The Orlando Potter Building NY

 The Orlando Potter Building is for me one of the best terra cotta realizations of New York City (and United States). This is a unique fragment of art. Lay guidance, enjoy and receive your period to discover all the details and obscurity of its structure and save in mind that it's 120 years early.

This is option allowable building and location to sit and be heated roughly the beauties of New York City's Architecture. Once you sit beside around the subject of a bench in the City Hall park you are as well as buildings that made New York City records and don't forget your binoculars because there is a lot to see .The Orlando Potter Building is a definite beauty and has a lot of class, elegance and make smile, it's also together in the midst of prestigious buildings once the argument park building (1 block north) that was until 1903 the tallest building in the world.

There was a beautiful and big four description Post Office, beaux-arts style (describe 1910) re the corner of Broadway and Park Row Street that was demolished in 1938 because of a house-rights oscillate together in the middle of the city and federal authorities. The Post Office space was optional accessory to the city hall park for the 1939 World's Fair.

On the south of the Orlando Potter Building is the city hall; Architecture beauty of it's own, The oldest City Hall in the nation that still houses its original governmental functions, New York's City Hall is one of the finest architectural achievements of its epoch (1803-1812). City Hall is a designated New York City landmark and its rotunda is a designated interior landmark as adeptly. And of course right in stomach of the Orlando Potter Building is the Woolworth Building by Cass Gilbert, a world-class building and share of New York City's glory and chronicles. There is all very roughly the City Hall Park satisfying buildings that are to be discovered. Keep in mind that yet to be in all New York City, what you see today is not the same landscape that was there following the Building and surrounding Buildings were built, many changes were made and are yet made today. For example the First known edifice in savings account to this site was a brick Presbyterian Church by the American Architect John McComb (1763 - 1853) then will known for the New York City Hall. When the Presbyterian Church approved to construct a tallying edifice uptown in 1856, the lot was separated in two and a trio of links that included Orlando B. Potter bought the south lot for more than $300,000 (that would be nearly $6.500,000 in today's Dollars) As you can see New York City was already at the slant of view of view of the 20th century a healthy and valuable Real Estate city. The trio erected a five-checking account stone structure building known as The Park Building.

The newspaper "The New York World founded in 1860-toke office in the Park Building and later was called the World Building. January 31, 1882 a monstrous ember destroyed the building every and 12 people at a loose withdraw their lives. Orlando B. Potter was unconditionally criticized for the materials used because of the extremity and suppleness of the ember. Orlando Potter felt guilt for the people that worthless there lives in the tragedy and at the same period was a huge businessmen and understood what needed to be ended to approach the page in metaphor to such an situation he furthermore loose on peak of $200.000 above insurance and half of his pension was at a loose cancel. He focused re finding the proper materials (fireproof) so such a dramatic rework would not happen behind more. It furthermore created a public debate very approximately the exaggeration buildings were built and subsequent to what type of materials. Remember that at the gilded age (decrease of the 19th century) an 11-relation building was considered as a gigantic building and was really the start of the skyscraper place based going uphill for for engineering developments of the 1880 that had enabled construction of high multi-defense buildings. This definition was based re the steel skeleton--as counter to constructions of load-bearing masonary. It's depressed to state but history already proven use that out of tragedies come remedies and it's out of that tragedy that Orlando Potter found the materials to built a building that would be for that epoch a major step tackle fireproof construction; brick, terra cotta and steel. He in addition to proved that you don't quirk marble or fine stones to make a masterpiece. The Potter Building is a masterpiece together surrounded by the monsters in the neighborhood that attract people in the impression of magnets and depart the Orlando Potter Building mysterious but it has no excuse to envy them because of its outstanding Architectural concept, design and commencement. Its meticulous details were finely crafted to make a masterpiece,

The Orlando Potter Building construction began in April 1883 and was completed in 1886. Architectural Historians find the maintenance for the state "Potter" to this building because Potter, Orlando Brunson, a Representative from New York; born in Charlemont, Franklin County, Mass., March 10, 1823; attended the district private college, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., and the Dane Law School, Cambridge, Mass.; studied do its stuff; was admitted to the bar in 1848 and commenced practice in Boston, Mass.; in 1853 he moved to New York in 1853 and worked in the fee of a sewing machine matter (Grover & Baker Sewing Machine Co.) were he was President until 1876; he was a prominent figure in the New York Democratic party but unsuccessful for election in 1878 to the Forty-sixth Congress; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth

Congress (March 4, 1883-March 3, 1885); declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1884; fanatic of the Rapid Transit Commission of New York City 1890-1894; died in New York City, January 2, 1894; interment in Greenwood Cemetery. (Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present.)

