The beginning of the twentieth
century, a one-of-a-kind tower rose above the skyline of New
York City, a total masterpiece of architecture and engineering
unlike anything seen before. Some even when as far as
comparing this great property to the Egyptian pyramids, not
only would this be the tallest building in the world but it
would also exhibit futuristic technology. So, why might you
ask? Is this a tale of urban decay? Well, because the marvel
was demolished in 1968 and replaced by a total monstrosity
and despite photographs of its greatness, the legacy has been
nearly forgotten. This is the story of Singer Tower. I'm your
host Ryan Socash and you're watching It's History. Have a look at New York City's
North River in sixteen seventy-nine. This is the first
known graphic documentation of the area and if we focus on the
lots, we'll see a pasture that belonged to John Haberting
which was sold in 1722 for only $600 but beyond it, off in the
horizon, you'll notice a massive cross. This is the
exact location where the world's tallest building would
be erected over 200 years later. At the turn of The
Singer Manufacturing Company needed to expand their
Manhattan office to accommodate a rapidly growing workforce. In
the process, this American manufacturer of sewing machines
was also going to make a big gesture. Located in the
financial district on the corner of Liberty Street in
Broadway in Lower Manhattan. Land values had reached a
phenomenal high. So, a trend to build into the sky was
mounting. Hence, Frederick Gilbert Bourne, an American
businessman and the fifth President of the Singer
manufacturing company between 1889 and 1905 commissioned the
construction of his new tower with earnest flag as head
architect and designer. On September the nineteenth
nineteen oh six, the work began by running a steam line from
the old building for the operation of air compressors
needed for the sinking of foundation caseons. Cranes with
seventy-five foot masks and a capacity forty tons were also
set up. This project will difficult from the start as the
building foundation went far below the water line. Men were
required to work in pressurized environments which was a new
and very dangerous technology. Another extreme difficulty was
the lack of space as the construction site was on one of
the most congested parts of the city. At street level, the crew
had less than 100 feet of space to work within. So a solution
to have a constant two-truck rotation of material coming in
or waste going out as well as having parts pre-assembled off
site when possible. These measures helped synergize the
operation. One of the more complicated shipments was for
the ribs of the dome which were awkwardly shaped and rose to
great heights. The sheer amount of material was amazing. For
example, the brick face required delivery of over 5
million bricks so people below watched with great curiosity.
The concept for the building incorporated parts of Bozart
and second empire style. No expense was spared in providing
every modern device for comfort and convenience and the safety
of the tenants. What's more, the design called for the tower
to be set far back from street line so that the executive
offices on the thirty-third through fortieth floor would
have nearly zero noise pollution or dust. Not to
mention, a magnificent view. The technological amenities
went far beyond luxurious and were controlled below ground in
the engineering room by a massive staff. The building was
so complex that it basically required an operation
comparable to that of a ship crew to run what was one of the
most complex engineering rooms in the city. For starters, the
engine room contained the building's very own power
plant. Providing current to nearly 4,000 outlets and grand
lobby lighting set to offer a daylight effect at night.
Furthermore, the exterior was illuminated by 3018 inch
projectors designed by electric. The power plant
consisted of five units with the capacity of 1.4000
kilowatts. Another room was solely dedicated to the
disposal of paper waste with the use of a gigantic press.
Paper could be disposed of to this point by various shoots
throughout the tower. There were also vacuum pumps to power
the centralized vacuum system with outlets in each office.
Although this was not the first time such a system was
installed. The Singer Building had vacuum service 24/7 which
was unique. Obviously, the entire building was outfitted
with central heat so the furnace chambers were
sprawling. Every suit had its own thermostat so that tenants
could adjust the temperature as needed. 1.2000 in total.
However, this part of luxury probably came at a serious
environmental cost from today's perspective as heating the
building when the temperature was below zero consumed two
tons of per hour. Now, take it off topic here but if this was
just the coal required for the heating, imagine how much the
power plant might have consumed and now, imagine that every
other building in the city was also burning solids. But don't
worry because these numbers are only alarming from today's
perspective. In nineteen oh eight, when the building was
finished, it was considered to be highly efficient and
environmentally friendly and the news only gets better
because if you were to be inside of the Singer Tower, you
were breathing centralized filtered air. The air quality
was also taken care of by the engineers. For starters, all
toilets were ventilated into shafts by means of electric
fans. So-called room air was washed, cleansed, and
humidified in the building's spray chambers and eliminator.
Basically, air would pass through four sheets of water to
remove dust and in the summer time create a cooling effect.
