even a century ago the New York City skyline looked very different than it does today this
isn't just about the number of new skyscrapers built in recent memory but also because of the
building's torn down before then you may recall we've already discussed singer tower
on this channel but another skyscraper shared a very similar fate you see in the late 19th
century the gillinder building was finished even though it was regarded as one of the
marvels of New York City and was once one of the tallest structures in the world now
it's a former footprint in the city has been consumed by yet another iconic skyscraper and
all evidence of the gillander building is either erased or buried beneath it so what
caused such a great building to be demolished so quickly today we discover the rise and
fall of the gillander building I'm your host Ryan so cash and you're watching its history
in 1896 New York City was on the cusp of a new era the skyline was transforming with the
emergence of America's most iconic buildings one perhaps overlooked gem is gillander Tower which
had a very typical beginning construction began with laying 40 to 50 feet long pipes under the
cellar as tests for the foundation due to the narrow work environment and clumsy construction
tools and materials of the day this had to be done by sinking pipes in gradual segments and
screwing them together as the depth and length increased soils has showed that the ground below
was a hazardous mixture of quicksand Earth and boulders deeply saturated by water considering
the elements Foundation pressure was 10 000 pounds per square foot the work environment
was harsh heavy excavation followed digging to the soil pan 50 feet below the surface this was not
quickly accomplished though as another skyscraper set directly opposite the prop property so to
accomplish their construction without risking the partial or even total collapse of this building
as excavation went along New Foundations had to be dug for the existing building to prevent the
Earth beneath it from collapsing on top of the excavators next a combination of hydraulic jacks
and water jets drove these pipes to the thick pen 50 feet below the building these pipes would be
filled with concrete for structure and anchor to the building's wall and original Foundation
to create the needed reinforcement apparently this method was used only once before New York
with work on the commercial cable building and only after this challenging issue was resolved
did the gillander's construction begin it was decided that three masonry Piers each holding four
columns to support the eventual superstructure would create a sufficient foundation work began
using a sizable pneumatic caisson to create a pressurized but dry work environment the extra
evaders dug under the pneumatic caissons workers laid the Mason foundations directly above them
until reaching the hardpan as mentioned before the work was as intensive as it was dangerous you see
once in the pressurized chamber they would have to work with a hammer and pickaxe to laboriously
fill dozens or even hundreds of buckets as they progressed down further after intensive digging
the entire 50 feet the caissons were filled with concrete and the actual construction could begin
the steel skeleton of the building began to take form over the dirt lot and paved streets unlike
the neighboring Towers the gillenders framing and Foundations held their entire weight internally
none of the walls were essential or load-bearing girders and columns supported each floor creating
an independent load-bearing design in the center outwards and I have to stress this
was an extreme achievement given the narrowness of the building being only 1 14 as wide is its
outer height the building was incredibly slender compared to most other skyscrapers within the
city in fact the width to height proportion was tighter than many industrial Smoke Stacks hence
perfect accuracy had to be practiced at every level of construction or else risk of a near
total collapse was a possibility that being said even while the superstructure was being
built stonemasons began work on the walls around the exterior the very methodical construction had
to be perfectly concise and anchored properly in rows while inside the building Mason's positioned
Hollow Stone arches between the beams and filled them with concrete or metal lath on top to form
the ceilings and Floors the vertical beams were covered in brickwork and the beds were coated
with plaster as each Building Story began to take shape construction wrapped in 1897 and
once finally completed from foundations to the highest point the gillander building was 22 by 74
feet in dimension and 340 feet tall inside were 19 floors including the street level Lobby plus two
more minor and less accessible floors topped by a cupola for viewing and observing the growing city
the total building weight was estimated as around 9 000 tons despite the unheard of narrowness here
the most notable accomplish was probably the speed with which the main construction was completed you
see the calendar building was completed within a year of construction a feat that would most
likely be impossible today so with that being said let's take a tour and have a look at what was once
inside of this amazing Tower the gillander building didn't have independent Heating and
Cooling instead utilities were supplied by the New York steam company and generated by a large array
of boilers off-site this Supply was made possible thanks to a matrix of feed pipes laid Underground
Across the city these are actually the same pipes responsible for the city's iconic Street chimneys
found around New York in modern times anyhow the building did have all the other luxuries
such as installed power including 1500 lamps and motorized elevators on top of that steam pumps in
the cellar provided water to each story of the building this ease of water access also gave
the building a decent measure of fire protection feeding emergency hoses on each floor although not
the most luxurious building covered in our Tales of Urban Decay it was an impressive Modern Marvel
befitting the most ambitious and enterprising conquests of the city shortly after construction
however problems began this next chapter is rather vague and all indications suggest that the issues
leading to the building's downfall were not intended for public consumption I'm talking
