W New York Union Square facts for kids
Quick facts for kids W New York Union Square |
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(2009)
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| Former names |
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| Hotel chain | W Hotels |
| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Type | Hotel, office |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts (original building) European Modernism (annex) |
| Address | 50 Union Square East 201 Park Avenue South |
| Town or city | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′12″N 73°59′21″W / 40.73667°N 73.98917°W |
| Completed | 1911 (original building) 1961 (annex) |
| Renovated | 2000 |
| Management | Marriott International |
| Height | 281 feet (86 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 21 (original building) 4 (annex) |
| Lifts/elevators | 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Albert D'Oench & Joseph W. Yost (original building) Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (annex) |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 270 |
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Germania Life Insurance Company Building
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 Location in New York City
Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 50 Union Square East, New York City |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1910–1911 |
| Architect | Albert D'Oench & Joseph W. Yost |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000556 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 25, 2001 (original building only) |
The W New York Union Square is a 21-story hotel in Manhattan, New York City. It has 270 rooms and is run by W Hotels. You can find it at the northeast corner of Park Avenue South and 17th Street, right across from Union Square.
This building was first called the Germania Life Insurance Company Building. It was designed by Albert D'Oench and Joseph W. Yost and finished in 1911. Its style is called Beaux-Arts, which means it looks grand and classical.
The building was originally the main office for the Germania Life Insurance Company. In 1917, the company changed its name to the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. So, the building was renamed the Guardian Life Insurance Company Building. Later, in 1961, a four-story addition was built next to it. This annex was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Guardian Life moved out in 1999, and the W New York Union Square hotel opened in 2000.
The main hotel building is considered very important. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It was also named a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988. The Guardian Life annex, which is not part of the hotel, became a city landmark in 2007.
Contents
Location and Neighbors
The W New York Union Square building is about 80 feet long on Park Avenue South and 115 feet long on 17th Street. It sits at the northeast corner of this intersection. It's across the street from Union Square.
Nearby buildings include the four-story Guardian annex and some smaller houses to the east. To the south is the old Tammany Hall building. Across Park Avenue to the west is the Everett Building. To the north, there's a five-story business building and a taller 20-story building. This hotel is one of the few large buildings left that were once main offices for insurance companies in New York City.
Building Design
The W New York Union Square building is designed in the Beaux-Arts style. It has 21 stories, but the top four stories (18th to 21st) are actually inside its special roof, called a mansard roof. The building has a U-shape because of a "light court" on its north side. This court helps bring more natural light into the building.
The building has three main parts. The bottom part is three stories tall. Above that is a 12-story middle section. Then, there's another two-story section, and finally, the four-story roof. The building stands about 290 feet tall. It also has two basement levels underground.
The inside of the building uses strong steel beams to hold it up. It also has "curtain walls," which are outer walls that don't support the building's weight. They are like a skin on the outside.
The designers wanted lots of natural light inside. The building's corner spot helps with this. Even though it was built in the early 1900s, it still used traditional materials like stone. For example, it used solid stone for fireproofing instead of metal covered in terracotta.
Outside Look (Facade)
The outside of the W New York Union Square building is mostly made of gray granite and brick. The very bottom part is red granite. The special roof is made of red Spanish tiles.
The ground floor looks rough with many rows of stone blocks. Each arch on the ground floor used to be a storefront. The main entrance is on Park Avenue South. Above the ground floor, there's a stone band. The second and third floors also have rough stone blocks, but they are smoother. On the Park Avenue South side, there's a small iron balcony with the letters "G" and "L" for Germania Life.
The middle floors (fourth to fifteenth) look similar. They have stone bands and corner details between the windows. On the fourth floor, there are small balconies with stone columns. The windows are arranged in different patterns on each side. The north side has a recessed "light court" with simple windows. The 16th floor has panels with torch and shield designs. The 17th floor is plain.
The Roof
The most noticeable part of the W New York Union Square building is its four-story mansard roof. This roof has many dormer windows, which are windows that stick out from the sloping roof. It also has decorations like shields and garlands.
The windows on the roof are arranged differently on each floor. The 20th floor has large triangular decorations above its central windows. The 21st floor has rounded windows. The roof also has vertical decorations at its corners.