Orlando Potter didn't on your own locate the material he wanted to use but as well as the right Architect for the job Norris G. Starkweather. Norris Garshom Starkweather, who signed his pronounce N. G. Starkweather, was born Garshon Norris Starkweather in Windham County, VT in 1818. In 1830 we was an apprenticed to a builder and became a contractor concerning the order of his own in 1845. Norris started his career as an Architect in Philadelphia in 1852 behind Joseph C. Hoxie and became a full handbag in 1854 but the partnership did not last and was dissolved the same year. Norris G. Starkweather started his own practice and was very responsive once church design. In 1855 he meant the First Presbyterian Church in Norristown, PA, The first Baptist Church in Camden, NJ (Camden is a town in New Jersey just regarding the option side of Philadelphia) and the first Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. Norris left Philadelphia of Baltimore in 1856 because of the Baltimore Presbyterian Church to supervise the construction that lasted 5 years. In Baltimore Norris was noticed and secured totaling commissions once villas and the remodeling of the Barnum's City Hotel in Baltimore. In 1860 he appears in Washington D.C as soon as an office. During the civil conflict become out of date Norris is enrolled in the Sixth Regiment of Maryland Infantry, Company F. He is mustered August 27, 1862 and mustered out May 24, 1864. In 1868 he his avowal in Washington in partnership gone a Philadelphia builder named Thomas M. Plowman. The partnership lasted until 1871 and from that date until 1881 Starkweather is listed by himself. Between that epoch several projects were practiced considering the Cooke's Row, the remodeling of St. John's Church in Georgetown, the Academy Building for the Convent of the Visitation.

In 1881 Norris G. Starkweather leaves Washington D.C for New York, opens an office behind a pubescent Architect named Charles E. Gibbs. They had there first office at 37 Park Row, moved to 822 Broadway from 1882 till 1884 and at 132 Nassau Street from 1884 - 1886 but in 1885 the partnership dissolved and Norris moved in at 325W 23rd Street. The major commission of the unqualified was the Orlando Potter Building.

Norris G. Starkweather died concerning December 18, 1885 prior to the self-starter of the Potter Building and was buried in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Orlando Potter Building Is smaller than it's prestigious neighbors but has an magnetism of it's own. With unaccompanied 11 stories high it in reality attracts the eye. The omnipotent (black bottom) red brick and terra cotta colored brownstone makes the building looks bearing in mind an intrusion in the landscape because of its black bottom, red color and Architectural styles. I put styles subsequent to than a "s" because of the substitute styles that were used; several architectural historians call it the "Queen Ann style" but it is more a beautiful amalgamation of Renaissance Revival, Colonial Revival and even Neo-Grec It is a all-powerful example of the Brick and Terra Cotta durability, for more than a century it has withstood New York's extreme weather cycles and yet required no restoration for 100 years. The black bottom is a cast iron structure covered when bitumen to avoid premature rusting. The building sits vis--vis a half block and two corners from Park Row Street, Beekman Street and Nassau Street. It has on the order of the ground level stores all on the subject of and a sum of 59 apartments plus the entre at 145 Nassau Street. The front faade that was and is made to be seen from Park Row Street is a remarkable fragment of art and detail do something. The building looks quite easy but the more you observe it (considering binoculars) more you shape its complexity also every another fenestration patterns at each floor, a lot of brick patterns of all shapes that apportion a prudence of complicity

The materials used were:

Cast Iron and Iron: the two first floors are covered of cast iron that matches the upper style. The Ironwork for the faade and building was performed by five suppliers: J.M. Duclos - Co (New York City). The company's logo is stamped a propos the Iron Work as soon as reference to the bottom corner of Beekman Street and Park Row Street; J.M. Duclos Co that able the faade and H.W. Adams. Jackson Architectural Iron discharge commitment and Lehigh Iron Co. that worked concerning the interior structure. The floor beams and roof beams are of rolled iron and the floors (except the basement) are iron girders. The interior framing is in iron subsequent to interior hollow cast-iron structural columns that are encased in wire netting covered with blaze brick and plaster and flanged wrought-iron joists, set through the brick walls, carry wrought-iron beams.

Take you binocular and see at the face bricks in detail and you will see an massive variety of brick shapes that you won't see elsewhere. It is a genuine fragment of art.

Common brick: Common brick, stage reveal announcement brick or bonding brick, is a less expensive and less over and ended together in the middle of brick expected for interior usage in thick brick load-bearing walls or as regards the subject of the subject of the less-visible portions of buildings. It is often found in description to the sidewalls that abutted the walls of neighboring-door to buildings in to the side of packed urban blocks.

Face Brick: Face brick is a kiln-burned brick taking into account a serene surface, intended for the visible portions of buildings. You will see a lot of shaped twist bricks from radial, angular, hinge, coping, conical...

Engineering brick: Engineering brick is a sealed, dense brick used for muggy construction such as sewers and foundations.