about family issues falling somewhere between a mental breakdown and press slander The Story Goes
Augustus T gillinder and his Representatives began selling his assets and property as early as March
of 1905 it was stated that the intense pressure of his business and legal practice drove him to
a mental breakdown a mental breakdown so horrific that Augustus was interned published developments
uprooted a career in industry and law for more than 40 years overnight a respected legal career
in a seat at country clubs the bar association and even a campaign for district Alderman was all
destroyed but what was at the root of this well however damaging the Press might have been for him
and his family as a result of his breakdown it had several incorrect announcements and assumptions
for example the article published by the New York Tribune on March the 7th of that year struggled to
even Define his exact age more importantly though the same article went so far as to say that he
owned the gillander building however just a day later on March the 10th the Tribune was forced
to issue a revision after receiving a letter from Helen l gillinder the building's valid owner she
said she inherited the land from her grandfather and commissioned the construction herself and that
the building's name was intended to honor her father to better understand this information
Gap we need to go back to the building's initial planning Helen's father Eccles ran a successful
Tobacco Company her great uncle Augustus was as we mentioned a respected lawyer much of the family
was either born to significant wealth inherited wealth or was simply well placed and invested
what we do know is that Helen inherited this land from her grandfather and shortly after had already
received dividends on his investment as the ground had suddenly skyrocketed in value before
construction even began it was worth 625 thousand dollars or 18 million dollars by 2020 inflation
estimates a general information Gap around her and the building in this time frame leaves much to be
desired when researching the topic it doesn't appear that many be on the family and their
Associates knew about Helen's ownership or of her considerable wealth around this time verifying
information in a rapidly developing story would have been hard so the inaccuracies might not have
been made in Malice the Tribune through posting though that are sent to them by gillander did
at least partially correct the information Gap their impact is unfortunately equally unclear
it's as if time had deliberately decided to throw all those surrounding this topic Into Obscurity
so let's focus on what we do know it can be said that discussions to sell the property started
only four years after construction and within a decade these discussions rapidly evolved to ideas
of demolition for the skyscraper entirely the reasoning however seems unclear or non-existent
suspicions lingered around the building that did not include or account for Augustus it's widely
believed that the owner meant to capitalize on her inheritance and built the skyscraper at
cheaper rates leading to the type of unreasonable Corner cutting that could lead to safety hazards
new building standards were coming into practice during the planning and construction and although
the building was assumed to be largely fireproof implementation was unverified even if it was
other safety concerns did exist for sure during the construction of the steel framework all the
girders and beams were to be coated in a boiled linseed oil at the joints as a preservative but
this was also overlooked you you see given the rapid construction during winter distinct time
limitations were a reality due to bad weather the procedures were not followed through regularly
other measures were also missed such as having all rivets and inaccessible structures painted
with rust preventing paint although this might have been better if not carried out considering
the intense presence of lead in construction paint used in those times equally this might have
inadvertently increased The credibility of fire safety concerns given that lead paint can be an
incredibly flammable substance however credible or incredible these assumptions may have been
the decision was ultimately made to tear down the gillander building after the land and surrounding
structures were purchased by the Manhattan Trust Company despite the fate of her building Helena
gillinder did well for herself walking away from the deal with one and a half million dollars in
1910 which is over 45 million dollars today a ultimately the Manhattan Trust Company and
the Bankers Trust Company would work together to demolish the building and later construct
a new 32-story high-class Financial building initially named the Bankers Trust building it
was renamed to match its Street Corner 14 Wall Street this building dominates its predecessor
in both sheer size and cultural dominance being more than twice the size and height as well as
all other dimensions normally I don't celebrate buildings that replace historic architecture but
since 14 Wall Street is a masterpiece it seems like the trade was worth it 14 Wall Street was
the first of a new kind of high-class financial office built to be both dominating and iconic and
while no one could really claim that it failed at that some do say that the charm of its predecessor
is sorely missing as in this rare case I disagree I'd be curious to know what your thoughts are let
me know in the comments the gullander building encapsulated a different time for New York yet
this period didn't last long and in its brief 12-year existence I'd like to think gillinger
building set a certain tone in this case Nostalgia didn't drive progress but to a degree you can
notice the spirit of previous skyscrapers like the gilander building within the structure of
14 Wall Street anyhow but this isn't the only cultural ghost left by the building either as
a novelist Jed rubenfield made it the final setting in his 2006 book the interpretation
of murder recounting Sigmund Freud's visit to New York City in 1909 in this story Sigmund
Freud's Dora met her other half for the last time talking and enjoying the views from the
top of the building knowing full well that soon the building would be torn down so despite the
calendar building's disappearance from Manhattan skyline over a century ago its Legacy indeed lives
on and we'll leave it there for today until next time this is Ryan silkash signing off