Health Building (New York City, New York)
USA /
New Jersey /
Hoboken /
New York City, New York /
Worth Street, 125
World
/ USA
/ New Jersey
/ Hoboken
World / United States / New York
office building, Art Deco (architecture), local government, 1935_construction
173-foot, 13-story Neo-Classical/Art-Deco office building completed in 1935 as the Health, Hospitals & Sanitation Building of the City of New York. Designed by Charles B. Meyers, the Health Building occupies the entire block bordered by Worth, Centre, Leonard and Lafayette Streets. It is clad in light-grey granite, with a light court in the center of the north facade above the lower floors. The center section and end wings are each three bays wide, with paired windows. The center bay of the central section has an entrance framed by Doric columns. Above the doorway, an inscription reads "HEALTH CLINICS / DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH / CITY OF NEW YORK". The 2-story base is capped by a band course with a carved wave motif.
The center section extends one more floor, and then has a metal screen at the 4th floor, with the light court above and behind it. The end wings have spandrel panels between the windows ornamented with metal reliefs by Oscar Bach of human figures in various poses set within octagons between the 3rd & 4th floors, and with stone seashells set within octagons at other floors. A number of window-mounted air conditioning units dot the facade.
A broad projecting cornice above the 7th floor on each wing sets off the upper floors, which are slightly set-back. The outer bays of these upper floors have single windows, while the center bays retain the paired windows seen below. There are more spandrel panels with seashell carvings between the 8th & 9th floors, and another cornice setting off the 10th floor, which is yet slightly further set back. A simple stone parapet caps the 10th floor. The walls facing the interior of the light court also have paired windows.
The east, west, and south elevations match the northern one, except for not being broken into wings by a light court. The other difference is in the main entrance at the center bay of the south facade, which has three double-height openings with brass doors at the ground level, and tall windows with ornamental brass grilles above. The inscription above this entrance simply reads "CITY OF NEW YORK". A small set of steps leading to the doors is flanked by a pair of octagonal pillars on stepped granite bases with copper discs near the top, surmounted by copper eagles.
One of the most interesting features is the band of carved names encircling all four sides of the building just below the 7th-floor cornice. Honoring notable figures in medicine, the names are FARR, HOWARD, LISTER, NIGHTINGALE, SHATTUCK, LIND, SIMS, MORTON, BARD, SEMMELWEIS, WELCH, SMITH, MOSES, JENNER, RAMAZZINI, HIPPOCRATES, PARACELSUS, PINEL, DALTON, BIGGS, GORGAS, and REED. The main roof line ends at the 10th floor, but a narrow 3-story penthouse is set far back in the center of the building. The front and side entrances have bronze grillwork and other metal design, including medallions with health themes.They were designed by Oscar Bach who produced custom metal work.
The building houses the following Departments of the City of New York: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Health and Hospitals Corporation/New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), and Sanitation Department. (NYSD).
usmodernist.org/AMAR/AMAR-1936-07.pdf
www.newyorkitecture.com/health-hospitals-and-sanitation...
The center section extends one more floor, and then has a metal screen at the 4th floor, with the light court above and behind it. The end wings have spandrel panels between the windows ornamented with metal reliefs by Oscar Bach of human figures in various poses set within octagons between the 3rd & 4th floors, and with stone seashells set within octagons at other floors. A number of window-mounted air conditioning units dot the facade.
A broad projecting cornice above the 7th floor on each wing sets off the upper floors, which are slightly set-back. The outer bays of these upper floors have single windows, while the center bays retain the paired windows seen below. There are more spandrel panels with seashell carvings between the 8th & 9th floors, and another cornice setting off the 10th floor, which is yet slightly further set back. A simple stone parapet caps the 10th floor. The walls facing the interior of the light court also have paired windows.
The east, west, and south elevations match the northern one, except for not being broken into wings by a light court. The other difference is in the main entrance at the center bay of the south facade, which has three double-height openings with brass doors at the ground level, and tall windows with ornamental brass grilles above. The inscription above this entrance simply reads "CITY OF NEW YORK". A small set of steps leading to the doors is flanked by a pair of octagonal pillars on stepped granite bases with copper discs near the top, surmounted by copper eagles.
One of the most interesting features is the band of carved names encircling all four sides of the building just below the 7th-floor cornice. Honoring notable figures in medicine, the names are FARR, HOWARD, LISTER, NIGHTINGALE, SHATTUCK, LIND, SIMS, MORTON, BARD, SEMMELWEIS, WELCH, SMITH, MOSES, JENNER, RAMAZZINI, HIPPOCRATES, PARACELSUS, PINEL, DALTON, BIGGS, GORGAS, and REED. The main roof line ends at the 10th floor, but a narrow 3-story penthouse is set far back in the center of the building. The front and side entrances have bronze grillwork and other metal design, including medallions with health themes.They were designed by Oscar Bach who produced custom metal work.
The building houses the following Departments of the City of New York: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Health and Hospitals Corporation/New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), and Sanitation Department. (NYSD).
usmodernist.org/AMAR/AMAR-1936-07.pdf
www.newyorkitecture.com/health-hospitals-and-sanitation...
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 40°42'56"N 74°0'8"W
- Louis J. Lefkowitz Building
- Clock Tower Building Condominium 0.2 km
- 241 Canal Street 0.4 km
- 560 Broadway 1 km
- 584 Broadway 1.1 km
- 594-596 Broadway 1.1 km
- The Puck Building 1.2 km
- Essex Offices 1.3 km
- Amalgamated Life Insurance Company Building 1.7 km
- Meta Platforms NYC Headquarters 1.9 km
- Civic Center 0.2 km
- TriBeCa 0.6 km
- SoHo 0.8 km
- Lower (Downtown) Manhattan 0.9 km
- Financial District 1.1 km
- Hudson River Park 3.6 km
- Hudson County, New Jersey 6.3 km
- Manhattan 7.7 km
- Brooklyn 9 km
- Queens 13 km
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