniture as writing tables and mailboxes.
The reception room was high with predominantly marble decorations.
It adjoined a coat room that could store at least 500 items of clothing, and the writing room adjoined an administration office. The ground floor also had a bar, cigar stand, four telephone booths, and a small bathroom.
At the end of the hall was a cafe with a grill,
as well as a connection to the Engineering Societies' Building.
Both sides of the lobby have been converted into stores. The old grill in the rear of the lobby was converted into an apartment with ceilings.
A grand staircase leads from the west side of the lobby near the center of the house.
The staircase has carved
newel
A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar of a staircase. It can also refer to an upright post that supports and/or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post"). In stairs having st ...
s as well as a
banister
A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are usually used to provide support for body or to hold clothings in a bathroom or ...
with metal decorations. It splits into two legs above the lobby, serving the second- and third-story landings.
An oil painting of the businessman
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
, who financed part of the building's construction, was hung on the stairway.
The third-story landing has a plaster ceiling, a colored-glass oval
skylight, and wooden walls.
The skylight illuminates the lobby floor below.
The second story was devoted to a lounge/clubroom in the front and a club library in the rear.
The lounge did not contain any columns across its entire width.
Two large fireplaces were placed in the lounge, one on either side, and the windows on 40th Street provided ample illumination.
The library had an oil painting of
John Fritz
John F. Fritz (August 21, 1822 – February 13, 1913) was an American pioneer of iron and steel technologySandra E. Duffy (2012Fritz Lab: Not Just for Chicks from Pennsylvania State University who has been referred to as the "Father of the U.S. S ...
,
as well as bookcases on all four sides, with capacity for 18,000 volumes.
The third story had a billiards room large enough to accommodate six tables. It was surrounded by a platform about high, with benches for spectators, and contained an ornamental fireplace at each end. In the rear of the third floor were three large rooms, one each for cards, the house committee, and the board of governors.
While these spaces have been converted into apartments in the late 20th century, they retain many original design details.
The second-floor lounge and library were converted into four apartments, one of which had a mezzanine and an original fireplace.
Upper stories
The fourth through ninth stories
contained sixty-six bedrooms.
These floors were planned so the rooms could be used
en suite
A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically ...
or separately. Each bedroom either had an attached bathroom or was connected to one. A common toilet, bath, and shower were also provided off the main corridor of each story.
After 1979, the former bedrooms were rearranged into apartments.
Unit 4G, a one-bedroom apartment described by the website ''
Curbed New York'' as a "mini-
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
", is decorated with hand-painted murals throughout.
Above the bedroom stories were the dining-room stories. The tenth story had two large private dining rooms and a spacious reception room in the front. Next to the elevators was a breakfast room, which could also be used for large private dinners.
This was connected by a covered bridge to the ninth floor of the Engineering Societies' Building.
The tenth story also had its own serving rooms
and a "tapestry room".
The eleventh story had a dining room seating 300 people.
Across the eastern light court was a balcony for service staff.
The banquet room opens onto the balcony overlooking Bryant Park.
The twelfth story was entirely for the service staff. It had a main kitchen in the rear, adjacent to a butcher shop and a refrigerator.
These stories also have been converted into apartments but retain much of their old wooden decoration. One apartment has a mezzanine.
About half of the attic/roof story was reserved for an open roof garden, while the rear of that floor had service rooms.
The building's elevators ran directly to the roof garden, and two staircases ran to the attic, one each for workers heading upstairs and downstairs. Part of the roof garden was enclosed in glass.
The attic had a kitchen, refrigerator room, servants' bedrooms, and servants' dining rooms.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the attic contained a masseuse and barbershop.
The modern attic contains two
duplex penthouse apartments.
History
In 1888, the Engineers' Club of New York was founded at the clubhouse of the
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
(ASCE) on
23rd Street.
The Engineers' Club moved to its own space on 29th Street the following April; its goal was to "embrace all the States of the Union, as well as Canada and Mexico".
The club was intended as a social club and initially had 350 members,
but its constitution allowed up to 1,000.
''The New York Times'' wrote in 1891 that "no end of prominent men have secured admission" to the club,
which had grown to 650 members by 1896.
As a result of its rapid membership growth, the Engineers' Club moved to the Drayton mansion on
Fifth Avenue and 35th Street that year.
Even after that relocation, the club's membership had grown to 769 by the end of 1898, prompting the club's officers to survey members about building a larger clubhouse.
Development
Site acquisition
In 1902, the club's board of management unanimously decided to build a new clubhouse and raise funds for such a building. The next year, the board formed the Engineers’ Realty Company and asked all members to buy stock in that company. By then, the club had reached 1,000 members and the membership limit had to be increased.
The Engineers' Realty Company bought a pair of dwellings at 32 and 34 West 40th Street from William M. Martin in February 1903.
The club's management cited the site's proximity to transit options, the
Theater District, and Fifth Avenue as reasons for selecting the 40th Street site for its clubhouse.
The site would also overlook Bryant Park and the under-construction main library building.
