Joseph Pennell. 1857-1926.
The Woolworth Building. 1915. Etching. Wuerth 675. 11 7/8 x 7 3/8 (sheet 15 x 9 1/4). Edition about 100. A rich, tonal impression printed on antique laid paper from an old volume. The inking and wiping suggest a bright, sunny morning. Erased pencil annotation 'Peter J. Platt Imp' in pencil. (Peter J. Platt (1859-1934) was probably the most sought-after collaborative intaglio printer in New York City for some fifty years.) Signed in pencil by Pennell. $975.
The Woolworth Building, completed in 1913, stands at a height of 792 feet, 1 inch. Conceived by Frank W. Woolworth, designed by Cass Gilbert and engineered by Gunvald Aus, it was designed and built to be the tallest building in the world.
Early in 1910, F.W. Woolworth decided to erect a building on the southwest corner of Broadway and Park Place. However, it was not the original concept that the building be of such relatively enormous proportions as the Woolworth Building was to become. In November, 1910, the building was projected to be 45 stories, or 625 feet, plus a tower of 86 square feet. Its projected cost was $5 million.
F.W. Woolworth would acquire the surrounding lots in the following months, and the building was to become the length of the entire block front. After the caissons were sunk, Woolworth decided that the current plans for the height of the building (already at 750 feet, making it the would-be tallest building) were too meager, and increased the planned height. Additional caissons were sunk and provisions were made for the change in the height.
The final cost of the building would be $13.5 million, and while it would have 58 stories, its stories are so large (11-20 ft.) that the building is actually considered to be 79 or 80 conventional stories.
The culmination of the building's design and construction occurred on April 24, 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson pressed a button in the White House, illuminating both the interior and exterior of the Woolworth Building. The building was built to be a great structure as a testament to both the Woolworth Corporation and urban American architecture. F.W. Woolworth intended his building to be dominating and graceful, the best advertisement possible for his company. The Woolworth Building is truly a masterpiece, in all respects.
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