Haskins & Sells Building

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142-foot, 12-story Renaissance-revival office building completed in 1913. Designed by Frederick C. Zobel, it was initially referred to as the Commercial Engineers Building in hopes of attracting engineering-related businesses. From the beginning, however, the building was home to a variety of tenants. From 1920 to 1930, the building served as the principle location for the accounting firm of Haskins & Sells, recognized as the first major auditing firm founded by American accountants. and was a precursor to the modern Deloitte firm. Although the company only owned the building for five years, an indelible reminder of their presence has been left in the form of a first-story frieze with the company's name.

The building’s primary facade fronts onto West 39th Street and is divided into a tripartite vertical composition consisting of a 3-story terra-cotta base, 7-story blonde brick shaft and 2-story terra-cotta capital. The base of the building is symmetrically divided into three bays, each featuring a 2-story round-arched opening articulated by elaborate terra-cotta molding and foliate keystones. At the central bay, a terra-cotta frieze, capped by a small molded terra-cotta cornice, separates the 1st and 2nd floors and features an inlaid yellow marble panel with the inscription "Haskins & Sells Building", the years "1895" and "1920", and in much smaller lettering, the name ‘F.C. Zobel.’ Similar friezes at the outer bays feature sculptural swags and wreaths with centers of yellow marble. The outer bays of the double-height ground floor contain glass double-doors, while the central bay features a fixed show-window. The extended height of the first story allows for large, fixed rectangular transoms above each of the door and show window openings. Elongated cast-iron baluster columns flank the ground-floor door openings and elaborate cast-iron grillework surrounds and enhances each of the transoms, the transom bars, and the rounded-arch window openings of the 2nd floors. Round pediments sit above the transom bars at the outer bays and feature foliate details and bronze address numbers. Pink marble trim rises several feet at the building’s base. Just above the round-arched openings of the 2nd floor, terra-cotta hood moldings and red terra-cotta roundels span between large terra-cotta cartouches. A large molded, denticulated terra-cotta cornice rests above the 2nd floor and appears to serve as a sill course for the 3rd-floor fenestration. Each 3rd-floor bay contains paired rectangular window openings separated by a thin, foliated colonette. A pair of pilasters featuring elaborate terra-cotta detailing and Corinthian capitals flanks each pair of window openings at the 3rd floor while robust swags, cartouches, and red terra-cotta roundels span between the pilasters. Circular terra-cotta details and inset yellow marble panels flank the central bay. A delicate, molded terra-cotta band rests above the pilasters of the 3rd floor, above which is found a large, molded terra-cotta cornice. A substantial terra-cotta cartouche further adorns the 3rd floor towards the left edge of the elevation, while a similar cartouche wraps around the rightmost edge of the elevation. Above the rightmost bay at the 4th floor is a terra-cotta balustrade which features a molded rail, inset post details, and foliated balusters. Four globe lamps on cast-iron armatures above the ground floor were added after 1985, as well as four non-original bronze address numbers.

The 7-story blonde-brick shaft of the building is also divided into three bays, with the rightmost bay canted at a 45-degree angle to the rest of the building (allowing for a balcony above the 3rd floor which is only accessible via a 4th-floor window). Each bay at the shaft features paired rectangular window openings separated by terra-cotta posts with foliate details. Terra-cotta lintels with roundel details surmount each of the paired window openings at the 4th-9th floors. Engaged Doric colonettes separate the paired window openings of the 10th story, which are surmounted by molded terra-cotta lintels with scroll keystones. The lintels above the 10th-floor window openings are incorporated into the large, molded terra-cotta cornice which rests above the 10th floor, and which appears to serve as a sill course for the 11th-floor fenestration. A heavy, bracketed terra-cotta balconette can be found at the 8th-floor window opening of the right-most, canted bay of the shaft. The balconette features many of the same motifs found elsewhere on the building, including a molded rail, swags, and foliate details. The balconette is flush with the lintel of the paired 7th-floor window openings beneath it.

The two dynamically detailed floors of the building’s capital feature many of the same motifs found at the 1st-3rd floors of the building. Like the base and shaft, the capital is similarly divided into three bays, with the rightmost bay canted at a 45-degree angle to the rest of the elevation. Each bay of the capital contains paired window openings, rectangular at the 11th floor and featuring round-arched upper sashes at the 12th floor. A foliated colonette, continuous from the 11th to 12th floors, separates each of the paired window openings, while simple Doric colonettes flank each pair. Terra-cotta panels featuring sculptural wreath details with inlaid yellow marble centers surmount each window opening at the 11th floor. Molded terra-cotta lintels surmount each round-arched window opening at the 12th floor, spanning between the colonettes. The terra-cotta panels of the 11th floor and lintels of the 12th story are slightly recessed within round-arched molded terra-cotta surrounds, continuous from the 11th to 12th floors. At the 12th floor, the spandrels beneath the round-arched surrounds feature circular terra-cotta details and inlaid yellow marble panels. The outer corner of each bay at the 12th floor is adorned by small, red terra-cotta roundels. Each bay of the capital is flanked by a larger, more elaborate version of the pilasters flanking each paired window opening at the 3rd floor, continuous here from the 11th to 12th floors. A molded terra-cotta architrave rests on the pilasters, above which is a frieze featuring a series of red terra-cotta rosettes spanned by foliate terra-cotta details. An overhanging, molded terra-cotta cornice supported on large foliate brackets crowns the elevation.

The east facade of the Haskins & Sells Building is mostly comprised of blonde brick laid in a common bond and is largely not designed, with the notable exception of the first (leftmost) bay at the 1st-3rd floors. The terra-cotta details of this portion of the elevation wrap from the primary elevation and match the details of the individual bays of the primary elevation. Above the 3rd floor, continuous with the rightmost bay of the primary elevation, is the same terra-cotta balustrade which features a molded rail, inset post details, and foliated balusters, above which rises the canted bay of the primary elevation. Beyond this first bay, the ground floor features four tall rectangular window openings with projecting, rectangular masonry sills and iron security grilles. A 1-story pavilion towards the right of the elevation (rear of the building) is flush with the rest of the elevation and features only masonry coping and a single rectangular door opening. Just to the left of the pavilion is a second rectangular door opening which features a large, flush masonry lintel. At the 2nd-12th floors, the elevation features six bays. The 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th bays feature single, rectangular window openings with projecting, rectangular masonry sills. The 2nd and 3rd bays feature triple rectangular window openings with continuous projecting, rectangular masonry sills. A solid brick parapet caps the elevation and features terra-cotta coping.

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