Moving on, there was a refrigeration plan for the
cooling of drinking water used throughout the building. Sinks
were fitted with push-button taps delivering a choice of
hot, cold, and icy water. But not before running through a
filtration plant to ensure the best quality. Water pressure
was also an issue as the building soared to never before
seen heights. This was solved by massive pumps that sent
water up to various holding tanks harnessing gravity to do
the rest. There was also an entire secondary system of
pumps and tanks for the New York City Fire Department. In
total, there were about 750 plumbing fixtures and when
looking at this chart, you'll notice that the water works go
practically up to the lantern. Speaking of the lantern, this
is probably my favorite feature of the building. Let's start
with the flagpole that extended sixty-two feet above the
lantern beneath it which would have been 612 feet above
Broadway And because architects realized that it would be
taking frequent lightning hits, they utilized a quality iron as
opposed to a custom air wooden mass. The pole sink into the
lower floor of the lantern and was extremely difficult to
erect requiring immaculate precision. The lantern itself
was deceptive as it seemed small from street level. An
illusion of scale. In reality this part of the tower alone
would have been the size of a five story building. To reach
the lantern, you would have taken elevator number six to
the fortieth floor and from there, follow a path of ladders
and steep open stairs before reaching the highest attic in
the world. You would have then opened a small trap door and
found yourself on a small platform 600 feet above New
York City. This was the place where the singer flag would be
raised and lowered. Below the lantern was the dome with an
observation deck and executive suites. According to records,
this was the most dangerous aspect of construction as the
job involved mystifying heights, steep angles, and no
footholds. There was also the risk of simply being blown away
by a gust of wind. Furthermore, this part of the building was
extra distinguished by the masonry cut stonework which
included over 4 million pounds of limestone above the
thirty-third floor. Obviously, this was also an impractical
height for such a heavy material. This part of the
tower is where the observation deck was located and where the
company directors enjoyed the entire thirty-fourth floor
furnished with mahogany furniture. The electric clock
system was also a feed of engineering known as the
magneta electric clock system. A series of batteries and
contact points controlled time throughout the entire building
as governed by one master clock which wound itself
automatically. The master clock kept time for all other clocks
with an independent network of wires which were fully
insulated by a heavy rubber to avoid interference to the time
keeping by other currents. The engineering room contained a
massive telephone switchboard which allowed for calls to be
placed outside the building as well as internally. The
internal network could even access the towers bank of
high-speed elevators. The Otis electric company had set up its
elevator plant on the fortieth floor Enabling visitors to
reach amazing heights on a single ride. The car capacity
was 2,500 pounds at 600 feet per minute with a freight
capacity of 5,000 pounds but at a much slower speed. The
elevator cars had safety locks for loading and unloading as
well as safety mechanisms to prevent free fall. These
elevators were high tech running on a system using
electric light signals. The chief engineer had an indicator
board displaying the given location of all cars at any
given time. Visitors were also amazed by the new technology of
automatic doors. Sadly, in the building's first few months,
the elevators were involved in at least two deaths. A painter
was decapitated while a plumber's assistant was crushed
between the elevator cab and a shaft. The singer building also
had a massive vault setting records for the time. The tower
was officially completed in 1908 and oh to the public
surpassing Philadelphia City Hall building in terms of being
the tallest building in the world. The building soon became
a symbol of Manhattan especially at night when the
floodlet tower stood out. It remained the tallest building
in the world until the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company Tower was completed a year later. Located at 24th
street in Madison Avenue also in New York City. Lucky for
them, their masterpiece still stands. By not the hype had
cooled down and the first signs that the singer flag might not
fly above New York City forever appeared when the building was
listed for sale at 10 million dollars. 4 years later, a deal
with utility power and light corporation was made for the
acquisition of the property. Although an agreement involving
an 8.5000000 dollar cash transaction was made. The sale
never actually finalized according to company records.
However, the seed was planted and the following years would
gradually see decisions that I could best describe as
degenerate with regards to the artistry of Singer Tower. The
lighting system went through many changes and the building
began to fade into the skyline of New York, no longer
appearing in its nearly arrogant glory. In nineteen
thirty-nine, the copper ornamental dome of the tower
was restored but the detriment of the tower's appearance as
elements began to be changed. In nineteen forty-seven, the
flagpole and the roof crestings were removed and the famous
face of the building so loved by many New Yorkers was slowly
becoming a bastardized version of itself. In nineteen
forty-nine, there was an electric fire that left one
person injured and in nineteen fifty-eight, the front
revolving doors were replaced by standard ones. At the next
year, the historic and beautiful elevators were
replaced to comply with new codes. Two large storefronts on
the first floor of the building were turned into many smaller
spaces. Other skyscrapers surpassed the Singer Building
in height and the tower entered obscurity. By nineteen
fifty-eight, it was the sixteenth tallest building in
the city. Just 50 years after it had been built, it was
barely noteworthy. In nineteen sixty-one, the company
announced that it was moving to Rockefeller Center and that the
building was to be sold but for real this time. Lake Coven Rose
bought the building and then sold it to Financial Plaza
Incorporated almost right away according to property records.
