laboratoryi€¦ · web viewbroadway at fulton street; main building and porch 1764-1768; spire...

BUILDINGS OF LOWER MANHATTAN:USE OF STONE AND STYLE

Wayne Powell and Liv Yarrow

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to better differentiate between the three rock families (igneous,

sedimentary, metamorphic) Students will be able to differentiate between the five classical orders (Doric, Ionic,

Corinthian, Tuscan, Composite) and their major variations Students will be able to make a reasoned conclusion as to why architects chose a

particular stone or architectural detail for a given building Students will be able to articulate the public messages conveyed by architectural

design (stone and style)

PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Minerals lab Building Stones of the Brooklyn College Campus lab

PRE-LAB PREPARATION: Review of characteristics of rock families

MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS TO BRING: Clipboard, notebook, camera, weather-appropriate clothing.

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Copyright © 2008 Wayne Powell and Liv Yarrow

The class will meet in the churchyard of St. Paul’s Chapel (the Church Street side of the church). The chapel is located off of Broadway between Fulton Street and Vesey Street (Fig 1). The closest subway stations are the Fulton Street Station on the 4 and 5 lines, and the Broadway-Nassau Street Station on the A and C lines (Fig. 1). Please check for train service changes to avoid being late (e.g., www.hopstop.com).

During this 3-hour field trip, you will complete the worksheets on pages 5 through 10 as a class. In addition you will work in one of five groups, with each group being assigned two buildings to describe in greater detail including photographs of features of the stone and architectural features . This detailed information will be used in next week’s lab period to analyze patterns in the use of stone and architectural features with regard to time and message.

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Figure 1. Field Trip Stop Location Map (Use blanks to record stone and order data.)

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Essential Background Information

Summary of Diagnostic Features of Common Building Stones

RockFamily

CommonRock Family Features

Rock Name

Common Colors

CommonRock Features

Sedimentary

Bedding

Fossils

Rounded Grains

Angular, Irregular Grains

Porous

Sandstone Reddish Brown, Beige, White, Grey

Grainy; composed of rounded grains up to 2 mm in diameter. “Sandy” feel. Bedding is common.

Limestone Grey, Beige Grainy. Fossils are common. Bedding is common. Stylolites are common.

Travertine White, Beige Bedding is distinct and wavy. Large open spaces (pores) are abundant along bedding planes

Breccia Many Large, irregular, angular grains are abundant.

Igneous Regular, Blocky Crystals

Random Arrangementof Crystals

Non-Porous

Granite White, Pink, Speckled

Crystalline. Crystals large enough to see. Light colored. Micas are common.

Gabbro Black, Green,Dark Grey

Crystalline. Crystals large enough to see. Dark colored

Metamorphic Banding

Folded or Swirly Texture

Crystals Aligned

Marble White, Pink Crystalline. Wispy textures are common. No fossils.

Gneiss Pink, Black and White

Crystalline. Bands of distinctly different color. Bands may be irregular and folded.

Serpentinite Green Commonly brecciated or banded

Criteria for the Selection of a Building Stone Availability: Is enough available? Can it be transported to the construction site? Affordability: What is the cost per square foot of the material? Durability: Will it withstand weathering, including such things as collisions, foot traffic, and acid rain? Workability: Can it be cut, polished, and/or carved to achieve the desired form? Visual Impact: Is the color and texture pleasing? Does it suit the building? Does it project the intended

message?

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Characteristics of Architectural Orders

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STOP 1: ST. PAUL’S CHAPELBroadway at Fulton Street; Main building and porch 1764-1768; Spire 1794Manhattan’s oldest surviving church, and it is New York’s oldest public building that has been in continuous use.

The walls of the chapel are composed of blocks of stone that were cut from boulders that lay within the field on which the churchyard now sits, and so are called fieldstones. These rocks were physically weathered from the underlying bedrock. Examine the fieldstones in the wall and determine the kind of rock that underlies the churchyard. What is your evidence?

