York and Sawyer
Encyclopedia
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
. In 1898, they established their independent firm, based in New York City.
Their structure for the New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
(1908) was extended in 1938 by Walker & Gillette
Walker & Gillette
Walker & Gillette was an architectural firm based in New York City, the partnership of A. Stewart Walker and Leon N. Gillette , active from 1906 through 1945.- Biography :...
. Their ability to organize, separate and coordinate mixed uses in a building is exemplified by their massive New York Athletic Club.
York and Sawyer became known as specialists in the design of banks and hospitals. Their palatial Renaissance and classical bank buildings express the reassuring stability and awe-inspiring splendor the institutions wished to project. In each typical case a spectacular banking hall was the public space, often integrated within an office building. Original architectural drawing
Architectural drawing
An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building that falls within the definition of architecture...
s by York and Sawyer are held in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives at Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is one of twenty-five libraries in the Columbia University Library System and is located in Avery Hall on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the City of New York. It is the largest architecture library in the world...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City.
Works
- Rockefeller Hall of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
(1897, later enlarged and renovated in 1916 and 1940), the first building of Vassar College used exclusively for academic purposes. It was funded by a $100,000 donation from John D. RockefellerJohn D. RockefellerJohn Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
. - Riggs National BankRiggs BankRiggs Bank was a Washington, D.C.-based commercial bank with branches located in the surrounding metropolitan area and offices around the world. For most of its history, it was the largest bank in the nation's capital. Riggs had been controlled by the Albritton family since the 1980s, but they lost...
(1899) on Pennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania AvenuePennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... - Egbert Starr Library (1900, enlarged 1927) of Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury CollegeMiddlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, now called the Axinn Center at Starr Library - Swift Hall (1900, remodeled 1941) of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
- New England Hall (1901, enlarged 1919, renovated 2001) of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
- The Chemist's Club, 52 East 41st Street, New York City (1903; adapted as the Dylan Hotel in 2000)
- American Security and Trust Company BuildingAmerican Security and Trust Company BuildingThe American Security and Trust Company Building is a Neoclassical bank office designed by the architectural firm of York and Sawyer. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.-Design:...
(1905) on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. - New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical SocietyThe New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
(1908, enlarged by Walker & GilletteWalker & GilletteWalker & Gillette was an architectural firm based in New York City, the partnership of A. Stewart Walker and Leon N. Gillette , active from 1906 through 1945.- Biography :...
in 1938) - Metcalf House (1915) of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
- Pratt House (1916) of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
- Brooklyn Trust CompanyBrooklyn Trust CompanyThe Brooklyn Trust Company was a New York City bank.The company was chartered in 1866. In 1873 it had difficulties resulting in a brief suspension of operations. Between 1913 and 1930 the company acquired five other banks through mergers. The company merged into the Manufacturers Trust Company on...
(1913-1916) on the corner of Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn Heights - The Martha Cook Building (1915); a Collegiate Gothic women's dormitory at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010... - The Law QuadrangleUniversity of Michigan Law SchoolThe University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. - U.S. Assay Office Building, Financial District, New York City (1919); a Roman Renaissance palazzo, complementing the former Customs House adjacent to it, topped with a severe limestone-faced office block
- 33 Liberty Street, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York33 Liberty Street33 Liberty Street is the current home of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It is located in downtown Manhattan in New York City, New York State, USA. Built in 1924, it is where the monetary policy of the United States is executed by trading dollars and United States Treasuries...
(1919-1924) on Maiden Lane in the Financial DistrictFinancial District, ManhattanThe Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
: a suavely rusticated Florentine palazzo with a machiolated cornice - Central Savings Bank (1926–28, now Apple Bank for SavingsApple Bank for SavingsThe Apple Bank for Savings provides private and commercial banking services to the greater New York City area. It is the 4th largest New York-based bank and has 50 branches in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, as well as Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau counties...
) on Broadway and 73rd Street, in Manhattan's Upper West SideUpper West SideThe Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
; a coffered barrel-vault spans the banking hall; ironwork by Samuel YellinSamuel YellinSamuel Yellin , American master blacksmith, was born in Galicia Poland where at the age of eleven he was apprenticed to an iron master. By the age of sixteen he had completed his apprenticeship. During that period he gained the nickname of "Devil," both for his work habits and his sense of humor... - Bowery Savings BankBowery Savings BankThe Bowery Savings Bank of New York City was chartered in May 1834 and is now part of Capital One Bank.-History:Opened in 1834 on the Bowery in NYC. By 1980 it had over 35 branches located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. When bank deregulation was enacted the bank...
(1921-1923) on East 42d Street, running the full depth of the block; Italian Romanesque revival with vaults of Guastavino tileGuastavino tileGuastavino tile is the "Tile Arch System" patented in the US in 1885 by Valencian architect and builder Rafael Guastavino...
. - Greenwich Savings BankGreenwich Savings BankGreenwich Savings Bank was an American savings bank based in New York City that operated from 1833 to 1981. At the time of its closure in 1981, it was the 16th largest bank in the U.S. by total deposits.-Charter:...
(1922–24) on Broadway and 36th Street, now the Haier Building.
Their New York banks won them the commission for 15 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
(1920), which incorporated a monumental banking hall into an office block, and the 22-storey Old Royal Bank Building, Montreal
Old Royal Bank Building, Montreal
Tour de la Banque Royale is a skyscraper at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montréal, Quebec. The 22-storey neo-classical tower was designed by the firm of York and Sawyer, and was the tallest building in the British Empire, and the first building in city taller than Montréal's Notre-Dame Basilica...
, now the Royal Bank building (1926–1928), the tallest building in the British Empire when it was completed.
- Pershing Square BuildingPershing Square BuildingThe Pershing Square Building is a 24-story office tower built in 1923 at Pershing Square, Park Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. The addresses are 100 East 42nd Street, 125 Park Avenue....
, New York City (1923) - 860 Park Avenue, New York City (1925)
- Kendrick House (1927) of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
- Old Royal Bank Building, MontrealOld Royal Bank Building, MontrealTour de la Banque Royale is a skyscraper at 360 Saint-Jacques Street in Montréal, Quebec. The 22-storey neo-classical tower was designed by the firm of York and Sawyer, and was the tallest building in the British Empire, and the first building in city taller than Montréal's Notre-Dame Basilica...
(1926-1928) - The Buenos Aires branch of the First Nacional Bank of Boston (1928) built by Paul Chambers & Louis Thomas
- Blodgett Hall of Euthenics of Vassar CollegeVassar CollegeVassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
(1928, englarged 1998) - Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1938)
- Herbert C. Hoover BuildingHerbert C. Hoover BuildingThe Herbert C. Hoover Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Commerce.The building is located at 1401 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., on the block bounded by Constitution Avenue NW to the south, Pennsylvania Avenue NW to the north, 15th...
, headquarters of the United States Department of Commerce, in Federal Triangle, Washington DC (completed 1932) Named in 1981 after former President HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
.
Associate architects and partners
- Louis Ayres (Partner)Louis AyresWilliam Louis Ayres , better known by his professional name Louis Ayres, was an American architect who was one of the most prominent designers of monuments, memorials, and buildings in the nation in the early part of the 20th century...
- Frederick Staples BenedictFrederick Staples BenedictFrederick Staples Benedict was an American architect.For more than thirty years he was a partner in the firm of York and Sawyer. He was a graduate of Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning...
External links
- New York Architecture Images: York and Sawyer
- Emporis.com: York and Sawyer: a partial listing of New York structures
- Martha Cook Alumnae Association website
- Canadian (Imperial) Bank of Commerce