Category: New York City

  • Urban Life: LES

    Corner of Essex and Broome Streets. Lower East Side, New York
    Corner of Essex and Broome Streets. Lower East Side, New York
  • Metropolitan Club (1894) – New York

    Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. Metropolitan Club (1894). New York.
    Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. Metropolitan Club (1894). New York.1

    The Fifth Avenue side of the Metropolitan Club enjoys just a few minutes of direct light in the winter, so I had to work fast for this picture.

    It was a freezing day in January—hours before a snowstorm hit—but damn it, the result was worth the misery.

    Location of the Metropolitan Club

    Of the many fine examples of Stanford White‘s work in New York, the Metropolitan Club is the best.

    The building’s composition is simple yet refined; the elements are perfectly balanced, and the facade is delicately textured with just the right amount of ornamentation.

    Someday I’ll get the detail shots.

    The structure was designed in the style of an Italian palazzo and built of marble, with opulent interiors that I’ll certainly never photograph. The club, after all, was founded by millionaires and is now patronized by billionaires.

    I’ll just take pics by the Halal cart across the street, thanks.

    Gallery

    Interior2

    Main Hall of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    Main Hall of the Metropolitan Club, New York

    Elevations, Sections, and Floorplans3

    Sixtieth Street Elevation of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    Sixtieth Street Elevation of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    Section and detail drawings of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    Section and detail drawings of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    First floor plan of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    First floor plan of the Metropolitan Club, New York
    Second floor plan of the Metropolitan Club, New York

    References

    1. “New Club Of The Millionaires.” The World (New York), February 25, 1894, p. 26. ↩︎
    2. A Monograph of the Work of McKim Mead & White, 1879-1915. New York: The Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1915. ↩︎
    3. ibid. ↩︎