The Philippine Center (New York City, New York)

 office building, embassy, consulate / consular section / consul residence, embassy of the Philippines

7-story office building completed in 1911. Designed by Carrère & Hastings with Andrew J. Robinson for the art dealer M. Knoedler & Co., it is now known as the Philippine Center, housing the Philippine Consulate General in New York City. The Philippine Center was created under Philippine Presidential Decree No. 188 on May 10, 1973. It was purchased by the Philippine Government from the Knights of Columbus on October 29, 1973, at the cost of $2,250,000.00 with an additional $1,500,000.00 to buy-out an existing lease on the building. The present ownership of the Philippine Center is in the name of the Republic of the Philippines.

The 3-bay facade is clad in limestone above a tall ground floor of light-brown, tiled sandstone. The double-height entrance on the left has recessed metal-and-glass doors under a steeply-angled, triangular, shingled roof that is set within the recessed space. A lantern hangs in the middle of the triangle above the doors, and the recessed area is flanked by a pair of projecting flagpoles. The north two bays have large show-windows with video screens behind them. Both bays are topped by dark-brown metal panels with foliate designs, above which are gold-colored letters spelling out PHILIPPINES.

Above the base the 2nd floor has extra-tall multi-paned windows framed by fluted pilasters and topped by triangular pediments. The next three floors have shorter multi-paned windows; those on the 4th floor (which is set off by a band course above and below) have full stone surrounds. The top of the facade is windowless with a large expanse of bare stone.

www.philippinesnewyork.org/philippines-new-york/embassy...