The Engineers' Club would purchase the property from the Engineers' Realty Company subject to a $110,000 mortgage. The realty company would receive 1,150
bonds from the club, each with a
par value
Par value, in finance and accounting, means stated value or face value. From this come the expressions at par (at the par value), over par (over par value) and under par (under par value).
Bonds
A bond selling at par is priced at 100% of face valu ...
of $100 and a
maturity of 20 years; the realty company would distribute one bond to each stockholder and then dissolve thereafter.
Andrew Carnegie acquired five land lots on 39th Street, measuring ,
in May 1903.
Carnegie had acquired these lots specifically because they were directly behind the Engineers' Club.
Carnegie offered to donate $1 million (about $ million in ) to fund the construction of a clubhouse for several engineering societies on that site.
The engineering building would house the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
American Institute of Mining Engineers
The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Uni ...
(AIME), and
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Insti ...
(AIEE).
Originally, the Engineers' Club was to occupy space in the engineering building. However, this was deemed logistically prohibitive, so two buildings connected at their rears were developed.
In March 1904, Carnegie increased his gift to $1.5 million (about $ million in ). The gift was to be shared by both the club and the societies, with $450,000 for the Engineers' Club and $1,050,000 for the engineering societies.
Carnegie's gift only covered the costs of the respective buildings, and the club and societies had to buy their own respective land lots.
The Engineers' Realty Company formally transferred the land to the Engineers' Club in August 1904. The Engineers' Club site cost $225,000.
Design and construction
After Carnegie's gift, the ASME, AIME, AIEE, and Engineers' Club formed a Conference Committee to plan the new buildings.
Because of Carnegie's international fame and his large gift, the design process was to be "a semi-public matter of more than ordinary importance".
The Conference Committee launched an
architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel ...
in April 1904, giving $1,000 each (about $ in ) to six longstanding architecture firms who submitted plans.
Other architects were allowed to submit plans anonymously and without compensation. Any architect was eligible if they had actually practiced architecture under their real name for at least two years. The four best plans from non-invited architects would receive a monetary prize.
William Robert Ware
William Robert Ware (May 27, 1832 – June 9, 1915), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into a family of the Unitarian clergy, was an American architect, author, and founder of two important American architectural schools.
He received his o ...
was hired to judge the competition.
That July, the committee examined over 500 drawings submitted for the two sites.
Whitfield & King, a relatively obscure firm that had nonetheless been formally invited,
won the commission for the Engineers' Club Building.
Nepotism may have been a factor in the Engineers' Club commission, as Carnegie was married to Whitfield's sister
Louise.
Hale & Rogers and
Henry G. Morse, who had not been formally invited, were hired to design the Engineering Societies' Building.
By September 1904, the Engineers' Club site was being demolished by the F. M. Hausling Company, and Whitfield & King were preparing the plans. Plans for the Engineers' Club Building were filed with the
New York City Department of Buildings
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) is the department of the New York City government that enforces the city's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, licenses, registers and disciplines certain construction ...
in January 1905, with a projected cost of $500,000. After the site had been cleared, work began on the steel frame in September 1905. During an informal ceremony on December 24, 1905, Louise Carnegie laid the building's
cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over tim ...
, which contained a capsule filled with various contemporary artifacts.
The architects, high-ranking club officials, and Andrew Carnegie attended the ceremony. At the time, the steel frame had reached the ninth story and the facade had been built to the third.
Despite a steelworkers' strike in early 1906 and a plasterers' strike that November,
the work was completed on schedule.
The Mechanical Engineers' Library Association leased some office space in the Engineers' Club Building.
Clubhouse
The clubhouse opened on April 25, 1907, with a ceremony attended by 1,500 guests.
The new clubhouse involved an expenditure of $870,000, of which the building itself cost $550,000.
In addition to the $225,000 cost of the site, the club members had to raise $175,000.
Media of the time described the clubhouse as "the finest in the country".
A journal from the time described the club as having 1,750 members and a "long waiting list".
The Engineers' Club Building was formally dedicated on December 9, 1907, with a humorous speech by
Mark Twain. The club's members over the years included Carnegie himself, as well as Nikola Tesla,
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
,
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a maj ...
,
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
,
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
,
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
, and
Henry Herman Westinghouse.
1900s to 1940s
In its early years, the building held events such as an exhibition of impressionist art, a dinner discussing the
City Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...
, and a meeting in which Edison refused the 1911
Nobel Prize for physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
as an "award for poor inventors". By 1909, the club had 2,000 members, a 35 percent increase from three years prior.
In a report issued by the club's Board of Management the following year, the board noted that the maximum membership had been reached.
The board recommended that new facilities be erected for the growing membership.
In 1913, plans were filed for a six-story addition at 23 West 39th Street, above the carriage entrance of the Engineering Societies' Building. This structure was to contain bedrooms, bathrooms, and a restaurant.
The addition was designed by Beverly King.
The United Engineering Societies agreed to let the Engineers' Club use the eastern wall of the Engineering Societies' Building as a
load-bearing wall A load-bearing wall or bearing wall is a wall that is an active structural element of a building, which holds the weight of the elements above it, by conducting its weight to a foundation structure below it.
