Woolworth Building
- Architect
- Cass Gilbert
- Year
- 1912
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- City
- Manhattan, NY
- Collection
- cass gilbert’s downtown
The Woolworth Building is a 792-foot early skyscraper at 233 Broadway, designed by Cass Gilbert in the Neo-Gothic style and completed in 1913 as the headquarters of the F. W. Woolworth Company, the five-and-ten-cent store chain founded by Frank W. Woolworth. It was the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1929 and remains among the United States' 100 tallest buildings as of 2024. The tower consists of a 30-story base topped by a 30-story tower, bounded by Broadway, City Hall Park, Park Place, and Barclay Street.
the building
Terracotta and limestone facade. The facade is clad mostly in architectural terracotta, with limestone at the lower portions, and is pierced by thousands of windows across the 60-story combined base and tower.
The ornate lobby. The lobby contains sculptures, mosaics, and other architectural ornament, forming one of the building's most celebrated interior spaces.
Observatory and pool. The original design included amenities such as an observatory on the 57th floor and a private swimming pool in the basement.
the style
Gilbert designed the tower in the Neo-Gothic style, a choice that became a defining example of dressing the new commercial skyscraper form in medieval-derived ornament.
More on Gothic Revivalthe architect
Cass Gilbert conceived the Woolworth Building jointly with Frank W. Woolworth as a headquarters for the F. W. Woolworth Company, going on to reuse related Gothic Revival detailing in later commissions including the New York Life Building.
significance
The Woolworth Building is a National Historic Landmark and New York City Individual Landmark (LP-01273), also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places, designated April 12, 1983. It held the title of tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1929.
nearby
- 30 Park Place
- Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church
- New York Evening Post Building
- Home Life Insurance Company Building
- Park Row Building
- Saint Paul's Chapel and Graveyard