Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building

Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
State Office Building
(2013)
General information
Status Complete
Type Government Offices
Location 163 West 125th Street, Manhattan, New York, U.S. 10027
Coordinates 40°48′33″N 73°56′51″W / 40.80923°N 73.94746°W / 40.80923; -73.94746Coordinates: 40°48′33″N 73°56′51″W / 40.80923°N 73.94746°W / 40.80923; -73.94746
Construction started 1967
Completed 1973[1]
Opening 1974
Renovated 2014
Cost 36 million dollars (1974)
Owner State of New York
Management Office of General Services
Technical details
Floor count 19[2]
Floor area 260,000 square feet (24,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators 9
Design and construction
Architect Ifill Johnson Hanchard[1]
Main contractor Trans Urban Construction Co. Inc, and Lasker-Goldman Corporation
Awards and prizes New York State Award for Excellence

The Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building, originally the Harlem State Office Building, is a nineteen-story, high-rise office building located at 163 West 125th Street at the corner of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after Adam Clayton Powell Jr, the first African-American elected to Congress from New York. It was designed by the African-American architecture firm of Ifill Johnson Hanchard in the shape of an African mask in the Brutalist Architecture style. It is the tallest building in Harlem, overtaking the nearby Hotel Theresa.[3]

History

The building was proposed in 1966 by then-Governor of New York State, Nelson Rockefeller, as the beginning of development to turn Harlem into a "truly viable community".[4] Ground was broken in 1967 with the demolition of a Corn Exchange Bank building.[5] In 1969 work was halted on the project as a result of demonstrators objecting to the racial makeup of the construction workforce and the intended purpose of the facility.[6][7] By mid-1970 the dispute was resolved and work resumed on the site.[8]

The building was completed in 1973[1] and was initially known as the Harlem State Office Building.[9] While the building was criticized for lacking basic requirements such as a building manager and fire equipment, in 1978 the location hosted Harlem's first giant Christmas tree.[10][11][12]

In 1983 the building was renamed the "Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building" after the former U.S. Representative, the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who had died in 1972.[13] In 1994 the building was threatened with closure due to budget cuts; however, it remained open.[14]

Over the years, the building has been criticized as a "killer building" from the urban renewal movement of the 1960s that "disfigured" the neighborhood,[15] and as an example of mediocre government architecture.[16] However, others have embraced it as helping to focus the community's efforts in future development battles.[17]

In 2006, the Harlem Community Development Corporation partnered with the New York State Office of General Services to propose a redesign of the African Square that the building occupies.[18]

  • Five minutes into the FX drama television series Rescue Me, Episode 1 Season 7 "Butterfly", the episode is filmed inside the lobby of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building.

See also

  • New York City portal

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot & Leadon, Fran (2010), AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.), New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195383867 , p.529
  2. ↑ "Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building". Emporis.com. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  3. ↑ Garland, Phyl (March 1990). "I remember Adam". Ebony. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  4. ↑ Hofmann, Paul (1966-12-07). "State Office Site Picked in Harlem". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  5. ↑ Gasberg, Martin (1967-06-08). "Governor Flunks Test as Wrecker". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 50. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Thomas A. (1969-12-15). "Harlem Rejects 2 Building Plans". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  7. ↑ Kihss, Peter (1969-09-22). "Governor Calls for Start On Harlem Office Building". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  8. ↑ Hunter, Charlayne (1970-04-16). "Harlem Building Fight Ebbs". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 43. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  9. ↑ Hunter, Charlayne (1974-05-21). "State Office B building in Harlem Is Dedicated". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 85. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  10. ↑ Hunter, Charlayne (1974-09-19). "New State Edifice is all but Empty". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 40. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  11. ↑ Hunter, Charlayne (1975-04-21). "Harlem Office Building Still in Chaos". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. 33. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  12. ↑ Asbury, Edith Evans (1978-12-15). "A Tree Comes to Harlem; Harlem Gets Its First Giant Christmas Tree Lights Burning All Over". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. B1. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  13. ↑ Johnston, Laurie; Susan Heller Anderson (1983-07-20). "Name Change to Honor A Harlem Hero". The New York Times. ProQuest. p. B3. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  14. ↑ Connors, Cathy (1994-12-31). "Powell State Office Building to be Sold or Closed?". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  15. ↑ "Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building". Hall of Shame. Project for Public Spaces. 2009. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  16. ↑ Dunlap, David W. (2008-11-05). "History Finally Finds the State Office Building on 125th Street". The New York Times. p. A28. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Monique M. (2002). Harlem between heaven and hell. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4052-2.
  18. ↑ Columbia University Urban Technical Assistance Project (Fall 2006). "African Square at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building". Harlem Community Development Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
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