page_title: Corbin Building
section_title: Construction and early use
hierarchical_section_title: Corbin Building / History / Construction and early use
caption_attribution_description: MTA Capital Construction is building the Fulton Center, which will serve as an essential transportation and retail hub in Lower Manhattan, providing a seamless transfer for passengers connecting to the A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4 and 5 subway lines and connections to the E, R and 1 lines. This photo shows an update on the status of construction as of March 5, 2013. The project includes a meticulous restoration of the historic Corbin Building, at the northeast corner of John Street and Broadway. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
context_page_description: The Corbin Building is a historic office building at the northeast corner of John Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It was built in 1888–1889 as a speculative development and was designed by Francis H. Kimball in the Romanesque Revival style with French Gothic detailing. The building was named for Austin Corbin, a president of the Long Island Rail Road who also founded several banks.
  The Corbin Building has a polychrome exterior of brick, brownstone and terracotta featuring rounded arches with terracotta detailing, while its interior vaulted ceilings employ a Guastavino tile system. Structurally, it preceded the use of steel skeletons for skyscrapers, utilizing cast-iron beams and masonry walls that were load-bearing. The Corbin Building sits on a narrow trapezoidal lot with 160 feet of frontage on John Street and 20 feet on Broadway. The Corbin Building was significantly taller than others around at the time it was built.
  The Corbin Building was erected as a speculative venture for use as office space or housing.
context_section_description: Corbin wished to design a building on the property, which would house his banking firm, with extra space left over for him to rent out. Stephen Decatur Hatch was listed as the original designer, but he is not known to have any connection with the final design. Francis H. Kimball was ultimately responsible for the final design. Kimball's design for the Corbin Building was influenced by his previous experience in the usage of terracotta decorative elements, such as at the Casino Theatre. Intended as a speculative development, the Corbin Building was erected within 11 months between 1888 and 1889.
  Corbin's company, the Corbin Banking Company, leased space in the building until it went bankrupt in 1907. The Corbin Building Company subsequently sold the building in 1908 to the Chatham National Bank of New York; at the time, the land was still held by the Dutch Reformed Church. Chatham National was a long-term lessee of the ground-floor space. The Corbin Building Company apparently became a Chatham National subsidiary, and in 1925, the Schulte Cigar Stores Company bought the building and land lease from the Corbin Building Company. In 1937, jeweler Herman A. Groen leased the corner space from the Dutch Reformed Church.
caption: Interior during 2013 restoration
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