American Radiator Building

Coordinates: 40°45′11″N 73°59′02″W / 40.752970°N 73.983970°W

American Radiator Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
NYC Landmark
The American Radiator Building
Location	40 West 40th Street Manhattan, New York City
Built	1924
Architect	Raymond Hood and André Fouilhoux [1]
Architectural style	Gothic Art Deco
NRHP Reference #	80002663
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 7, 1980
Designated NYCL	November 12, 1974

The American Radiator Building (since renamed to the American Standard Building) is a landmark skyscraper located at 40 West 40th Street, in midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was conceived by the architects John Howells and Raymond Hood in 1924 and built for the American Radiator Company.

History and description

The building's structural form is based on Eliel Saarinen's unbuilt competition entry for the Tribune Tower, augmented with a strong use of color.^[2][3]

40th Street facade

The architects combined Gothic and modern styles in the design of the building. Black brick on the frontage of the building (symbolizing coal) was selected to give an idea of solidity and to give the building a solid mass. Other parts of the facade were covered in gold bricks (symbolizing fire), and the entry was decorated with marble and black mirrors. Once again, the talents of Rene Paul Chambellan were employed by Howells and Hood for the ornamentation and sculptures.

In 1998, the building was sold to Philip Pilevsky for $150 million. Three years afterwards, the American Radiator Building was converted into The Bryant Park Hotel with 130 rooms and a theatre in the basement.

The landmark status of the exterior required the conversion pay special attention to the renovation of the facade decor, and prohibited proposed changes such as bigger guestroom windows. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also a subject of Georgia O'Keeffe in her noted 1927 painting Radiator Building - Night, New York.

See also

• Carbide & Carbon Building
• Ideal House, London

References

1. "AIA Guide to New York City", 4th Edition, pg 229
2. Henry, Jay C. (1993). Architecture in Texas, 1895–1945. University of Texas Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN 0292730721.
3. Solomonson, Katharine (2003). The Chicago Tribune Tower Competition: Skyscraper Design and Cultural Change in the 1920s (2 ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 247. ISBN 0226768007.

External links

• in-Arch.net: The American Radiator Building
• New York Architecture Images- American Standard Building