Igneous Sedimentary Metamorphic (Circle One)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two different types of local stone are used for the eighteenth century gravestones. What are these two stones, and what kind of weathering predominates in each: physical (breaking) or chemical (dissolution)?White Gravestones: _____________________________________________________________Brown Gravestones: _____________________________________________________________

Identify the stone from which the white headstones are _____________________________ carved and which was quarried in northernmost ManhattanDescribe your evidence _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the stone from which the brown headstones are _____________________________carved and which was quarried in Newark, New JerseyDescribe your evidence _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The youngest gravestones in the churchyard are composed of granite. Locate one of these stones examine the carvings. How does the clarity of the carvings in the granite headstones compare with the other two rock types used in this quarry, and suggest a reason for this difference.______________________________________________________________________________

Why might granite not have been used for the older grave stones? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the order of the architectural features that support the roof over the rear door of the church, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.

Doric Ionic Corner Ionic Corinthian Tuscan Composite (Circle One)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Which of these features are columns and which are pilasters?Columns: _____________________________________________________________________

Pilasters: _____________________________________________________________________

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STOP 2: New York County Lawyer’s Association, 14 Vesey Street; 1929-1930

Three different stones are used on the exterior of this building, each for a different architectural feature (walls, steps, porch floor). What are these three stones, and why is each best suited for their given location/purpose on the building exterior?Walls: ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Steps: _________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________Porch: _________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

Identify the order of the architectural features that run through the second and third floors of the building, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.

Doric Ionic Corner Ionic Corinthian Tuscan Composite (Circle One)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________These are: Columns Engaged Columns Pilasters Piers (Circle

One)

STOP 3: Former AT&T Building, 195 Broadway; 1912-1923This 29-story building which was the original headquarters of AT&T from 1916 to 1983, and according to nyc-architecture.com, it has more Classical columns than any façade in the world.

Identify the order of the architectural features on the first floor of the building, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.


One)

Identify the order of the architectural features on the higher floors of the building, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.


One)

Identify the stone of which this building is made:_______________________________________

Describe your evidence _________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

STOP 4: One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway; 1973This 54-floor glass and steel skyscraper was originally commissioned by U.S. Steel.

The building is surrounded by a broad open plaza stone that includes stone sidewalks, steps, and planters that surround this building can also be seen on the Brooklyn College campus.Identify the stone of which the sidewalks are made: ________________________________ Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On which Brooklyn College campus building is this stone used? (Circle One)Ingersoll (1937) Boylan (1937) Whitehead (1963) James (1971) Ingersoll Extension (1971)Are any classical features present on this building or the surrounding plaza? __________________

STOP 5: Equitable Building, 120 Broadway; 1913-1915When it was completed, the Equitable Building was the largest office building in the world by square footage (1.2 million square feet). With its bulk, and lack of set-backs, this building casts a 7 acre shadow and led to NYC’s first comprehensive zoning resolution in 1916 to ensure that future construction would not block sunlight from ever reaching the city streets.


Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Is there any evidence of metamorphism of this stone? Explain__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the order of the architectural features on the first three floors of this building, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.


STOP 6: Trinity Building and United States Realty Building, 111 and 115 Broadway; 1904-1907These twinned buildings with their Gothic detail were designed to harmonize with the neighboring Trinity Church that was built in Gothic Revival style in 1846.

How does the degree of ornamentation on these Gothic style buildings compare to that of the buildings that you have seen with Classical styles? ______________________________________________________________________________

Identify the stone on the exterior of Trinity and United States Realty Buildings: ______________

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Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does this stone suit the degree of ornamentation?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the wainscoting stone on the Trinity and United States Realty Buildings: _____________ Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why is this stone well suited for use along the base of the building?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the stone on the exterior of Trinity Church: ____________________________________ Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How does this stone suit the degree of ornamentation?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Provide a reasonable explanation, with supporting evidence, as to why the architects may have chosen to use a different stone for the younger Trinity and United States Realty Buildings?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BUILDING 7: American Surety Company Building, 100 Broadway; Main building 1894-1896


Describe your evidence _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Identify the order of the architectural features of this building, and describe the key feature that is evidence of your conclusion.


