Midtown West in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
130 West 57th Street
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 4, 2009
1. 130 West 57th Street Marker
Inscription.
130 West 57th Street. . Constructed as a cooperative for artists in 1907, 130 West 57th Street was designed by the firm of Pollard and Steinman. This landmark is a rare surviving example of studio building architecture and a reminder of the early 20th Century when West 57th was a center of artistic activity. The double height studios combined spacious living and working space in grand style. The projecting bay windows set in geometrically ornamented cast iron frames, bring in the north light so prized by artists. Prominent cultural figures who lived and worked here include writer and editor William Dean Howells, architect John Meade Howells, actor Jose Ferrer, and painters Childe Hassam and Irving Wiles. Both painters included architectural details of the building in their works.,
New York Landmarks Preservation Committee , 2000.
Constructed as a cooperative for artists in 1907, 130 West 57th Street was designed by the firm of Pollard and Steinman. This landmark is a rare surviving example of studio building architecture and a reminder of the early 20th Century when West 57th was a center of artistic activity. The double height studios combined spacious living and working space in grand style. The projecting bay windows set in geometrically ornamented cast iron frames, bring in the north light so prized by artists. Prominent cultural figures who lived and worked here include writer and editor William Dean Howells, architect John Meade Howells, actor Jose Ferrer, and painters Childe Hassam and Irving Wiles. Both painters included architectural details of the building in their works.
New York Landmarks Preservation Committee
2000
Erected 2000 by New York Landmarks Preservation Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 40° 45.89′ N, 73° 58.718′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Midtown West. It is on
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West 57th Street near 7th Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 130 West 57th Street, New York NY 10019, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 4, 2009
2. 130 West 57th Street - Wide Shot Showing Entryway and Marker
the 1999 Landmarks Preservation Commission designation: "...among its important qualities, the 130 West 57 Street Studio Building, constructed in 1907-08, is a rare surviving example of an artists studio building incorporating both living and working space in large, double-height rooms; that it was designed by the New York architectural firm of Pollard & Steinam which had pioneered this type of building on West 67 Street in Manhattan; that it was constructed on West 57 Street at a time when that area was rich with buildings and organizations which supported and promoted artistic endeavors; that, while studio buildings were developed as a response to an acknowledged need for accommodations for working artists, they were also popular among middle and upper-class non-artist residents because of the luxurious amount of living space they provided; that co-operative buildings were developed in the late nineteenth century and gained popularity in the early years of the twentieth century for their financial advantages and also for the exclusivity they allowed among their owners; that the cooperative financial organization, as well as design
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 4, 2009
3. Closeup of Bay Windows Set in Ornamented Cast Iron Frames
On the south side of the street, with double-height windows, the front studios receive a northern light.
elements on this studio building followed the example set on the West 67 Street artists buildings, since several of the same people had been involved in the earlier buildings; that the double-height rooms with projecting windows provided spacious areas for visual artists to work, with large amounts of north light; that this building has been home to numerous well-known artists, including painter Childe Hassam, writer William Dean Howells, and architect John Mead Howells; that its geometrically-ornamented, projecting window bays and broad overhanging cornice give it a distinctive presence on the wide and busy thoroughfare of 57 Street."
The building is listed in the "AIA (American Institute of Architects) Guide to New York City, Fifth Edition".
Also see . . . MY MANHATTAN; Life Is an Art On 57th Street. Sandee Brawarsky's 2002 New York Times article on the artistic and cultural attractions of 57th Street. (Submitted on September 10, 2009.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 4, 2009
4. 130 West 57th Street
From the Landmarks Preservation Commission designation: In 1907, four lots on 57 Street were purchased by Robert Vonnoh, a painter who was living at 27 West 67 Street .. The four and five story masonry buildings on the site were torn down. A new building application was filed at the Department of Buildings in September, 1907, for a “high-class elevator apartment house.” Construction, by the William J. Taylor Co-Operative Building Company, was completed in October, 1908.
Source: Wikipedia.org
5. Flags on 57th Street by Childe Hassam, 1918
A view of 57th Street as painted by Childe Hassam, almost certainly as seen from his studio looking east towards what is now the Avenue of the Americas.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2009, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 1,930 times since then and 119 times this year. Last updated on March 12, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 9, 2009, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 4, 5. submitted on September 10, 2009, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
