Манхэттендегі әкімшілік ғимарат және оның тарихы

Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

After the Municipal Building was finished, New Chambers Street ran through the building's central archway. Park Row bounded the building to the southeast and Duane Street abutted it to the northeast. Park Row was rerouted in the mid 20th century, and New Chambers and Duane Streets were closed in 1971 as part of the construction of 1 Police Plaza. These streets subsequently became part of a pedestrian plaza surrounding the Municipal Building and 1 Police Plaza.

William M. Kendall of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White designed the Municipal Building. Two of the firm's other partners, Burt L. Fenner and Teunis J. van der Bent, were tasked with leading construction, while the city's Department of Bridges supervised the project. Alexander Johnson was chief engineer, and Purdy and Henderson were consulting engineers. The Mount Waldo Construction Company provided the granite, while Robert Wetherill & Co. installed the original elevators. The foundations were dug by the Foundation Company. The building's architectural style, influential in the civic construction of other American cities, has been "variously described as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux Arts", according to architectural writers Sarah Landau and Carl W. Condit. Its construction marked the end of the City Beautiful movement in New York. efn|According to architectural historians Sarah Landau and Carl Condit, when the Municipal Building was completed, it contained of usable space. The approved building plans in 1909 also called for three basement levels within the volume not occupied by the subway station. The building features various types of sculpture and relief. These include the large gilded Civic Fame statue at the top of the building; smaller sculptural groups; and plaques and coats of arms representing the various governments that have ruled Manhattan. although the lot that it occupies is an irregular hexagon. The floors' north–south axes are longer than their west–east axes; the wings of the "C" face west. This floor plan ensured that all of the building's windows would be able to receive direct sunlight and eliminated the need for an interior light court. The Manhattan Municipal Building is 34 stories tall; the main structure consists of 26 stories, and a tower rises eight stories above the center of the structure. The tower rises to around 560 feet (171 m) above ground level; including the Civic Fame statue, the building stands at around 580 feet (177 m) tall. efn|Marina Harrison and Lucy D. Rosenfeld cite the building's height as being 177.39 m, Roth quotes the height as being 97.54 m to the cornice and 168.25 m to the top of Civic Fame. A contemporary New York Times article cites the building as being 170.38 m tall. It is similar in style to the Statue of Liberty. efn|According to the New York Tribune, the statue cost $6,000 , of which $1,000 was for the clothes and $5,000 for the statue. she had also posed for a very large number of other important allegorical Beaux Arts sculptures in New York, including those at the Alexander Hamilton U. S. Custom House, New York Public Library Main Branch, Manhattan Bridge Colonnade, and USS Maine National Monument at Columbus Circle. The left arm was repaired in 1928 after cracks were detected on that side. After Civic Fame's left arm broke off, fell through a skylight, and landed on the 26th floor cafeteria in February 1935, the statue was renovated, with metal rods being used to hold up the left arm. In early 1991, while the facade was undergoing renovations, Civic Fame was removed for six months and re gilded by New Jersey metalwork shop Les Metalliers Champenois. After the restoration was completed at a cost of $900,000, Civic Fame was reinstalled on the roof in October 1991 using a helicopter. The colonnade averages 66 feet (20 m) tall, including pedestals, There is also a false colonnade on the facade above the 22nd floor. These are respectively topped by medallions representing Progress, a nude kneeling man with a torch in one hand and a winged sphere in the other, and Prudence, a half nude kneeling woman holding a mirror while a serpent is curled around her right arm. The medallions each measure about 9 feet (3 m) wide and are placed immediately below the colonnade's architrave. Shields relating to Manhattan's historical and current governance were also placed above the lower story colonnade and 22nd floor false colonnade. The shields on the lower colonnade correspond with the tops of the columns. The arch measures about 50 feet (15 m) tall and 35 feet (11 m) wide. The vault separates the lobby into two sections, each with its own set of elevator banks. When the Municipal Building opened, the vault created a wind tunnel effect, leading employees to nickname it the "Cave of the Winds". As constructed, the first floor was devoted entirely to public space, with two open loggias and the two portions of the lobby. Underneath each loggia were two massive staircases leading to the mezzanine of the Chambers Street station. The staircase under the south loggia measured 64 feet (20 m) wide and could accommodate 1,280 passengers per minute, while that under the north loggia was 43 feet (13 m) wide and could accommodate 800 passengers per minute. The loggia under the southern wing still exists, with staircases leading to the subway from both the north and south. It is supported by a set of columns and has a ceiling of white Guastavino tiles.) and the platform level. and was intended as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's main subway terminal in Manhattan, but fell into disrepair after businesses moved uptown in the 1930s. When the Municipal Building was completed, there were also supposed to be new station buildings for the adjacent elevated IRT and BRT stations, designed in the same architectural style. The tracks from the Chambers Street station would have also connected directly to the elevated tracks on the Brooklyn Bridge, but the connection was never opened.

