Sonntag, 1. Mai 2011

Part 5 - World Building at the edge of the gone centuries


Welcome back at the street corner of Park Row and Frankfort Street in Manhattan, a short time after the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. In Part 5 we will follow the tracks of the (second) World Building, which appeared here since 1890. It was also called Pulitzer Building, according to Joseph Pulitzer, the editor and publisher of the "New York World".

It seems, that the photographs of the early 20th century liked to use the World Building as a part of the background, when they took a picture of the Nathan Hale statue in the City Hall Park. Samples are the pictures above (1900) and below (1905).


In the background again is the World Building on this picture, shot while a celebration at New York's City Hall in 1901:


Another picture of the 1900s in two versions: black and white and colored. Showing from left to the right: the City Hall, the World Building, the Sun Building, the Tribune Building, the New York Times Building and a small stripe of the new Potter Building.



Here is a panoramic view of the City Hall Park, taken in 1903 with the World Building on the total right, the City Hall on the right, the County Court House in the middle, the Dun and the Stewart Building at the left part of the middle and  the Broadway and the Chambers Building on the total left.


From the inside to the outside, a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline in 1903 with the world building on the total left.


A trip to the front pages of the World Almanac, here is the one from 1901:


The front page of the World Almanac as it appeared on a commercial (wall?) paper in 1903


And this is a very interesting picture, actually not focussed on the World Almanac. It was taken in 1908 and shows the "Smallest news & post card stand in New Orleans, 103 Royal Street". Source was the fantastic Shorpy webpage:


But have a closer look at the left bottom of the stand, they are selling World Almanacs too:


A roofscape view maybe from the year 1901, also shown on the Shorpy Webpage, with the world building on the right side of the picture:


Here is the focus on the World Building:


and the complete picture with a panoramic rooftop view of Lower Manhattan


A stereo card from 1902, showing the view down from the World Building in east direction with the Brooklyn Bridge in the center.


Another shot from the year 1902, showing a rare view of the World Building, taken from northern direction. Some interesting gone buildings in the foreground, maybe the area, where the Municipal Building appeared ten years later. The World Building on the left side and a part the roof of the Brooklyn Bridge train station in front of it. The highrise in the left center background is the 1899 Park Row Building; it was still the highest (office) building on earth in 1902. The massive building in the picture's center is the old City Hall Post Office. There may be also parts of the New York City Hall in front of the Post Office, it is a little bit difficult to identify, because the dome of the City Hall seems to be a part of the Post Office, if you only have a short look on this picture.  The right side looks a bit empty, because we are used to see the Woolworth Building or the Singer Building in this area, but this picture was taken about 10 years before the Woolworth  and 6 years before the Singer Building. 


A rare night view of the City Hall and the World Building, taken in 1907.


In 1908 a photograph entered the World Building, so we are able to get some rare inside views of the building, showing the staircase and the elevator.



We go back outside and have a look at some panoramic views, the first one from 1903:


And this one was taken in 1906, with the photograph standing on a place a little bit more in the north.


A picture from 1907, showing the Manhattan Terminal of the Brooklyn Bridge train, another jewel from the Shorpy Collection.


The World Building appears on the left side of the picture.


Next picture was taken in 1908, showing the City Hall Park and Newspaper Row from nothern direction


Here are two stereo cards of the scenery, from the early 1910s.



The following picture was taken in 1910 and shows the 3rd Avenue Elevated Railway Station on Chatham Square, a picture of the Shorpy Collection. I like the scratched vintage look of this picture and the details of the unbelievable construction of this station with tracks going above and under.


You find the World Building's dome on the right side of the picture.


A high resolution picture of the Sun Building in 1914 with some interesting details of the World Building and it's ground level on the total left was shown at the Shorpy webpage:


In the 1910s started some important changes around the World Building. First Change: a larger neighbour in the north, named Municipal Building (1914/15) and a higher neighbour in the west, named Woolworth Building (1912/13).

The following two thrilling pictures were taken while the construction of the Woolworth Building, both with the World Building visible on the ground.



And here is a 1913's panoramic view of the City Hall Park with the World Building on the left and the Woolworth Building on the right side.


Now it's time to let the Municipal Building appear in the north of the World Building:


Another picture from the Shorpy Collection, showing a panoramic view of Lower Manhattan taken from the north in 1915, including the World Building and the other Newspaper Row buildings:



And again an old stereo card with the new scenery from the 1910s


From the macrocosmos to the microcosmos: a short view on the ground level of the World Building


From the ground to the top. Two more Almanac front covers, from 1918 and 1922:



Change Two around the World Building: the Sun Building disappeared, a new building filled the space and the Tribune Building got more floors and a higher roof. It's possible to see it on this 1917 picture of the City Hall:


I don't know the date, when this picture was taken, but it's the best document to show the changes at Newspaper Row while the 1910s.


The last picture of this part is a special rare view of the World Building. I think it was taken from the roof or the little tower of the new higherleveled Tribune Building, high enough to watch on the World Buildings copula from above now.


Sources: Google, Shorpy and NYPL Digital Gallery

Part 6
World Building - The unknown years

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