Corbin Building

The Corbin Building is a historic office building located at 13 John Street at the corner of Broadway – where it is numbered as 192 – in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1888-89 and was designed by Francis H. Kimball in the Romanesque Revival style[1] with French Gothic detailing.[3] The building was named for Austin Corbin, a president of the Long Island Rail Road who also founded several banks.[3] It was built as a speculative venture for use as office space or housing.[3]

Corbin Building
(2013)
Corbin Building
Corbin Building
Corbin Building
Location13 John Street[1]
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°42′36″N 74°0′34″W
Built1888-89
ArchitectFrancis H. Kimball
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival[1]
NRHP reference No.03001302[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 2003
Designated NYCLJune 23, 2015

The building has a brick, brownstone and terra cotta polychromy exterior featuring rounded arches with terra cotta detailing – Kimball was noted for his innovative use of terra cotta[3] – and 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.[3]

The Corbin Building was significantly taller than others around at the time it was built.[3] It was reported to be the tallest commercial building in New York City at the time of its completion,[4] but both the Tribune and Western Union buildings of 1873 far exceeded the Corbin Building's height, at 260 and 230 feet (79 and 70 m), respectively.[5]

The building was rehabilitated by the MTA as part of its Fulton Center project that opened on November 10, 2014. The ground and basement levels of the building were incorporated into the Fulton Center and serve as an entrance to the subway station below. The exterior and interior of the building were restored to resemble its original 19th-century construction as closely as possible.[6] A total of 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of commercial office space in the above ground levels of the building will be leased out.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 2003, and designated a New York City Landmark on June 23, 2015.[3]

  • Details

See also
  • List of New York City Landmarks
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York

References

Notes

  1. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot & Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. Kurshan, Virginia (June 23, 2015) Corbin Building Designation Report, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
  4. Historic Building Preservation - Proposed Description of Work
  5. Gray, Christopher. (November 24, 1991) "Streetscapes: The 1881 Schepp Building; The Coconut King's Beheaded Factory" The New York Times
  6. Shapiro. Julie. (March 5–11, 2010) "A peek inside Corbin as subway construction proceeds" Archived 2017-03-19 at the Wayback Machine Downtown Express


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