While the layer of bedrock under the Municipal Building was quite close to the surface underneath the southern part of the building, the bedrock dropped to a depth of about 180 feet (55 m) under the northern portion of the site, where it would be extremely difficult to dig caissons. efn|Landau and Condit cite the bedrock depth as ranging between The contract for the foundations was the largest to be awarded for a single building in the United States, with being excavated at a cost of $1.5 million. The caissons range in size from 6.5 feet (2 m) in diameter to across, extending to an average depth of 130 feet (40 m). While the caissons under the southern two thirds of the building carry , the larger caissons under the northern third of the building carry only The superstructure weighed a total of Of the original elevators, 32 were accessible from the lobby; As such, the fourth floor has a much lower ceiling than the other stories. There are also four emergency exit staircases. At the time, the city government's agencies rented space in various buildings from Downtown Manhattan up to Midtown Manhattan, with the number of such arrangements increasing by the year. In the 1884 annual report of the City of New York, mayor Franklin Edson declared that more space was urgently needed for governmental functions. He also noted that City Hall's "style of architecture was such that without marring its present symmetry, it couldn't be enlarged to the required extent." Edson suggested buying 280 Broadway, at the corner with Chambers Street, for use by the city government. The government, desiring to cut down the amount of rent paid to private landlords, ultimately held four design competitions for a new, massive building that would be suitable to house many agencies under one roof. and by 1887, authorities were considering erecting a structure adjacent to City Hall itself, in City Hall Park. Mayor Abram Hewitt appointed a commission to study suitable plans and plots of land in 1888, although Hewitt opposed putting such a building anywhere except City Hall Park. The commissioners of the Sinking Fund initially approved a municipal building east of the Tweed Courthouse, at the park's northeastern corner. An architectural design competition was commenced for this new building, Charles B. Atwood's winning proposal called for a pair of seven story pavilions flanking City Hall. The public generally opposed the idea of development in the park, and the plan was voted down by the New York State Senate in February 1890. The law authorizing the new building was modified in 1890 so that the new structure would be able to house other city agencies as well. Mayor Hugh J. Grant proposed a large municipal office building in early 1890,efn|name=sites|The sites were:
A block to the northwest of City Hall, bounded by Warren Street to the south, Broadway to the east, Chambers Street to the north, and Church Street to the west. This would provide of floor area. However, the city government decided in March 1893 that the municipal building would instead replace City Hall, with two wings extending north to flank the Tweed Courthouse, despite the committee's recommendation and public objections to a City Hall site. with six of these being selected as finalists. In response to opposition to City Hall's demolition, The six finalist submissions were supposed to receive monetary prizes, but ran into difficulty even collecting their awards, since the city had never formally accepted the committee's report on the finalists. The next March, state senator Patrick H. McCarren proposed a bill that would construct the municipal building on the blocks bounded by Broadway and Reade, Centre, and Chambers Streets, north of the Tweed Courthouse and west of the current building's site. The structure would replace 280 Broadway and the old Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building, incorporate the then under construction Hall of Records, and would also entail destroying the Tweed Courthouse. Several architects submitted proposals, the most elaborate of which was by McKim, Mead & White. Additionally, in 1903, the city's bridge commissioner Gustav Lindenthal hired George Post and Henry Hornbostel as architects for a planned trolley hub at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, just east of City Hall. This plan also involved constructing a 45 story municipal office tower with a campanile at Chambers and Centre Streets. The site would have cost $6.7 million. The municipal building and trolley hub plans were deferred by the administration of mayor Seth Low when he left office at the end of 1903.

