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photo-documenting louis h. sullivan's bayard-condict building terra cotta facade

when in new york i always visit sullivan's bayard-condict building (1897-1899) not only to reacquaint  myself with an "old friend" of sorts, but to closely study and photo-document the exceptional white glazed terra cotta facade through time, executed by the perth amboy terra cotta company, perth amboy, nj. the playful and lively terra cotta curtain wall adorning the bayard-condict building's steel skeleton frame is such a radical departure from the regurgitated design elements used time and again in american renaissance architecture, which at the time, was integrated in the majority of commercial buildings across the country.

both the city and department of buildings were not very fond of what would be sullivan's only commission in new york city during the time of its construction. despite this, the condict building (as it was originally known) was one of the earliest steel skeleton frame skyscrapers, and one of the earliest examples of the "chicago school" style of architecture in the city when completed in 1899.

i packed all of my camera gear, including several interchangeable lenses (including my 600 mm telephoto) while getting ready for my brief stay there, with the bayard-condict specifically in mind. i was eager to capture the cornice, along with the lionheads and six figural angels crowning each of the spandrels (the latter were not part of sullivan's original design). the fabrication of over seven thousand pieces of terra cotta were meant to create the visually striking curtain wall, so i wanted to be fully equipped to capture the monolithic assemblage in greatest possible detail, including surface crazing, seam lines, and any and any additional surface characteristics that i've failed to capture on previous trips over the years.

it should be noted that an extensive rehabilitation effort in 2000, identified 1300 sections of terra cotta deemed structurally compromised, leading to the their removal and reinstallation of newly made components under the direction of wasa/studio (a new york city-based architecture and engineering firm).

 

the digital photographs contained within this blog post represent a small fraction of the 500+ images i shot over the course of an afternoon while pacing around bleeker street. if anything, today's entry will serve as a reminder to revisit this folder of images dedicated to the bayard-condict building's terra cotta facade in order to create a complete portfolio to share with any and all historians and/or researchers in need of high-resolution images of this remarkable facade. future posts will cover other subject matter in new york city, including the elegant cast iron facades of soho's loft buildings, sidewalk vault lights, the dakota apartment building, subway mosaics, and much more when time permits.

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