Designated 10/1/1991
The Barclay-Vesey Building was commissioned by the New York Telephone Company, and it was intended to stand as a corporate symbol and was promoted as the world’s largest telephone building. It is a pivotal structure in the history of skyscraper architecture, and a prototypical example of the American Art Deco style. At the time of its construction was called Modernistic in style.
Its set-back form, a response to the 1916 New York City Building Zone Resolution, is an achievement of the incorporation of the law’s restrictions into a completed architectural design. The architect’s intention that the building be completely modern in every aspect of its design was a response to contemporary architectural trends and his objective was carried out in the building’s form, construction techniques, materials, unconventional ornament, and style.
The building’s lobby’s is a striking display of rich materials, style, and unconventional ornament. The modern design helped to symbolize the success and progressiveness of the New York Telephone Company. At the time of its construction the interior was proclaimed the greatest triumph of a building heralded as a monument to American architecture. The architect successfully established a continuity between interior and exterior design.
STATUS Designated Exterior and Interior Landmark
The Neighborhood
Tribeca
The area now known as Tribeca was originally developed in the early 19th century as a residential neighborhood close to the city’s center in Lower Manhattan. Its street grid was laid out at right angles off of Greenwich Street and on a diagonal off of...
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