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Arguably one of American architect Cass Gilbert’s greatest works, the Woolworth Building was completed in 1913 and stood as the tallest building in New York until 1930, when a not-so-little tower called the Empire State Building rose to prominence some three miles north.
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Commissioned by Frank W. Woolworth, CEO of department store F. W. Woolworth Company, the building looks to a wealth of European stylistic influences, from Gothic cathedrals to Beaux Arts civic structures.
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Gilbert employed technology thoroughly modern for the time, including a steel frame of unprecedented height, an innovative portal arch wind-bracing system, and a high-speed elevator network.
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The monumental lobby takes its inspiration from a Romanesque cathedral nave.
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Byzantine mosaics and gilded tracery are scattered throughout the lobby.
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Gothic touches, like this gargoyle-style sculpture of Cass Gilbert himself, abound inside.
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The building was deemed a historic landmark in 1966 and a New York City landmark in 1983.
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Tours, like the one that Architectural Digest took, are available to the public and can be booked by visiting woolworthtourom.
