U.S. Rubber Company Building (New York City, New York)

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285-foot, 20-story Beaux-Arts office building completed in 1912. Designed by Carèrre & Hastings for the United States Rubber Company, the two lowest floors originally provided retail space for the company's subsidiary, the United States Tire Company, while U.S. Rubber occupied eight of the office floors. The company moved to Rockefeller Center in 1951. The two lowest floors were remodeled in 1959 for a bank. The building now also carries the alternate name (and address) of 5 Columbus Circle.

A rounded comer faced in rusticated stone connects the two main facades, and the entire structure is capped by a broad copper cornice. Above the two lowest floors, the building is clad in white marble. The two lowest floors are faced with polished grey marble with large modem display windows at the ground floor, above a black polished stone water table. The 2nd floor has newly-installed metal casement windows.

The main entrance is in the southernmost bay on the Broadway facade, consisting of an exterior and interior set of double bronze-and-glass doors topped by a plain glass transom. The entrance to the HSBC Bank branch, which occupies the ground floor commercial space, is located near the comer lot line. It consists of revolving doors recessed slightly behind two comer columns clad in metal. The 2nd floor is clad in polished grey marble panels, with seven bays along Broadway. The windows in the two end bays have two sections while all the others have three.

Stone band courses above the 2nd and 7th floors distinguish this section from those above and below it. Horizontally, the facade is divided into five bays in the center section with one bay on each side. The side bays are faced with rusticated stone, and each has a single, smaller window. Each of these side windows is topped by stone voussoirs which merge with the curved spandrel of the floor above. The 7th floor is an exception. Here the two windows of the side bays are topped by elaborate carvings including lions' heads, shields, and feathers, which support the small balconies fronting the side windows on the 8th floor. The 3rd floor is transitional, with elaborate stone surrounds on each window of the central section. Rounded and swagged pediments broken by cartouches alternate above these windows, with flat stone pilasters between each bay. The five center bays of floors 5-7 have ornate wrought-iron railings over the bases of the windows. Continuous, flat stone piers edged with moldings rise between each of the center windows, joining together in segmental-arches above the 7th-floor windows.

The 8th floor is another transitional floor, set off by wide band courses above and below it. Each window has 3-over-3, metal-framed sash, with engaged columns between each bay. The windows in each side bay are capped by rounded pediments which form part of the upper band course. Above the band course is a continuous stone balustrade which extends across the entire facade. On the 9th-19th floors the two end bays are distinct from the five bays in the center. They have smaller, square-headed windows. In the side bays the windows of each two floors are joined vertically by metal spandrel panels and ornate metal balcony railings. Continuous, flat stone piers with moldings rise between each bay and join together above the windows of the 19th floor. Floors 9 & 10 are joined vertically, as are floors 11-16 and floors 17-19, by metal spandrel panels and ornate iron balcony railings in front of the windows. The windows of the 10th and 16th floors have segmental-arched tops. The 20th floor is set off by another prominent band course. Twelve windows are evenly spaced across the facade at this level. Each end bay has elaborately carved window surrounds comprised of carved panels with classical ornament. A very broad, projecting copper cornice featuring moldings and brackets tops the building.

The design of the north facade is the same as that on Broadway with the following minor exceptions. On the ground floor, there are a freight entrance and a vehicular entrance in the two eastern bays. This facade is slightly wider than that on Broadway, and there are eight rather than seven bays on the 2nd floor, while the floors above have six bays in the center section. The southern facade is visible above the neighboring building to the south. It is faced with unarticulated brick, pierced by numerous unadorned, square-headed windows.

The lower levels are occupied by a portion of the Nordstrom department store.

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