James White Building

 office building, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, listed building / architectural heritage, 1882_construction

6-story office building completed in 1882. Designed by W. Wheeler Smith, and known as the James White Building, it is one of the few cast-iron buildings built after 1880. The building was renovated by architect Joseph Pell Lombardi in 2000, and a restoration of the white facade began in 2009. It has Corinthian columns, and a modillioned roof cornice on both facades. The ornamentation, based on abstract floral forms, changes from floor to floor. The Broadway facade is six bays wide, with 18 bays along Franklin Street. The six Broadway bays are defined by a row of columns terminated at each end by square piers; attached to each pier is a quarter-pilaster creating the illusion of continuing the row of columns into the piers. The architrave, cornice and panel-linked pedestals at each floor combine to form a powerful horizontal line.

The cornice above the 5th floor is heavier and projects further than the others; the 6th floor above is much shorter, with squat columns and piers, and its cornice is topped by a modillioned parapet with a central square panel supporting a triangular pediment. The pattern of the Broadway front is repeated three times along Franklin.

Each column is slightly banded below its center, with a slender band containing a series of overlapping circles. The lower portion of each column is cast with decorative forms, varying from floor to floor, which creates a wealth of design interest.

The building once housed the offices of Scientific American, but it was primarily used in connection with the textile trade. It is currently occupied by a branch of Nyack College.