William Zachendorf, a real estate developer, bought the
building and unsuccessfully tried to move the New York
Stock Exchange there but the final nail in the coffin
occurred in nineteen sixty-four. When United States
Steel bought the building and other neighboring buildings in
an attempt to demolish the entire block and build a
fifty-four story tall headquarters. A decision that
probably came down to square footage. In nineteen
sixty-five, the New York City Landmarks Preservation
Commission was created and their goal was to save and
preserve many of the notable buildings in New York City that
were being demolished. The Singer Building was one of the
most iconic buildings in the city at one point but despite
that, it was not given landmark status. This meant that the
commission could not protect it from demolition. Sam Roberts,
an New York Times writer was quoted in saying that it wasn't
considered worth preserving. Compared to other buildings in
the city, the executive commissioner said, had it been
given landmark status, the city would have had to find someone
to buy it which would have proven a great challenge.
Although, I'm only speculating right now, it could be assumed
that the maintenance expense of complex masonry work far above
public sidewalks would have been spectacularly pricey to
upkeep in my day and spectacularly dangerous if
neglected. When it comes down to it, there were other
buildings more worthy of saving in many people's eyes. So
demolition began in September of 1967 and was completed by
early nineteen sixty-nine. A writer for the New York Times
said that the lobby looked like a bomb hit it. Another writer
from the New York Daily commented that the singer fell
victim to a melody called Prague it was true. Despite how
magnificent it was in its heyday, the building would soon
just become another small piece of the city that was rapidly
growing throughout the twentieth century. The Singer
Building was the tallest building to ever be demolished
until the World Trade Center collapsed during the 911
attacks and it was the tallest building to be destroyed by its
owners until 270 Park Avenue also known as JP Morgan Chase
Tower was demolished in 2,000 nineteen. What is now known as
One Liberty Plaza but was originally called the US steel
building now stands in its place. Each building of the
plaza is 37 thousand square feet which is much bigger than
the 4,200 square feet of the Singer Tower offering twice the
combined interior than the Singer Building did. The Singer
Building was influential in many ways and cause people to
discuss the ethics of building such tall structures. The
architect on the project Ernest Flagg was known for being
critical of many skyscrapers that already existed. He was an
advocate for skyscraper reform and tried to convince the
public that many tall skyscrapers blocked from
reaching the surrounding streets and that it was a
detriment to society so we might take away that the
artistry in his great building was a compromise to a concept
he was generally against. Imagine how he must be turning
in his grave at the thought of what replaced his greatest
work. On the other hand, Jason Barr, an architectural writer,
has commented that the singer building was a transitional
builder in terms of the development of skyscraper It
was known for being an architectural triumph and
showed the world the potential of steel-frame skyscrapers. It
is a building that inspired the future of buildings to come.
Some were actually happy to see the building go. A writer from
the New York Globe called it an architectural giraffe in the
early nineteen hundreds. Finally, and perhaps one of the
best justifications for a wrecking ball was that some
critics of the project had no the design would have made it
very hard for people to be rescued from the tallest floors
in the case of a fire or an emergency. The executives of
the Singer Corporation could see the Statue of Liberty and
the Port of New York from their office. Traders from all over
the world would see their iconic building as they arrived
to the shores of America. From an American perspective, we had
a feeling of how big this company was in its day by the
statements that they made but even when you travel the world
now, 100 years later, their mark is noticeable everywhere.
I learned about Singer Tower because I found a Singer sewing
machine in a barn near the border of Ukraine. Of all
places, this machine was one of the things that immigrants had
taken back to their village after years of working in the
States. Singer was such a significant company that
wherever you travel in Europe and I believe many places in
the United States, you'll come across their legacy. Hell, I am
in a water tower in Northeastern Poland. What did I
find? Architect Ernest Flagg said, a
thing of beauty is a joy forever. More artistic
conception than this tower would be hard to conceive. And
it is doubtful if an equally magnificent tower will ever be
built unless it is literally a copy of the Singer Building. A
statement I couldn't agree more with. This script was largely
based on Otto Francis' 1908 book, A History of the Singer
Building Construction containing far more information
on Singer Tower. I would love to further bring life to the
memory of this great building by preparing an audiobook
version of the publication here on its history. So, let me know
if you like the idea by subscribing and sharing this
video with friends. If we get 1,000 new subscribers, I will
painstakingly record every word of a technical book from
nineteen oh eight. Otherwise, check out our video on the
Philadelphia Underground Concourses, our series Tao of
Urban Decay and Our Daily Stories. This is Ryan Socash,
signing off.
I wonder if we can bring it back...