American Fine Arts Society facts for kids
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American Fine Arts Society
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(2008)
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| Location | 215 West 57th Street, Manhattan, New York |
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| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Henry J. Hardenbergh |
| Architectural style | French Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002662 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1980 |
The Art Students League of New York Building is a famous building on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is also known as the American Fine Arts Society or 215 West 57th Street. The building was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in a style called French Renaissance. It was finished in December 1892. Today, it is the main home of the Art Students League of New York, a well-known art school.
The building was first built by the American Fine Arts Society (AFAS). This group was created in 1889 by five different art organizations. These included the Art Students League, the Society of American Artists, and the Architectural League of New York.
The Art Students League Building has five floors. The front of the building, facing 57th Street, is made of light-colored stone called limestone. It has many fancy decorations. The back of the building, facing 58th Street, is made of brick and looks much simpler. Inside, the building has rooms for meetings, classrooms, and art galleries for the Art Students League. In the past, these spaces were shared by all the different art groups.
Over the years, the Art Students League Building has been changed several times. It was repaired after big fires in 1901 and 1920. By 1941, the Art Students League was the only group using the building. The other organizations had moved out earlier in the 20th century. The building was named a New York City Landmark in 1968. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The building was updated in 2003. Later, in the late 2010s, part of the nearby Central Park Tower was built above it.
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Where is the Art Students League Building?
The Art Students League of New York Building is at 215 West 57th Street. It is in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York City. The building is just south of Central Park. It sits between Seventh Avenue to the east and Broadway to the west. The building faces 57th Street on its south side and 58th Street on its north side. The land it sits on is about 15,062 square feet. It is about 75 feet wide on both 57th and 58th Streets. It is about 200 feet deep between the two streets.
The Art Students League Building is on the same city block as other important buildings. These include the Osborne apartment building to its east. The Central Park Tower and 5 Columbus Circle are to its west. The Saint Thomas Choir School is to its north.
This area of West 57th Street became a center for art and music in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This happened after Carnegie Hall opened in 1891. Many buildings in this area were built for artists and musicians to live in. Examples include 130 and 140 West 57th Street, the Rodin Studios, and the Osborne Apartments. Also, many art groups had their main offices here.
What Does the Art Students League Building Look Like?
The Art Students League Building at 215 West 57th Street was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. He used the French Renaissance style. The building was made for the American Fine Arts Society (AFAS). This group included the Society of American Artists, the Architectural League of New York, and the Art Students League of New York. People at the time said the design looked like buildings from the time of Francis I.
The building has five floors. However, the front on 57th Street looks like it has four floors. The back on 58th Street looks like it has three floors. A space called a light court separates the front and back parts of the building. The building has a special roof called a mansard roof, which is made of clay tiles.
Outside of the Building
The front of the building on 57th Street is made of limestone. A small decorative ledge, called a cornice, runs above the first floor. Other stone bands run above the second and third floors. The main entrance is a fancy archway in the middle of the first floor. It has stone posts that look like candelabras. There are three rectangular windows on each side of the main entrance.
On the second floor, the three middle windows are fancy arches with small sculpted columns. The two windows on the sides are smaller and rectangular with decorative tops called gables. On the third floor, the three middle windows have stone bars that divide them. The two outer windows are small and rectangular with gables. Above the middle windows, there are three plaques with the words "Painting," "Architecture," and "Sculpture." A large cornice and a decorative railing run above the third floor.
The back of the building on 58th Street is set back from the sidewalk. There are slanted skylights between the building and the sidewalk. A metal fence runs along the sidewalk. The first floor of the 58th Street side is made of light brown brick. There are entrance arches with fancy porches at each end of this side. The second and third floors are made of dark brick. They have tall, arched spaces filled in with brick. The third floor on the 58th Street side has a decorative brick ledge with a corbel design.
Inside the Building
The entrance area has floors with mosaic tiles. It also has decorative oak wood, fancy door frames, and stained-glass windows. When it was first built, a wide hallway divided the first floor. The Society of American Artists had space to the right of the hallway. The Art Students League, a staircase, and an elevator were to the left.
The Architectural League used the second floor. They had a lecture room for 100 people, an art library, and a reading room. The Art Students League used the back of the second and third floors for classrooms. Their library and meeting room were at the front of the third floor. The fourth floor had studios for the Art Students League. These studios were lit by skylights. They got a lot of sunlight from the north, which was important for the artists working there. The basement had a dining room and the sculpture department. At the back of the first floor was the Vanderbilt Gallery. This was a two-story art gallery with a skylight, inspired by a famous gallery in Paris.
Today, an art supply store is on part of the first floor. There is a fireplace with a large mantel in the second-floor gallery. This was created after World War II in what used to be the lecture room. The building also has two "half-floors" above the second and fourth stories. Many classrooms still have old furniture and designs from the early and mid-1900s. The interior spaces are designed for the "atelier" system. This is how the Art Students League teaches, where teachers create their own class plans.
