Cass Gilbert, architect of the Woolworth Building, the Alexander Hamilton Custom House, The Brooklyn Army Terminal, the St. Louis and Detroit Public Library buildings, the state capitols of Arkansas, Minnesota and West Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court Building, several buildings on the campuses of Oberlin and the University of Texas and many other buildings, also designed several train stations for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
The NYNH&H was designed to be the main line between New York and Boston. The company didn't like the high fees that Grand Central Terminal charged for access. They took a gamble that New York would keep expanding northward and decided to build a new terminal on the Harlem River. Soon after, a zoning change limited commercial development uptown and the railroad never saw the passenger traffic they were counting on. By 1932 the NYNH&H was history. Since then Gilbert's stations have either disappeared, been reused like the Hunts Point building in the lower photo, or sit in a purgatorial state like the Westchester Ave. building.
That second shot is really lovely. And the third ... wow, that poor building. Used to be a great beauty in its youth, and now look at it.
Posted by: Dane | 12 March 2009 at 09:34 PM
At least the building is being used. I know what you mean though. I need to retake that photo without the long shadows. Maybe I'll get a slice of pizza and see what it looks like inside.
Uninteresting backstory: I had written this up about the Westchester Ave station, but after reading the Times article I slowly realized I had a photograph of the Hunts Point building from last fall.
Posted by: Joe | 12 March 2009 at 10:01 PM