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| photo Architectural Studies May 1899 (copyright expired) |
On March 17, 1894 the Real Estate Record
& Builders’ Guide reported that the old buildings on William Street, from
Liberty Street to Maiden Lane would be demolished beginning May 1. One of the buildings on the site was called
the Wolfe Building; named for the family who had owned the land for a century and
a half.
Now the estate of John Wolfe had commissioned
respected architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, who had recently completed the
hulking Waldorf Hotel, to design the new office building. Hardenbergh was given the task of creating a
12-story structure on a rather thin plot of land—essentially what would later
be termed a “sliver building.” He drew
his inspiration from the site—a section of what had once been New Amsterdam.
The Record and Guide reported “The materials
to be used are Baltimore brick and terra cotta, and the style of architecture
the ‘Dutch.’” Hardenbergh had
submitted a sketch to the Architectural League of New York three months
earlier which depicted the skyscraper towering over the surrounding
structures.
The thin brick and stone structure featured all the elements expected in an Amsterdam guild hall—ornate
stepped gables and dormers, carved ornamentation and the stark contrast of red
brick and white stone—stretched to towering proportions. In January 1895 The Brickbuilder commented “here at the corner of Maiden Lane and
William Street, on a lot only about twenty-five by seventy-five feet, at a
guess, a really picturesque building, the John Wolfe Building, has been built…Twelve
stories, all of red brick, and a great abundance of stone trimmings throughout,
quoins, voussoirs, beltcourses, colonnettes, copings, towering upward with
crownstepped gables and dormers, and balconies and bays; all most skillfully
and logically worked out.”
Architectural Studies wrote “This building…has
the merit, very unusual in a modern city building, of being picturesque in a
thoroughly intelligent way.” The critic
added “It is interesting to see how this awkward shape of the ground was
overcome and used to beautify the design.”
The John Wolfe
Building was named in honor of the recently deceased hardware merchant. The family’s wealth was reflected in son
Christopher’s inheritance which included, according to The New York Times “his vast
estates in the Thousand Islands” and Manhattan real estate.
The Brickbuilder applauded Hardenbergh’s “successive
retreating steps where the stories set back,” explaining that he successfully
relieved the box-like appearance of such a tall structure. “There is not a better studied piece of
design in New York, nor one that shows better results.”
The John Wolfe Building sat squarely in the
midst of the fire insurance district and, indeed, related firms moved in—like the
Globe Fire Insurance Company which was here by 1897. But a surprising number of construction-related
companies took space here--like the
Johnwhit Metal Company which moved from No. 62 William Street to the Wolfe
Building in 1896.
In 1898 there were at least three cement and
cement-related firms in the building. The
January 6 issue of Engineering News-Record ran advertisements for the Standard
Silica Cement Co.; George M. Newcomer, Porland cement sales agent; and for F.
L. Smidth & Co., “designers and builders of cement works” and “dealers in
cement-manufacturing machinery.” By
1901 at least two others would join them—Charles Warner Company, manufactures
of lime products; and Curtin & Ver Valen, cement dealers.
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| Two of the building's cement-related firms were Standard Silica Cement and F. L. Smidth & Co. (top, Real Estate Record & Guide, 1902; bottom, Directory of American Cement Industries, 1901 copyrights expired) |
Both William and Liberty Streets ran
downhill. Loose wagons posed a potential
problem for the brick façade of the John Wolfe Building. On February 13, 1901 the City Council gave
the John Wolfe estate permission “to erect at its own expense, on the line of
the curb on the east side of William street, north of and near Liberty street,
two iron posts to protect the John Wolfe Building from damage from vehicles in
consequent of the steep incline of William and Liberty streets approaching that
point.” They would be an early example
of the protective bollards that sprout throughout the city in front of major buildings
today.
In 1904 the Wolfe family offered the building
at auction. The Real Estate Record &
Guide noted “This is a very unusual opportunity, as the building is in the
midst of the financial district, in one of the choicest business locations in
the city.”
