90 West Street

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES · NEW YORK STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES · NYC INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK

History of the Building

Architectural Context

Cass Gilbert designed the West Street Building in 1905-1907 for the West Street Improvement Corporation, led by Howard Carroll. Facing the Hudson River waterfront before Battery Park City's construction, the office building attracted shipping and transportation businesses.

Significance

The building marks a transition between the classical base, shaft and capital organization of earlier office buildings and the more vertically expressive Gothic tower Gilbert later developed at Woolworth. The LPC designated its exterior on May 19, 1998, under LP-1984.

Building Description

The twenty-three-story building wraps a light court. A granite base supports glazed beige terra cotta elevations over brick backing. Clustered piers, recessed spandrels, arcaded upper floors and colored Gothic ornament lead to a dormered mansard clad in standing-seam metal.

Landmark Designations

90 West Street

National Register of Historic Places
January 25, 2007
New York State Register of Historic Places
January 25, 2007
NYC Individual Landmark
May 19, 1998
National Preservation Honor Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation
2006

Scope of Work

01
Historic Structures Report
Preparation of a Historic Structures Report addressing the building's architectural history, exterior materials, documented conditions and preservation considerations.
02
Visual Survey
Visual survey of the landmark building's exterior, including stone, architectural terra cotta and roofing assemblies, with photographic documentation of visible conditions.
03
Construction Documents
Preparation of construction documents for exterior restoration work, drawing on the visual survey and documented building information.