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Singer Building souvenir

Creation: circa 1908
 Collection
Accession: 1994-280

Abstract

The Singer Company was once the world's leading producer of sewing machines that achieved peak domestic and foreign influence by the late nineteenth century. In 1902 the Singer Company began plans to enlarge its headquarters in downtown Manhattan. Ernest Flagg was selected as the architect, and his initial design was for a thirty-five story tower; however, the company decided to almost double its height. The Beaux-Arts style skyscraper, made of red brick and bluestone, was completed in 1908 and stretched to 612 feet. This two sided souvenir shows three photographs of the Singer Building from 1907 to 1908; the reverse side is a longitudinal cross sectional drawing of the tower with engineering and architectural data.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1908

Creator

Extent

1 item(s)

General Physical Description

1 item : souvenir ; 13.5 x 7.25 in. 1 item : envelope ; 5 x 7.5 in.

Historical Note

The Singer Company was once the world's leading producer of sewing machines that achieved peak domestic and foreign influence by the late nineteenth century. In 1902 the Singer Company began plans to enlarge its headquarters in downtown Manhattan. Ernest Flagg was selected as the architect, and his initial design was for a thirty-five story tower; however, the company decided to almost double its height. The Beaux-Arts style skyscraper, made of red brick and bluestone, was completed in 1908 and stretched to 612 feet. Although significantly taller than previous skyscrapers, the Singer Tower held the title of tallest building for only one year, when the Metropolitan Life Tower surpassed it. In 1963 the Singer Corporation sold the building, and in 1968 it became the tallest building ever demolished by a company. It was replaced by the U.S. Steel building, which is now known as Liberty Plaza.

Scope and Content

This two sided souvenir shows three photographs of the Singer Building from 1907 to 1908; the reverse side is a longitudinal cross sectional drawing of the tower with engineering and architectural data. The bottom panel is missing (floors 1 to 6).

Location

GL Box 2.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Related Names

Subject

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Singer Building souvenier
Date:
2015
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400