History of the Building
How It Was Built
The American Fine Arts Society (AFAS) was officially started in June 1889. Many important artists and architects were involved, like Howard Russell Butler and Louis Comfort Tiffany. The AFAS was created to build a shared home for different art groups. The idea for the building came from Howard Russell Butler. They planned to spend $200,000 on construction. They would get this money by selling shares and bonds.
At first, the AFAS thought about building on 43rd Street. But in May 1890, they bought land on 57th Street, near Seventh Avenue. After getting the land, the AFAS held a competition to choose the building's design. Many architects submitted plans. In December, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was chosen as the architect.
A rich art collector named George Washington Vanderbilt II bought the land behind the AFAS building. He wanted to build his own art gallery there, called the Vanderbilt Gallery. By May 1891, construction of the AFAS building's foundation had started. Vanderbilt also loaned the AFAS $100,000 to help with building costs. The first stone of the AFAS building was laid on February 8, 1892. The building was almost finished by October, and the art groups started moving in. The building officially opened on December 3, 1892. Three weeks later, Vanderbilt gave his private gallery to the AFAS. This meant the AFAS no longer owed him money. The Vanderbilt Gallery opened on February 13, 1893.
Early Years (1890s-1930s)
The AFAS building quickly became a very important place for art shows in New York City. It hosted many major art and architecture exhibitions. In 1893, it showed sculptures by Antoine-Louis Barye and paintings from old Dutch and Flemish artists. The building was so popular that the Art Students League sometimes had to rent other spaces for their classes.
In May 1901, the original red tile roof was destroyed by a fire. The fire started from decorations for a costume dance on the fourth floor. The Art Students League moved its classes to the first floor while the roof was fixed. In 1906, the National Academy of Design took over the first-floor space after merging with the Society of American Artists.
On January 30, 1920, another big fire badly damaged the AFAS building. The original Vanderbilt Gallery was destroyed. The damage was estimated at $1 million. Even with this loss, the AFAS repaired the building. The rebuilt galleries opened in March 1921. Over the next two years, the AFAS rebuilt the main entrance and sidewalk. They also built a new boiler room underground. By 1925, many art groups had their offices in the building. The Architectural League moved to a new building in 1927, but still owned shares in the AFAS.
Mid-Century (1940s-1990s)
The National Academy of Design moved to a new headquarters in December 1941. Soon after, the Art Students League bought out the other organizations' shares. This made the Art Students League the only group using the building. The Art Students League, often called "the League," almost closed in 1943 because fewer students enrolled during World War II. After the war, many veterans used the G.I. Bill to attend classes at the League. The Vanderbilt Gallery was turned into studios to make space for all the new students. The second-floor lecture room became a private gallery for the League.
The Art Students League kept making changes to the building. In 1950, they put their name in brass letters above the entrance. They also raised money for an addition to the building. This work would cost $500,000 and add a fifth floor to help with crowded classrooms. Later, they replaced an old iron staircase with two elevators. They also combined two studios on the fifth floor. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission named the Art Students League Building a New York City landmark on December 10, 1968. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1980.
In 1974, the Art Students League started a fund for building repairs. They restored the building's back entrances in 1983. In 1994, the League found sixty old paintings in the basement. These were "fake masterpieces" made between 1891 and 1914. They had not been touched in 80 years! In 1996, the League removed asbestos from the building. During this time, summer classes were held at Carnegie Hall.
Recent Times (21st Century)
In early 2003, the Art Students League began a three-part renovation of its building. The plans included fixing the building's structure and systems. They also restored the Vanderbilt Gallery and built new gallery space in the middle of the building. The structural and system repairs were finished by the end of 2003. During this renovation, the building was cleaned out, and the sculpture department in the basement was made larger. The gallery on the second floor was named after Phyllis Harriman Mason.
In 2006, the Art Students League sold some of its "air rights" to the Extell Development Company. Air rights allow a company to build taller buildings. Extell paid $23.1 million for these rights. In 2013, Extell paid the League another $31.8 million for more air rights. These sales allowed Extell to build the Central Park Tower much taller. Part of the Central Park Tower hangs over the Art Students League Building's land. It starts about 300 feet above the ground. The League's leaders said selling the air rights was a special chance to expand and fix their building.
The idea of the tower hanging over the Art Students League Building was debated. Even though a local community board voted against it, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the sale and the hanging part of the tower. In February 2014, Art Students League members voted to approve the deal. A lawsuit from some League members trying to stop the sale was dismissed. Another lawsuit in 2016 was also dismissed. By then, the tower's construction was already underway.
A temporary construction cover was put around the Art Students League Building while the tower was being built. In 2018, the Art Students League held a "house party" in the building. This was the first time in 75 years that the building was open to the public. The construction cover stayed until 2021, when work on Central Park Tower was finished.
See also
In Spanish: American Fine Arts Society para niños
