page_title: Broadway–Chambers Building
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Broadway–Chambers Building / History / Construction
caption_attribution_description: The Broadway-Chambers Building at 277 Broadway on the corner of Chambers Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City was built in 1899-1900 and was architect Cass Gilbert's first design in New York City. The building is made in the Beaux-Arts style, and was designated a NYC landmark in 1992. (Sources: Guide to NYC Landmarks (4th ed.) and "NYCLPC Designation Report")
context_page_description: The Broadway–Chambers Building is an 18-story office building at 277 Broadway, on the northwest corner with Chambers Street, in the Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. Completed by 1900 to designs by architect Cass Gilbert, the Broadway–Chambers Building was the first of several that Gilbert designed in the city.
  The Broadway–Chambers Building is designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column, namely a base, shaft, and capital. Different materials are used in each horizontal section: granite on the base, brick on the shaft, and architectural terracotta on the capital. The Broadway–Chambers Building's design also incorporates one of Gilbert's trademarks, the extensive use of architectural sculpture on the cornice of the arcade at the top of the building, which includes the heads of lions and women.
  The building was constructed between 1899 and 1900. Several companies collaborated to create an exhibit about the construction of the building at the Paris Exposition of 1900. The Broadway–Chambers Building was made a New York City designated landmark in 1992.
context_section_description: Plans for the 18-story skyscraper, designed by Gilbert on behalf of Andrews, were announced in March 1899. George A. Fuller Company received a contract to build the new structure at a projected cost of $700,000. Just before being selected to design Andrews's building, Gilbert had moved his offices to New York City. Work began on May 3, 1899, with the removal of existing structures. That month, the Andrews estate received a mortgage of £144,500 from the Scottish Provident Institution, of Edinburgh. The Real Estate Record and Guide also reported the same month that the Andrews estate had sold the lot to a syndicate composed of Gilbert and the Fuller Company. Excavation took more than months because of the need to underpin surrounding structures. The building's steel columns were in place by October 1, 1899.
  After the foundation work was completed, the steel structure was constructed to the 2nd floor by October 6, then to the 7th floor by November 9, to the 17th floor by December 7, and to the roof by December 31. The masonry was installed simultaneously, reaching the 12th floor by December 31, 1899, and the cornice by February 1, 1900. Work proceeded in spite of several difficulties, such as the lack of heat in January, as well as the fact that the building's woodwork and rooftop copper had been burned at the wood mill in 1899. Several companies collaborated to create an exhibit about the construction of the building at the Paris Exposition of 1900. For the Paris Exposition, two models were built at 1:24 scale, one in plaster and the other in metal; both models stood about 11 feet (3.4 m) high. Purdy & Hutchinson built the plaster model for $1,000, while H. C. Hincliff built the metal model for $3,000. Gilbert received a medal from the Paris Exposition, addressed solely to "Monsieur Broadway-Chambers, Etats-Unis".
caption: Top stories
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