Load-bearing walls are one of the ea ...
. The parties also agreed to share the walkways behind both buildings and construct a steel-and-glass loading dock for freight.
The 39th Street annex opened in April 1915 and the clubhouse continued to be used for major events afterward.
The clubhouse was flooded in April 1917 due to a water main break on 40th Street. The clubhouse's top floors were damaged in a fire in December 1919, causing $100,000 worth of damage to the building. The clubhouse continued to expand in later years.
In 1920, the Engineers' Club purchased a house at 36 West 40th Street in 1920 from the Janeway family, intending to use the site as offices. Three years later, the club purchased 28 West 40th Street from the Wylie family. Number 36 was used as an office and stores and number 28 was used as a lounge and additional bedrooms.
Clubhouse activities included a 1924 speech where
Charles Algernon Parsons
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, (13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931) was an Anglo-Irish engineer, best known for his invention of the compound steam turbine, and as the eponym of C. A. Parsons and Company. He worked as an engineer on d ...
suggested digging a 12-mile shaft for scientific research, as well as a 1925 viewing of a lunar eclipse.
The Engineers' Club proposed yet again to expand its facilities in 1936, this time erecting a 16-story office building on the adjacent site at 28 West 40th Street. This expansion was never built.
In 1946, the company of the late architect
Thomas W. Lamb was hired to design a renovation for the Engineers' Club Building. This prompted the New York state government to accuse Lamb's company of practicing architecture illegally; these charges were ultimately dropped.
1950s to 1970s
By the 1950s, the Engineering Societies' and Engineers' Club buildings were becoming overburdened, in large part due to their own success. A 1955 ''New York Times'' article described the buildings as "the engineering crossroads of the world", with the Engineers' Club hosting diners and overnight guests from around the world.
The engineering societies in the neighboring 39th Street building had originally considered moving to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
. By 1956, the societies were instead planning to stay at 39th Street, constructing an entrance from 40th Street on property owned by the Engineers' Club. The engineering societies ultimately sold their building in 1960.
This marked the decline of the old engineering center that had been centered around Bryant Park.
An oil portrait of Herbert Hoover was dedicated at the clubhouse in 1963 and hung on a wall in a hallway there, which was named in Hoover's memory. The clubhouse continued to host events in the 1960s and 1970s, such as a speech on donating engineering books to developing countries and a discussion on electric traffic signals. By 1972, ''Mechanical Engineering'' said the club "looks confidently toward the future".
At the time, the Engineers' Club was the only remaining clubhouse on the block.
Even so, the club was experiencing financial difficulties during this time.
The Engineers' Club finally declared bankruptcy in June 1977, and was forced to liquidate many of its furnishings and decorations over the next year.
The club also put its main clubhouse and its three auxiliary buildings, at 28 and 36 West 40th Street and 23 West 39th Street, for sale.
Residential era
In 1979, developer
David Eshagin bought the Engineers' Club Building, who converted it to residential use under plans by architect
Seymour Churgin.
The attic units were converted into penthouses that covered more of the roof than in the original design.
Some of the original spaces were preserved, including the main staircase between the first and third stories, as well as some of the larger communal spaces, which were used as hallways.
The taller spaces were divided into duplex apartments with sleeping accommodations on balconies; a ''New York Daily News'' article described the apartments as "strangely shaped" but having "a great deal more character than the usual bland shoeboxes of most New York apartments". The redeveloped building was initially called "The Columns", after the columns at its base, and it had ground-floor storefronts.
By 1981, one of the ground-floor storefronts contained a florist.
The building was further converted to a
housing cooperative in 1983.
The penthouses above the twelfth story, dating from 1980, were expanded to duplex apartments circa 1992.
The facade was degrading by the 1990s, and Midtown Preservation was hired to restore the facade. The co-op originally wished to reuse the marble, but this proved impractical when the stone broke apart while the restorers were removing the stone.
Afterward, the marble on the facade was replaced with fiberglass, although the marble staircase inside remained intact.
The cornices above the third story, as well as the eleventh-story balcony, were replaced with fiberglass.
In addition, the twelfth-story keystones, arches, and cornice were replaced.
The restoration cost $350,000 in total.
The exterior was further restored in 2001.
In the 21st century,
the Engineers' Club Building came to be known as an 82-unit co-op called Bryant Park Place.
In 2007, the building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
, along with the Engineering Societies' Building, as the "Engineering Societies' Building and Engineers' Club". The same year, Bryant Park Place's co-op board placed a plaque to the left of the main entrance, outlining the building's history. By 2010, Bryant Park Place contained a women's clothing shop, SoHo Woman on the Park.
The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
designated the Engineers' Club Building as a city landmark on March 22, 2011.
While the exterior is protected under landmark status, the interiors have no such designation, so they have been altered.
See also
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References
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
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External links
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{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
1907 establishments in New York City
Bryant Park buildings
Buildings and structures completed in 1907
Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
Neoclassical architecture in New York City
New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
Residential buildings completed in 1907
Residential buildings in Manhattan