New York State Building
Architect: Stanford White, New York, New York
Area: 20,416
Cost: $150,000
Picturesque World’s Fair, An Elaborate Collection of Colored Views—Published with the Endorsement and Approval of George R. Davis, 1894
NEW YORK BUILDING.—Ranking nearly with that of Illinois, the New York Building was probably first in point of originality of light design and unique attractiveness of interior. It occupied a space two hundred and fourteen feet in length by one hundred and forty-two in depth, and was not quite one hundred feet in height to the apex of its towers. Its cost was $77,000. It was designed simply as an elaborately decorated and richly finished summer palace. A flight of fourteen steps, forty-six feet wide, led to the entrance, where were casts of the famous Barberini lions, and where the four pedestal lamps were reproductions of the best examples in the museum of Naples. Busts of the first and latest governor occupied niches on either side of the entrance, and in other larger niches in the exterior were heroic figures of Hendrick Hudson and Christopher Columbus. Above the entrance the great seal of New York was illuminated by hosts of tiny electric lights set close together. The mural decorations of the great entrance hall were from Pompeiian designs. On one side were the women’s state apartments and on the other those of the men. The grand reception hall on the second floor was eighty-four by forty six feet in dimensions, a magnificent room decorated in white and gold. On this floor were various offices and rooms devoted to the exhibition of historical relics. An elevator carried visitors to a charming roof garden above. There were many notable gatherings in the charming structure.
New York State Building
The State Building of New York is one of the largest of all, and one of the most expensive. It is practically the only State Building that has been designed in palatial form. The building is two hundred and fourteen feet in length and one hundred and forty-two feet in depth, while from grade to the apex of the tower it is ninety six feet in height. A magnificent staircase, forty-six feet wide, gives access to the terrace on the south from which the loggia is reached. At the entrances to the building are casts of the celebrated Barberini lions, and the four pedestal lamps lighting the terrace are reproduced from the best ones in the museum at Naples. The porticos east and west of the building have a diameter of fifty feet.
On either side of the main entrance in the niches outside the building are placed the busts of George Clinton and Roswell P. Flower, the first and the present Governors of the State. In the other niches, in the facade of the second story, are figures of Henry Hudson and Christopher Columbus, the four works of art being the production of Olin Warner. The exterior of the building is lit by electricity. Above the arched entrance is the great seal of New York, ten feet high, lighted by myriads of tiny lamps. The interior of the building has rooms equipped with everything possible for convenience and utility. The mural decorations are exceptionally fine and attract great attention. There are historical collections and other exhibits of interest. A roof garden is one of the most attractive features of the building. It was designed by McKim, Meade & White.
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