By early 1907, the Hall of Records had been completed, but there was still not enough space for the city's important files; further, the city was paying large amounts for rent in private buildings. Officials pointed out that the cramped quarters of the city government's departments posed a fire hazard, and legislation had been proposed for a new municipal building. In July 1907, Lindenthal—who had already secured a new plot of land for the Brooklyn Bridge trolley hub—was authorized by the state legislature to host a fourth and final design competition for the municipal building. The Brooklyn loop line, a four track subway line, was planned to be built under the site as well, passing through a large five platform station at Chambers Street. Twelve The contestants were otherwise given "considerable freedom" for the building's design. By December 1907, several architects had submitted plans. Twelve architectural firms ultimately entered the competition, while Cass Gilbert withdrew. The firm's design provided the most space for the city government, such as the runner up proposal by Howells & Stokes, inspired by 90 West Street. Originally, the building was to have risen 448 feet (137 m), with 23 stories. The final plan called for the building to be located between Park Row, Centre Street, and Duane Street, with Chambers Street running under the Municipal Building's center. Bids for foundation work were opened in December 1908, and the contract was awarded to the J. H. Gray Company. The original building plans were rejected by the city's buildings superintendent the same month because he felt that the underlying layer of soil and sand was not strong enough to carry the building. The architects did not want to spend another $300,000 just so the foundation would extend down to the bedrock. Ultimately, the Foundation Company was contracted to dig the foundation with caissons under a very high air pressure of In a January 1909 speech, McClellan praised the project as "one of the most important projects the City has ever undertaken". At the time, he predicted that the building would cost $8 million. Work on the Municipal Building officially started on July 17, 1909. One observer predicted that the building's construction would result in an increase in real estate values, similar to what the Flatiron Building had done for the Flatiron District. Foundation work was completed in October 1909, The Board of Estimate approved a revised building plan that November. Furthermore, the presence of the sand supposedly posed issues for the superstructure, unlike at other municipal projects, the ceremony was private, and the cornerstone only had the year "1907" inscribed in Roman numerals. The injunction was reversed when the cornerstone was laid. Construction was interrupted by various incidents. Three workers were buried in June 1910 when temporary bracing in the foundation collapsed, though all survived; another cave in occurred on Park Row in September 1910. A fire broke out on the 25th floor in 1911, which at the time was the highest fire the New York City Fire Department had fought. Steel frame construction took place between June 1910 and July 1911, followed by the installation of exterior walls between March 1911 and November 1912. There were delays in installing the granite facade because the original materials were found to be inferior.

The first sections of the Municipal Building were occupied in mid 1913. The building had not been ready at the beginning of the year, forcing some city departments to renew the leases at their existing quarters. The interiors were not finished until 1916. The building had cost $12 million , which was not repaid with interest until 1964; the interest was more than twice the original cost. The land alone had cost $6 million. Nevertheless, the structure was expected to save the city from paying $800,000 a year in rent. by 1916, the building also had a court that only heard cases in which the city government was involved. Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, after taking office in 1914, criticized the usage of space in the Municipal Building as "wasteful". Some of the city departments that were scheduled to move into the building had found space elsewhere, and other city departments had been allotted less space in the building than in their previous quarters; The layouts of the interiors were also criticized, even though the city had selected the design specifically of its interior layout. Radio station WNYC (AM) started broadcasting from the 24th floor in 1924, remaining there for 85 years, and a small hospital was established on the third floor in 1929. The Municipal Building's size notwithstanding, various entities had proposed to build an even larger municipal skyscraper to the west by the 1930s, but with no success.