The design of the roof was inspired by 19th-century French architecture and the Second Empire style. It also took ideas from the old New York Tribune Building, which had a similar roof. The designers also included features from German architectural styles, like different window designs on each floor, because of the company's German background.
On top of the roof, there's a lighted sign. It first said "Germania Life". Then, it changed to "Guardian Life" in 1917 when the company changed its name. Later, it was replaced with the "W Union Square" sign.
Inside the Building
The floors inside are made of different materials. The main entrance on the ground floor has colorful marble. The retail area has tiles. The second to fourth floors have terrazzo with mosaic designs. The upper floors and basements have cement floors. The entrance area also has white marble walls.
The bathrooms have hexagonal tiles and marble stalls. The building has eight elevators: five for people and three for moving goods. There are also two staircases.
One special part is the elevator lobby on the second floor. It has marble floors, walls, and ceilings. It's supported by arches and has five domes. Next to this lobby is a large, tall room that was once used for selling insurance. Now, it's the W Hotel ballroom. This room has marble on the lower parts of its walls and many decorative designs, including the initials of Guardian Life.
Guardian Life Annex
The Guardian Life Insurance Company Annex, also known as 105 East 17th Street, was finished in 1961. It's located just east of the hotel tower. This annex has two four-story sides, one facing 17th Street and the other facing 18th Street. The outside walls have aluminum panels and thin vertical strips between the windows.
Building History
Early Days and Planning
Union Square was first planned in 1811 and became a public park in 1839. By the early 1900s, it was a busy area with many train lines. The New York City Subway's 14th Street–Union Square station opened nearby in 1904.
In 1909, it was announced that D'Oench & Yost would build a new 20-story main office for the Germania Life Insurance Company. This company started in 1860 to serve the German community in New York City. Their old building had problems, so they decided to build a new one. They bought the land on Park Avenue for $350,000. The company wanted their new building to be tall and impressive, so they asked for at least 16 stories. The four-story mansard roof was added later to the plans.
At that time, many insurance companies built their own large buildings. This helped them show how important and trustworthy they were to the public. These big buildings also had space for their many employees and records.
As an Office Building
Germania Life moved into its new Union Square building on April 24, 1911. The whole building cost about $1.45 million to build. Germania Life also made money by renting out extra space in the building.
In 1918, during World War I, the company changed its name to Guardian Life Insurance Company. This was to avoid any connection with Germany, which was an enemy during the war. The large sign on the roof was changed from "Germania Life Insurance Company" to "Guardian Life Insurance Company". Over the years, some changes were made to the building, like replacing the 16th-story cornice in 1940. The entrance lobby was also updated in the 1960s and 1980s.
By the mid-1900s, Guardian Life had grown a lot. They needed more space. They thought about moving to other parts of New York or even to nearby Westchester County. But employees and local residents didn't want them to move far. So, in 1959, the company decided to build a four-story annex next to their Union Square building. This annex, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, was finished in 1961.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Guardian Life expanded even more, renting space in other buildings nearby.
Becoming a Hotel
In 1998, Guardian Life moved its main office to another part of Manhattan. They planned to sell their old building. The next year, a company called The Related Companies announced that the Guardian Life Insurance Company Building would become a 250-room hotel run by Starwood. This would be the first hotel in the Union Square area.
As part of the change, the red "Guardian Life Insurance Company" sign on the roof was to be replaced with "W New York Union Square". Workers started removing the old sign, but the city stopped them. The city said the Landmarks Preservation Commission had to approve the change first. The hotel finally opened in December 2000 with 270 rooms, and the "W Union Square" sign was added to the roof. The basement of the hotel was used for event spaces, including a lounge and a restaurant. The annex building was not part of the hotel and continued to be used as offices.
In 2006, the W New York Union Square was sold for $285 million to a company from Dubai. This sale was one of the highest prices ever paid for a hotel at the time, based on the cost per room. In 2014, the hotel's restaurant was changed and renamed The Irvington. In October 2019, Marriott Hotels & Resorts bought the W New York Union Square for $206 million. They plan to update the building.
Important Building Status
In 1988, the Guardian Life Building was named a New York City landmark. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission said that this building, along with the Everett Building across the street, created an "imposing" entrance to Park Avenue South.
The W New York Union Square building was also added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 25, 2001. The annex, which is not part of the hotel, was also made a city landmark in 2007.
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