Western Union Building | |
---|---|
General information | |
Status | Destroyed |
Type | Office |
Architectural style | Neo-Grec |
Address | 195 Broadway |
Town or city | New York City |
Coordinates | 40°42′39″N 74°00′35″W / 40.71083°N 74.00972°W |
Completed | February 1, 1875 |
Renovated | 1890–1892 |
Demolished | 1912–1914 |
Height | |
Roof | 230 feet (70 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 10 (+2 basement, 1 ground story) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | George B. Post |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) | Henry Janeway Hardenbergh |
The Western Union Telegraph Building was a building at Dey Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The Western Union Building was built with ten above-ground stories rising 230 feet (70 m). The structure was originally designed by George B. Post, with alterations by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. It is considered one of the first skyscrapers in New York City.
Western Union decided to construct the building in 1872 after outgrowing a previous space at 145 Broadway. Post was selected as the winner of an architectural design competition, and the building was completed in February 1875. At the time of its completion, it was one of the tallest structures in New York City, behind only Trinity Church, the New York Tribune Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge towers. The original design contained eleven stories, including the ground story. It had a three-story mansard roof and a clock tower whose pinnacle gave the building its 230-foot height. The interior included executive offices, a large telegraph operating room, and office space that could be rented to other tenants.
The top five stories were destroyed by fire in 1890, although the superstructure of the ground story and the lowest five floors remained intact. Hardenbergh designed a four-story flat-roofed expansion to the structure, completed in 1891. AT&T, which acquired the Western Union Telegraph Building, decided to redevelop the site with a 29-story building at 195 Broadway, which was completed in 1916. The old Western Union Building was demolished between 1912 and 1914, although Western Union continued to occupy the replacement structure until 1930.