America's Lost Classical Architecture

Having been founded about 250 years ago, the United States of America is a relatively young country. In line with this, it's also got a fairly modern image in terms of architecture, exemplified in the gleaming skyscrapers of its great cities. But on closer inspection, many of these skyscrapers are in fact built in traditional styles, and you could say that they make up the tip of the iceberg of America's rich classical tradition. From the monumental architecture of Washington D.C. to quaint country houses and regional revivalist styles, the United States has a lot to offer. Even so, some of its greatest works of classical architecture have unfortunately been lost, and in this video I'm going to be showcasing a few of them. In the late 19th century, Chicago was growing at a rapid pace, and many of the city's public buildings quickly became used beyond their intended capacity. One such case was the structure known as the United States Custom House, Courthouse, and Post Office. It had only been erected in 1880, but since the city's population more than doubled in the next decade, it was demolished in 1896 to make way for its successor. This was the Chicago Federal Building. Designed by local architect Henry Ives Cobb, it was constructed over a steel frame with exterior walls of brick, and was sheathed with 500,000 square feet, or 46,000 square meters, of gray granite from Maine. Laid out in the shape of a Greek cross, it featured Corinthian porticoes in each direction, and was capped by a 100 feet, or 30 meter, tall gilt dome. In total, the building was 16 stories tall. On the inside, it was richly decorated, and the four wings met under the dome to form an octagonal rotunda, which was actually larger than the one in the United States Capitol. Having been finished in 1905, the Chicago Federal Building would eventually meet its end in 1965, when it was demolished. The site is now occupied by the Federal Plaza, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the International Style. In 1896, the wealthy Singer Corporation, best known as the manufacturer of sewing machines, decided to build its new headquarters at the northwestern corner of Liberty Street and Broadway in New York City. The 10 story tall building was made in the elegant Beaux-Arts style, with a facade of stone and red brick, and was topped by a mansard roof. Although an impressive building, it had been turned into a true icon through an addition made between 1906 and 1908. Its architect, Ernest Flagg, was brought back to design a tower, which would give the structure a total of 41 stories, and at a height of 612 feet, or 187 meters, it'd become the tallest building in the world. Flagg deplored how modern skyscrapers grew upward from the very edge of their plots, making narrow ravines of the city streets below. Thus, he decided that the tower should be set back from the street, giving the building its unconventional narrow shape. Its top included a 50 foot, or 15 meter tall dome, capped by a lantern, where visitors could pay the equivalent of $14 in today's value to enjoy views of the city. Especially noteworthy was also the lavishly decorated lobby, which was said to exude, quote, celestial radiance. But the Singer building was only the world's tallest for about a year, losing the position in 1909. By the 1960s, the Singer Corporation had decided to move out of the old building, and its small floors made it unappealing for redevelopment at the time. Thus, in 1968, it gained a new record, becoming the tallest building ever to be demolished. Since its completion in 1973, the site has been occupied by One Liberty Plaza. Another of New York's great lost landmarks is Pennsylvania Station. Originally opened in 1910, the vast structure was widely praised for its majestic architecture, and in its heyday it served 100 million people a year, traveling to and from the city by rail. It featured an imposing facade of granite, equipped with sturdy Doric columns. The main waiting room was inspired by the Baths of Caracalla in ancient Rome, and was the largest indoor space in the city. Covering one and a half city blocks, it was clad in travertine marble, and drenched in sunlight through its great vaulted windows, soaring 150 feet, or 45 meters, above the chamber. The concourse, by contrast, was made up of a forest of undecorated steel columns, expressing its utilitarian function. Trains arrived through tunnels, and were therefore by necessity driven by electricity instead of coal. It also made use of an innovative vertical layout, in which inbound and outbound trains were stacked to prevent congestion. The man who had envisioned this temple of transportation was Alexander Cassatt, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Up until the early 20th century, they lacked direct access to New York, with the lines terminating on the opposite banks of the Hudson River. This problem was finally solved by the construction of underground tunnels, allowing them to reach the city and to construct this grand terminal. Designed by McKim, Mead & White, one of the country's leading architectural firms, it was intended as a monument for the ages. But it would only last for about 50 years. The decline in passenger traffic following World War II made it increasingly unprofitable, and despite public backlash, the building was demolished in 1966. Its underground concourses were then remodeled into the modern Pennsylvania Station, while Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Plaza were built above. The City Hall of San Francisco stands as an impressive example of the beauty and grandeur advocated in early 20th century urban planning. But when it was built in the 1910s, it actually succeeded an earlier, even grander, building. The Old City Hall was a massive structure, covering two blocks, and inspired by France's opulent Second Empire style. Rising above its meandering façade were five separate towers, and a giant dome topped with a gleaming statue holding a torch. In front of it stood the Pioneer Monument, now moved to a different location, and there was also a separate dome structure called the Hall of Records. The complex was designed by Canadian architect Augustus Laver, and stood more or less completed in 1899, after 27 years of planning and construction. It had by then gone far over budget, and the project was tainted by corruption and incompetence. It had also taken much longer to build than planned, because the city refused to take loans, meaning that construction stopped whenever they were short on money. Furthermore, the quality of the building was highly questionable, and parts of it had begun to break even before it was finished. As a final bad omen, it was constructed over the city's first cemetery, the resting place of over 8000 dead who had to be moved. When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hit, the building came crumbling down, having stood finished for just 7 years. Damaged beyond repair, it was replaced by the current city hall, built a few blocks away.