Candler Building (New York City)
The Candler Building is a skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located at 220 West 42nd Street, with a secondary address of 221 West 41st Street, the 24-story building was designed by the firm of Willauer, Shape and Bready in the Spanish Renaissance style. It was constructed between 1912 and 1913 for Coca-Cola Company owner Asa Griggs Candler. The Candler Building was one of the last skyscrapers built in New York City before the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which required setbacks. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Location
220 West 42nd St. and 221 West 41st St., Manhattan, New York
0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
1912
Willauer, Shape, & Bready
Skyscraper
July 8, 1982
The building consists of two sections: a 24-story rectangular tower to the north, facing 42nd Street, and a shorter 17-story rear wing to the south, facing 41st Street. The tower section was originally flanked by five-story wings and was designed with a marble and terracotta facade; the terracotta has since been replaced with cast stone. The rear wing contains a brick facade. On 42nd Street, the facade is divided vertically into five bays; a loggia spans the three central bays. The building contains an emergency-exit staircase to the south, which is structurally separate from the rest of the building. The rear wing originally contained the Candler Theatre (later Sam H. Harris Theatre). The remainder of the building contained showrooms and offices.
The site of the Candler Building was cleared beginning in February 1912 and the building opened the next year. For several decades, the Candler Building largely housed entertainment firms. The Candler family owned the building until 1947, when it began to go through a series of sales. Charles F. Noyes acquired the building in 1965 and renovated it, then marketed the rear wing to garment firms. The building's upper floors were sealed in the 1970s due to a lack of tenants. Former New York City government official Michael J. Lazar acquired the Candler Building at a foreclosure proceeding in 1980 and leased the space to city agencies, prompting a corruption investigation. The building was renovated again in the late 1990s following a second foreclosure, and its space was leased to SFX Entertainment and McDonald's in the 2000s.
Site[edit]
The Candler Building is on 220 West 42nd Street, between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue near the southern end of Times Square, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.[2][3] The land lot is irregularly shaped and covers 10,109 square feet (939.2 m2), extending 200 feet (61 m) between its two frontages on 41st and 42nd Streets.[2] The main frontage on 42nd Street measures 78 feet (24 m) wide, while the 41st Street frontage measures 25 feet (7.6 m) wide.[4] In the mid-20th century, the lot was rectangular and measured 125 feet (38 m) on both streets, with a total area of 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2). The larger area accommodated the Sam H. Harris Theatre on 41st Street, as well as a pair of five-story wings on 42nd Street.[5]
The city block includes 5 Times Square and the New Amsterdam Theatre to the east, as well as Madame Tussauds New York, Empire Theatre, and Eleven Times Square to the west. The Todd Haimes Theatre, Times Square Theater, Lyric Theatre, New Victory Theater, and 3 Times Square are across 42nd Street to the north.[2][3] Entrances to the New York City Subway's Times Square–42nd Street and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal stations, served by the 1, 2, 3, 7, <7>, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, and S trains, are on the same block to the west and east.[6] The surrounding area is part of Manhattan's Theater District and contains many Broadway theaters.[3] Prior to the Candler Building's construction, the site had contained the Central Baptist Church.[7] The site immediately to the west, at 230 West 42nd Street, was occupied by the former Percival Apartments (later Murray's Roman Gardens) until approximately 1996, when it was replaced by the Madame Tussauds museum.[8][9]
