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
West Street Building
12018-01-03T17:32:00-08:00George Whitecb0542322fa4ae8e07654b15060808a2ceb373c6146343in "American Gothic"plain2018-01-03T19:10:12-08:00George Whitecb0542322fa4ae8e07654b15060808a2ceb373c6The precedent for the Woolworth Building was the West Street Building in Lower Manhattan. There, Gilbert executed a highly decorative Gothic skyscraper. Originally, he designed it with a five-storey central tower, such that it looked like one of the municipal buildings of the low countries.[1] Some of his designs were Romanesque revival, others were Gothic. Ultimately, the verticality of Gothic fit the brief for a skyscraper better than Romanesque. Vertical terracotta mullions draw the eye upward to the highly detailed flamboyant Gothic crown. In this way, Gilbert combined the lessons of skyscraper design from Louis Sullivan (from his Bayard-Condict Building in New York) and his Beaux-Arts background, blending functionality and ornament.[2] It is thought that Gilbert connected the design of this new commercial money-making structure to the client’s Flemish and Dutch ancestry.