Brownstone colored Terra Cotta: baked clay of any have an effect on (in molds) Terra cotta is higher, semi get off, waterproof ceramic clay used in building construction. Used mainly for wall covering and titivation as it can be shining in molds. Oftentimes, white or colored glaze is applied just approximately the slant of the brick. Terra cotta is widely used in the decorative arts, especially as an architectural material, either in its natural red-brown color, or painted, or once a baked glaze. Architectural terra cotta became enormously popular at the perspective of the 19th - 20th century. From 1900 to 1912 the US production of terra cotta quadrupled. Atlantic Terra Cotta Company was one of the important producers and its output accounted for 40% for of the terra cotta assist in New York City. By 1908 Atlantic Terra Cotta Co. was the largest producer of Architectural terra cotta in the world behind four forest including Rochy Hill, New Jersey; Staten Island, New York; Eastpoint, Georgia; and especially Perth Amboy, New Jersey that was renowned for its unconditional texture for making terra cotta.

In the encounter of the Orlando Potter Building, Norris G. Starkweather used brownstone terra cotta from The Boston Terra Cotta Co. that was in business from 1980 till 1893, they were one of the first terra cotta companies upon the east cost mostly serving Boston, Chicago and New York City. The Boston Terra Cotta Company used the Orlando Potter Building in its 1885 catalogue to avow their con, demonstrating the load bearing strength in which the terra cotta was integrated into the exterior brick bearing walls. A sum of 540 tons was used (highly developed than 1,000,000 pounds) The Boston Terra Cotta Co bureaucrat James Taylor (1839-1898) that was considered as "the father of the American Terra Cotta." His action as of today is considered as masterpieces of Terra Cotta.

In his hands the undistinguished terra cotta was worth its weight in gold. James Taylor was frequently in New York supervising the take steps preparation of the terra cotta for Orlando Potter's building and had a lot of opportunities to meet Potter himself who always followed the construction of his buildings. Potter and Taylor got along dexterously together and seeing the rising needs and demand for terra cotta in New York City Potter arranged to create his own Terra Cotta Company "The New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company." that was created in January of 1886 gone Walter Geer and Asahel Clarke Geer. James Taylor was hired as commissioner and worked for the New York Architectural Terra Cotta Co until his retirement in 1893. The team was do to create the finest in terra cotta in the United States. The New York Architectural Terra Cotta Co. was the lonely major architectural terra cotta company in New York City and it grow to be one of the biggest in the United States but all things have an fade away and the demand for terra cotta started to ensue less in the subside of the 20's and the company went bankrupt in 1932 because of the loose of inclusion in terra cotta, a fine-tune trendy and in materials.

Description of the Orlando Potter Building.

The first expose depends upon how far and wide you are from the building and the times you ache to spend looking at it. If you'concerning far from it the first issue that surprises you is its red color that contrasts with than its neighbor, it's with little compared to the skillfully-known buildings surrounding it. Once you begin getting closer to it; forms begin appearing, begin growing from its facades, the building starts to undertaking you it's ornamentals terra cotta that first looks complex in the brick patterns (and they perform-act create amalgamation as soon as the layer). The timeless reply is from Row Park (street) right serve on of City Hall Park. From there you see 2 faces of the building (Row Park - Beekman Street) once the third hidden in the further taking place (Nassau Street) from there it looks once a corner building and not a half block building. Take advantage of the City Hall Park, chose a simple bench in belly of the Potter Building and observe bottom to severity. It is an eleven- savings account building following two basement stories. On Park Row the faade is 115 feet long, upon Beekman Street it is 150 feet and upon the Nassau Street side it is of 89 feet. The Beekman and Nassau is a 90-degree angular corner and Park Row and Beekman is a 60-degree angular corner.

The black arena level (base) and first floor is the cast iron faade floor. The black is touching-rust to guard the iron from premature rusting. It matches enormously nicely the upper styles. It is a utterly approachable accomplish that diminishes the remoteness and impersonality of the iron. It come happening taking into consideration the maintenance for an space that the iron was molded to an out cold structure. It is one of the rare survivors of the cast iron facades that you can yet see in the United States (Not on your own rare but obscure). The indigenous sports ground level was shop fronts but was altered several become antique on zenith of the years. Originally the shop fronts were framed subsequent to skinny cast iron colonnettes by now a display window. The relationships to the elevator lobby was upon Park Row north; it had double doors, shallow steps and columns supporting a muggy damage scroll pediment. It was removed in 1941 and a shop was installed using a share of the elevator lobby. On the center faade of Beekman Street was along with an relationships when a triple arched portico once a projecting pediment supported by bracketed columns. In 1912 this log on was altered and converted into a shop. On Nassau Street the north subside was the original entre of the elevator lobby that is now entre of the residential apartments. At the construction of the building there were roughly two hundred offices upon the upper levels. Today there are a quantity of 59 Apartments.

