THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING was dubbed the Cathedral of Commerce
by NYC newspapers when first built. The neo-Gothic Woolworth Building was
conceived by F.W. Woolworth and his architect, Cass Gilbert, and cost $13,500,000 to build. It was
to be the "world's tallest building" and remained so from 1913 until the
1930 completion of the Chrysler
Building. In this day and age, it’s difficult to
believe that a 60 story structure (792 feet tall) was once the tallest
skyscraper in the world. The tallest
building in Manhattan,
before the Woolworth Building’s construction, was the 50-story Metropolitan Life
Insurance Building (Madison Avenue & 24th Street). On the day of the Woolworth Building’s
opening, President Woodrow Wilson pushed a button at the White House which
turned on the building’s 80,000 lights. The Woolworth tower is of cream-colored terra
cotta and the lobby has amazingly colorful vaulted mosaic-covered ceilings
(unfortunately since 9/11 the lobby is closed to tourists for security
reasons). There are gargoyles of bats
and wildlife and in the lobby are sculpted caricatures of Woolworth, Cass
Gilbert and Louis Horowitz – its builder.
The basement has an Olympic-sized swimming pool once used by Mr.
Woolworth. City Hall Park and City Hall are across the
street.
