Information
Landmark: Woolworth BuildingCity: New York
Country: USA New York
Continent: North America
Woolworth Building, New York, USA New York, North America
Overview
The Woolworth Building rises at 233 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, its limestone façade catching the morning light.Built in 1913, it soared among the tallest buildings in the world and still stands as a striking Gothic Revival landmark, its stone towers etched with intricate carvings.Frank W. commissioned the historical background.Woolworth, who started the Woolworth Company, built a retail chain famous for its “five-and-dime” shops where you could pick up candy for a nickel.Architect: Cass Gilbert, a leading American designer, blended Gothic flourishes with the soaring steel frames of modern skyscrapers.Rising 792 feet into the New York skyline, the Woolworth Building was built between 1910 and 1913 and held the title of world’s tallest until 1930.They call it the “Cathedral of Commerce,” a nod to its soaring Gothic arches and its place as a proud emblem of American business success.The building’s Neo-Gothic style shows in its pointed arches, ornate terracotta trim, and stone gargoyles peering down from the roofline.The building’s facade bursts with terra cotta details-floral patterns, delicate tracery, and sculpted figures that catch the afternoon light.The slender tower rises high, its copper roof catching the afternoon light, topped with an ornate lantern.Inside, the lobby dazzles with bright mosaics, stained glass that catches the light, and cool slabs of marble, all coming together in a grand, elegant hush.The Woolworth Building was one of the first to use a steel frame, a breakthrough that let it soar higher than anyone thought possible-its white terra cotta crown seeming to float above the city.Symbolism captured the bold energy and bright hope of American commerce in the early 1900s, like the gleam of a freshly minted coin.In 1966, it earned National Historic Landmark status, honored for both its striking architecture and rich history, from the carved stone archway to the stories etched in its walls.The building once bustled as the Woolworth Company’s headquarters, along with a mix of other offices where typewriters clattered and papers piled high.In recent years, sections of the upper floors have been turned into sleek luxury condos, where polished brass door handles meet the building’s century-old brick, marrying historic charm with modern comfort.You can take a guided tour through the lobby and a few public areas, where sunlight spills across marble floors and the building’s architecture truly shines.You’ll find it at 233 Broadway, tucked between Park Place and Barclay Street in the heart of Lower Manhattan.City Hall’s just a short walk away, with the World Trade Center site and the bustling Financial District right around the corner.The Woolworth Building rises in soaring Gothic Revival style, a gleaming testament to early 20th‑century American ambition.With its rich history, distinctive architecture, and the way sunlight glints off its stone and glass, it stands out as a must-see landmark in New York City’s skyline and story.