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BUILDING 8: United States Customs House / Federal Hall, 28 Wall Street; 1833-1842Built on the site of the original Federal Hall where George Washington took the oath of office. The stone for this building was quarried in Westchester County (near Tuckahoe).



Describe the state of weathering of this building. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the primary mechanism for erosion of this building? Support your answer with evidence.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



BUILDING 9: New York Stock Exchange, 8 Broad Street; 1901-1903



Is this building made from exactly the same stone as Federal Hall? Support your answer with evidence. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



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BUILDING 10: Tiffany and Company Building, 37 Wall Street; 1937



How does this stone suit the degree of ornamentation?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are any classical features present on this building? Describe _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How does the style of the suit the ornamentation suit the use of this building?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GROUP BUILDING DESCRIPTION ASSIGNMENTS:

Group 1: St. Paul’s Chapel (Stop 1) and Equitable Building (Stop 5)

Group 2: Trinity Building (Stop 6) and US Customs House (Stop 8)

Group 3: One Libery Plaza (Stop 4) and American Surety Building (Stop 7)

Group 4: New York County Lawyers Association (Stop 2) and Trinity Church (Stop 6)

Group 5: AT&T Building (Stop 3) and Tiffany’s (Stop 10)

HOMEWORK:

Be sure you have taken adequate photographs and notes of the two buildings which your group was assigned to treat in further detail. Using college resources, both digital and print, further investigate the history of your buildings. Use the following questions to guide your investigation:

Who was the designer/architect? Is there any information on his/her background, education, style, influences, and other major projects?

What other major buildings were built at the same time? What was the style of these buildings (similar or dissimilar)?

Who was the original tenant and what was the purpose of the building? What sort of activities would originally have taken place there? Who would have visited the building?

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Week 2: Field Trip Follow-Up Activity1. Re-assemble in your data collection groups from week one and collate the information you each individually

gathered on your two buildings. Discuss how the observable features may relate to the historical background. For each building, write a summary of your findings. Each summary should include a hypothesis as to what influenced choice of stone and style and at least four sentences detailing supporting evidence.

2. You will be assigned a new group which contains one representative from each of the original five groups. You are responsible for briefing your new group members as to your final hypotheses and evidence as detailed in #1 above.

a. Choose a group recorder and a group reporter. These may not be the same individual. You may also wish to choose a group discussion leader to facilitate the conversation.

b. Consider all ten buildings together. Which ones have classical features? Which ones do not?

c. Create a chronological list of all ten buildings from oldest to newest.

d. Is there a trend in the use of stone overtime?

e. Is there a trend in styles overtime?

f. Is there any correlation between stone and style? Answer this final question by writing another hypothesis statement and at least four sentences detailing your supporting evidence.

g. Do these correlations hold true for stone used on the Brooklyn College campus over the past 75 years?

Report-Out and Class Discussion

3. Drawing upon what you’ve learned, your group is now charged with creating a general design for one of the following new buildings:

i. International Insurance Broker

ii. A Legal Archives Research Facility for a not-for-profit agency

iii. Google’s New York Headquarters

iv. A Port Authority bridge over the Hudson beginning from the site of Ground Zero

v. A multi-denominational house of prayer for the UN

a. What message would your client wish to convey to the general public through the design of their building?

b. What would be the predominant logistical concern(s) in choosing stone (e.g., cost, strength, durability, availability)?

c. What stone(s) and styles would you use to meet the needs of your client? Write a short justification of your choices.

d. Record your design recommendations and justifications on a sheet of poster paper and post it on the wall.

e. Provide constructive criticism of the designs of the other groups by affixing comments on post-it notes to their posters.

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f. Use the constructive criticism to improve your design and justification. Submit this as a two-paragraph report in the following week.

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