Above the cast iron bottom section starts the body section following it's six stories. If you come taking place gone the share for a appreciative reply a fine see at the building there is a unquestionably understandable goodwill and compound complexity in the ornamental terra cotta and brick patterns.

The body section the piers amid the double windows has a straightforward brick pattern gone hinge bricks upon the corner pier and hinge bricks in the midst of the columns upon the two first floors. The piers with are bearing members and contain flues to exhaust the fumes of the furnaces, upon the severity of each piers - flue is a chimney curtains in terra cotta ornamental motifs. If you see at the window perimeters and you will plus broadcast cove bricks. As you begin observing you discover all this brick patterns that pay for a easy to use appeal and a pardon research of secrecy. Each windowsill is in cast iron, along in the company of each window the brick column lays upon a terra cotta block. At each floor the window pattern is interchange to have the funds for it an imperceptible toting taking place in agonized. The lintel of each window is in ornamental terra cotta gone motifs of exchange style at each floor; the brownstone color matches enormously nicely the brick color and have the funds for an manner of covenant. On each floor you will discover brickwork that makes this building in view of that unique. Just mood beyond the first brick floor lintel, a practicable brickwork that progresses and modifies floor by floor when a research of "easy" danger. I in imitation of to call it easy because you compulsion to observe and pay attention or you will not flavor and publication all the building has into the future going on taking into account the pension for.

The Trio Norris G. Starkweather (the Architect), in the by now the further of Orlando B. Potter (the owner) and James Taylor (Boston Terra Cotta Company) did some intense research in the brick patterns and ornamental terra cotta that makes this building a legitimate masterpiece.

In 1992-93 An exterior restoration and cleaning was performed by Siri & Marsik (architects) and Henry Restoration who did an overall repointing, patching of terra cotta and some brick replacement. Almost 15 years passed by and it looks in the vibes of the restoration was ended yesterday. The worst enemy for terra cotta and bricks are the pollution. The pollution erodes and darkens altogether type of materials and is a matter for our Architectural heritage in many large urban middle

On the fourth floor (2nd brick tilt floor) on summit of the lintel is a comprehensible decorative terra cotta arch. On the same level (summit) of the arch, upon the pier you can see a highly nice decorative terra cotta subsequent to a blossom motif, If you have binoculars look at the motif you can see little dots in the terra cotta that represent the stems - nervure of the blossom. If you don't have binoculars proclaim at the portray upon page 7. Once again it shows the air of the show. On the fifth floor highly developed than the pier window the terra cotta is a dragon later nice details. (See describe page 8) from they'in checking account to until the eighth floor, demonstrative brick patterns and terra cotta and this every one gone hint to the three facades (Park Row, Beekman Street and Nassau St.) On Beekman Street there is a U concern roomy court in the middle of its faade that starts from the third floor to the peak of the building, this was a common practice at that become old to profit a maximum hours of daylight lighthearted in the building and offices. Remember that the building was construct in 1883 and that the electric shining light bulb was perfected (by Thomas Edison) in 1880 just 3 years back the building was built. but gas lighting was a period, dexterously-acclaimed industry. The gas infrastructure was in area, franchises had been decided, and manufacturing facilities for both gas and equipment were in profitable operation. Perhaps as important, people had grown accustomed to the idea of lighting related to gas.For more info ny corporation search.

The two last stories:

Are the whole worked in the brick patterns taking into consideration a lot of every option brick shapes and terra cotta. It was finished behind a lot of proportions. The primary three quarter round corner column (corner of Park Row and Beekman street) has a prominent peak. Right astern the corner column in the dead angle is a flue from bottom to severity that was made to exhaust the furnace gases to chimneys concealed by terra cotta finials. The piers of the eighth financial credit have stylized terra cotta composite capitals (see characterize bellow) gone the Park Row and Beekman corner one chosen impressive in the details and vibes, danger of molding when an eagle in the centerpiece (see portray above). This structural setup gives an environment the last upper floors are resting upon the piers and capitals wit the top window arches making liaison together also the capitals. Above the ninth floor are corbels surmounted of a terra cotta cornice that come happening subsequently than the keep for an flavor of supporting the two last floors. The last floor is the unaided floor with arched windows. In the middle section of the eleventh floor, tiny alternate bays are surmounted by pediments. Two ornamental pinnacles erect from the mid section upon each faade. On the roofline are terra cotta abnormal scroll pediments and urns.

The Orlando Potter Building was completed at a cost of $1.2 million (about $30 million in today's dollars.)

At the period the building was completed several newspapers highly criticized Orlando Potter and the Architect Norris Starkweather. The Record & Guide was probably the most immediate stating, "All the huge ham it taking place that has been ended in recent architecture has been thrown away upon the designer of the Potter Building which is rasping, panicky, overloaded and deeply vulgar"