At noon on March 30 it was sold to Lorena R.
Jones for $325,000 (about $8.75 million today).
The New York Times noted she “is said to have made the purchase in the
interest of a syndicate which has also secured options on the remaining parcels
in the block.” If the group of investors
intended to demolished the John Wolfe Building in order to erect a massive,
block-encompassing structure, it was not to be.
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| In 1903 the building was still the tallest in the district - King's Photographic Views of New York City (copyright expired) |
As a matter of fact, on March 11, 1906 The
Times opined “The Wolfe Building…bought at auction by its present owners two
years ago for $325,000, is said to be beyond the reach of any scheme for the
improvement of the entire block. Ten
[sic] stories in height and built only twelve or fifteen years ago, it falls
within the category of those structures which are not modern in the light of
present-day standards, yet which are not old enough to be consigned to the scrap
heap.”
In 1910 the syndicate of owners was in
financial trouble and foreclosure resulted in another auction sale on April
20. Shocking to the Wolfe family, no
doubt, was the headline in The New York Times the following day. “No Bids for Wolfe Building.”
The property was offered at auction again in
May, and again on January 27, 1911.
Surprisingly, the Wolfe heirs purchased the building for $251,000; then
resold it within the week to the Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance
Company. “The new owner, it is
understood, pays a substantial advance,” said The Times.
The insurance company prepared plans for “extensive
improvements” and issued evacuation orders to the tenants. In October 1911 the firm announced it would
take over all 12 floors and “the building will be renamed.”
George H. McFalls was one of the firm’s
employees. The wealthy broker was
married with three children and lived in Brooklyn. A member of the Gravesend Yacht Club, he took
his 35-foot cruiser, the Vera onto
the Great South Bay off Bellport, Long Island, on August 14, 1912. With him were his 16-year old daughter
Marion, and 4-year old Geraldine. It was
their last day of vacation.
While a few miles offshore from Amityville,
the Vera broke down. After trying for at least an hour to fix the
engine, McFalls signaled a passing motorboat for a tow. The 22-foot launch, the Pan, tossed a line and began towing the craft to land.
George McFalls went back below deck to
continue fiddling with the engine.
Marion was standing up watching the approaching shoreline when a sudden
jerk on the tow line caused her to lose her balance and fall overboard. Her father heard her screams and hurriedly
launched a small rowboat. The attention
of men in the motorboat was focused ahead and they did not notice the impending
tragedy.
As McFalls desperately rowed toward Marion,
she sank below the waves twice. It was
impossible to grab her and pull her into the boat, so he jumped into the
water. The Times reported “He reached
her as she was sinking again. She locked
her arms about his neck in a death grip, making it almost impossible for him to
swim.”
The motorboat had nearly reached shore when
its occupants finally heard little Geraldine’s calls. “Far behind them they saw the empty rowboat
and the two figures struggling in the water.”
Although the boaters attempted to return in time to rescue the pair,
they were too late.
“They circled round as rapidly as it could be
done,” said the newspaper, “but while they were speeding back they saw that the
father’s strength was gone, and while they were still a long distance away
father and daughter, locked in each other’s arms, disappeared from sight.”
The men attempted to find the bodies for half
an hour and finally gave up. Geraldine’s
uncle, S. J. McFalls, came by automobile from Brooklyn to take her home.
As the century progressed and the Wolfe Building
was diminished by taller modern skyscrapers, it managed to survive. The building continued to house insurance and
banking offices well into the second half of the century. Then on April 4, 1973 the massive World Trade
Center towers were opened. The event
would signal the end of the line for the John Wolfe Building.
A project to widen the downtown streets to
improve traffic flow to the towers meant the demolition of some structures—including
the Wolfe Building. The Landmarks
Preservation Commission had been created in 1965; but its focus at the time was
on more obvious structures. Although
protests were raised by certain groups and individuals, Hardenbergh’s
remarkable Dutch skyscraper was demolished in 1974.
Today the Louise Nevelson Plaza sits on a
section of the left-over land.
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