NYU Lipton Residence Hall (New York City, New York)

 university, dormitory, 1929_construction

NYU Freshman dorm comprised of two joined buildings. The older building at 33-34 Washington Square is 197 feet tall with 16 floors, and was completed in 1929. It was designed in a Neo-Federal style by Charles F. Winkleman as an apartment hotel, known as the Holly Chambers.

The 9-story addition at 35-36 Washington Square West was constructed later. NYU acquired the site in 1953 and razed the former building. The addition was built in 1954-55 to match the existing red-brick dormitory. The new building and the renovation of the old were designed by Eggers & Higgins.

The facades are clad in red brick above a stone water table, with the first two floors having rusticated pilasters beneath a wide stone band course. On the original 16-story building, the north facade on Washington Place has 16 bays, alternating between narrow single windows and much larger square windows - the exception being the two eastern bays, which has more regular-sized rectangular windows. All the windows have metal sash. At the base, each of the narrow bays has a narrow vertical band of limestone, framed by the projecting rusticated brick piers. The wider bays have paneled brick spandrels between the 1st and 2nd floors. The main entrance, slightly offset to the east of center, encompasses one wide bay and two narrow bays, all clad in limestone, with rustications still on the piers.

The ground-floor doorway has a stone enframement, topped by a shield with the letter HC (for Holly Chambers) and sprouting cornucopia-like ornament. On these three bays, the limestone extends up to the 3rd floor as well, where it is topped by a balustrade and two spherical urns. To the sides, each of the narrow bays also has limestone at the 3rd floor, with a rounded swirl at the base, narrowing to dentiled edges and a rounded pediment on top of the narrow window contained within the limestone section. Between the two end bays, there is a stone urn atop the band course below the 3rd floor. At the far eastern end of this facade, the brick wall swoops down at an angle from the 2nd to the 1st floor, where a similar urn is located above a service door.

The rustications of the corner piers continue up the edges of the building as brick quoins. The eastern facade on Washington Square West has four wide bays with a single, narrow middle bay. The same design elements as seen on this facade, with two urns flanking the central limestone-decorated bay at the 3rd floor. The projecting rustication of the piers starts again at the top two floors, as well as the limestone around the narrow windows. At the top the main bays have inset balustrades, as does a set-back penthouse on the roof, also decorated with urns.

The newer 9-story building is just slightly browner in shade. It has the same window dimensions, stone band course across the 2nd floor, and rusticated brick piers, except these extend all the way up the 5-bay-wide facade. The two end bays have recessed entrances set under round-arches with keystones; the northern one has a round window within the arch. Both doorways are framed by grey stone columns supporting white-painted entablatures. There is a stone cornice at the 7th floor, with the top two floors set back behind it.

Between 1957 and 1985, a swimming pool existed in the basement while it was used as a law school dormitory. A small admission fee to the pool facilities also included the use of a towel, locker, and men’s swimming trunks. Women were asked to bring their own swimsuits and swim caps. After nearly 30 years, during which time a larger and more modern swimming pool had opened in the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center, the Hayden Hall pool was finally closed when the building was converted to undergraduate housing. Today, the former pool area serves as a lounge for commuter students.

Formerly known as Hayden Hall, it was renamed in 2012 in honor of university trustee Martin Lipton '55 LAW. The interior was gut-renovated by Matiz Architecture & Design.

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