Cass Gilbert's Woolworth BuildingMain MenuIntroductionArchitectural Drawings of the Woolworth BuildingThese pages contain original architectural drawings from Vanderbilt University Fine Art Gallery's Reiman Collection, completed by Cass Gilbert's architectural office between 1911 and 1913.Architectural ComparisonsConstructionContemporary ReactionsEngineeringHistorical ContextRepresentations of the Woolworth Building in Visual Art and LiteratureSkyscraper StyleUrban ContextBibliographyEllen Dement42442c14bff120b6e83827404fe0b851fdc8a6df
Typical Tower Floor Plan from Architecture and Building
12017-01-31T10:24:46-08:00Ellen Dement42442c14bff120b6e83827404fe0b851fdc8a6df146345From Architecture and Building, vol. 45, July 1913, pg. 280.plain2017-03-16T12:49:37-07:00Ellen Dement42442c14bff120b6e83827404fe0b851fdc8a6df
12017-01-30T20:13:48-08:00Typical Tower Floor13plain2017-03-22T12:35:58-07:00F.W. Woolworth wanted his company headquarters to have a distinctive profile based on the towers of medieval European town halls. The Woolworth Building tower is not modeled on any specific tower, but creates a unique and distinctive profile that its contemporaries would easily identify as that of the Woolworth Building.
The tower originally housed speculative office space, as shown in this superseded plan for a typical tower floor. This plan corresponds to the plan for the thirtieth through fortieth floors, shown in this finalized plan that appeared in Architecture and Building. As the final plan shows, the tower gradually recessed, and the top floors were contained in the roof. They held no offices, just a circular elevator and spiral staircase leading to the building's observation deck.
This superseded plan for the fiftieth floor shows the tower's relationship to the lower portion of the Woolworth Building, which has a U-shaped plan.
