Thursday, February 12, 2009

Favorite Buildings - Singer Building


In this time of transition, the Dominion running home and the Gordon warming up, I am going to do a little daily series of a few of my favorite buildings.  This may give you a idea of what inspires me to obtain the detail that I demand of myself.  I hope you enjoy.  

Speaking of the Dominion this Sunday will probably be the last update, I know its kind of sad but we all knew that this day would come. 


The Singer Building

Our first building is a sad example of "progress", Im all for progress but not at the expense of a icon of the early 20th century.  Because of it being narrow is the main reason it was demolished, it had been deemed "obsolete & unprofitable".  Up till the World Trade Center disaster it was the tallest building demolished.  It was demolished about the same time Penn Station was raised and the loss of the two lead directly to the strengthened move for historic preservation.
It was built between 1906 & 1908 and was the tallest building in the world for about a year, passing up the Philadelphia City Hall, then being surpassed by the Metropolitan Life Tower.  It was designed by architect Ernest Flagg and he had done other buildings for the Singer company as well.

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