York and Sawyer
The architectural firm of York and Sawyer produced many outstanding structures, exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York (1863–1928) and Philip Sawyer (1868–1949) had both trained in the office of McKim, Mead, and White. In 1898, they established their independent firm, based in New York City.
Their structure for the New-York Historical Society (1908) was extended in 1938 by Walker & Gillette. 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 drawings by York and Sawyer are held in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives at Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University in New York City.
Works
- Rockefeller Hall of Vassar College (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. Rockefeller.[1]
- Riggs National Bank (1899) on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
- Egbert Starr Library (1900, enlarged 1927) of Middlebury College, now called the Axinn Center at Starr Library[2]
- Swift Hall (1900, remodeled 1941) of Vassar College [3]
- New England Hall (1901, enlarged 1919, renovated 2001) of Vassar College[4]
- The Chemist's Club, 52 East 41st Street, New York City (1903; adapted as the Dylan Hotel in 2000)
- American Security and Trust Company Building (1905) on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
- New-York Historical Society (1908, enlarged by Walker & Gillette in 1938)
- Metcalf House (1915) of Vassar College [3]
- Pratt House (1916) of Vassar College [5]
- Brooklyn Trust Company (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 Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- The Law Quadrangle at 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 York (1919-1924) on Maiden Lane in the Financial District: a suavely rusticated Florentine palazzo with a machiolated cornice
- Central Savings Bank (1926–28, now Apple Bank for Savings) on Broadway and 73rd Street, in Manhattan's Upper West Side; a coffered barrel-vault spans the banking hall; ironwork by Samuel Yellin
- Bowery Savings Bank (1921-1923) on East 42d Street, running the full depth of the block; Italian Romanesque revival with vaults of Guastavino tile.
- Greenwich Savings Bank (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 (1920), which incorporated a monumental banking hall into an office block, and the 22-storey Old Royal Bank Building, Montreal, now the Royal Bank building (1926–1928), the tallest building in the British Empire when it was completed.
Associate architects and partners
References
- Notes
- ^ Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p. 70-71
- ^ http://midddigital.middlebury.edu/walking_history/college_campus/page_2.html
- ^ a b Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.113
- ^ Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.138
- ^ Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.102
- ^ Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.59
- ^ Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. “Vassar College: An Architectural Tour.” The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.88-101
- ^ gsa.gov
- Bibliography
- Kathryn Horste, 1997 The Michigan Law Quadrangle: Architecture and Origins (University of Michigan)
External links