By 1931, Manhattan borough president Samuel Levy had requested $2 million to replace the building's elevators, which were so unreliable that some employees used the emergency stairs instead of the elevators. All of the elevators needed twice daily inspections, and, since their manufacturer was no longer in business, and acting like "Coney Island roller coasters". After fourteen of the elevators were taken out of service in late 1934, architect Mitchell Bernstein filed plans in January 1935 for a $160,000 renovation of the building's elevators and offices. and was funded partially with a $1.8 million grant from the Works Progress Administration. While the elevators were being replaced, city employees worked in three staggered shifts. Some of the shafts above the 14th floor were removed to make way for office space. The first group of seven new elevators was installed in April 1936, and the elevator replacement project was completed at the end of 1937. The city government conducted other renovations during the 1930s, cleaning the facade for the first time in 1936. Civic Fame at the top of the Municipal Building was refurbished during the 1930s, Several Civil Works Administration artists also created paintings for some of the offices. A bronze plaque, memorializing 316 firefighters who died on duty, was dedicated at the building in 1937. The city also planned to add three stories atop the building for $2.037 million; to fund this project, it received a $916,650 grant from the Public Works Administration in 1938. By the next year, the building could no longer accommodate all of the city government's agencies, several of which were located in alternate quarters surrounding Foley Square to the north. The offices in the Municipal Building included radio station WNYC on the 25th floor, the Municipal Reference Library on the 22nd floor, and the Marriage Chapel on the 2nd floor. The next year, the city began installing a dial telephone system at the Municipal Building, replacing the fourteen old telephone switchboards. At the time, the 20 city agencies in the building had a collective 1,264 telephones. The new switchboards were activated in 1951, and every line in the Municipal Building was given the same 10 digit phone number with 1,426 four digit extensions; the number was changed in 1963 when the city government consolidated about 7,000 phone extensions in Lower Manhattan. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as an official city landmark in 1966, and the facade was again cleaned the next year for $400,000.

The Municipal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The section of Chambers Street under the building was closed to vehicular traffic around the same time, with the construction of One Police Plaza. During this time, Civic Fame was also renovated. The building still had 5,000 employees by the late 1970s, but Newsday wrote that the building had "peeling walls, musty windows and old filing cabinets". Because the air conditioning rarely worked, many employees typically left the building an hour early during the summer. A piece of granite fell from the Municipal Building in 1987, landing on a ramp on the Brooklyn Bridge, although no one was injured. A subsequent investigation found other loose rocks on the facade, and netting was placed on the facade as a result. In 1988, workers surrounded the building with scaffolding in preparation for the first large scale restoration of the facade, which was to begin the next year. The renovation was expected to cost $58 million and required 39 mile (63 km) of steel tubes to support the massive scaffolds. The facade restoration was undertaken by the architects Wank Adams Slavin. for which Wank Adams Slavin received a preservation award from the city government. The 23rd and 24th stories were renovated in the early 1990s. The building was renamed after David N. Dinkins, New York City's first African American mayor, upon his 88th birthday in October 2015.

The following New York City public offices are located in the Manhattan Municipal Building: in civil ceremonies lasting about four minutes. The City Clerk's Office relocated to nearby 141 Worth Street in 2009.

Numerous accidents have occurred at the Municipal Building. In 1921, an elevator overturned, killing its two occupants. A pile of coal stored in bunkers underneath the building caught fire in 1942, and a 2005 fire slightly injured six firefighters. Additionally, a flood on the fourth floor in 1959 destroyed brand new machinery that processed the pay checks for the building's workers.

Lionel Moses, appraising McKim, Mead & White's work in 1922, said that "we have a building of 580 feet to the top of the figure, of superbly monumental character and classic beauty, every part of which attests the architectural knowledge of its designers". In particular, Moses praised the fact that the firm could create a large office building on "a comparatively small plot of irregular shape", which could still accommodate a subway station, a public street, and mechanical equipment. influencing other structures such as the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, the Fisher Building in Detroit, the Wrigley Building in Chicago, and the New York Central Building in Midtown Manhattan. In particular, the base of the Municipal Building above Chambers Street was likened to the base of the New York Central Building, which spanned Park Avenue. The base also inspired the General Motors Building in Detroit, while the tower stories influenced the "Tower of Jewels", designed by Carrère and Hastings for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The arches of the Moscow State University's main building and of 550 Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan were also inspired by that of the Municipal Building. In Ghostbusters (1984), the team leaves to confront Gozer from the building. In The Professional (1994), antagonist Stansfield, played by actor Gary Oldman, works for the DEA at the building, in office 4602. Newsday wrote in 1987 that the structure was often used for film shoots where characters jumped off the building's roof.