September 27, 1919





recorda!nd   guide





401





Speeding Work on New Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. Annex

Many Artistic Features of Church Forme rly on the Site To Be Preserved and

Incorporated in Other Buildings





^i^







s^







i.^i^^





THOMPSON-STARRETT COMPANY, general contrac¬
tors, have the foundations well under way for the new
office building annex to be constructed for the Metro-
politant Life Insurance Company from plans by D. Everett
Waid, architect.

. The new annex will extend from Madison avenue along the
north side of 24th street to the old annex and the two build¬
ings  will  form one  building known  simply as  "The Annex,"

.225 feet long, 75 feet wide, with basement and sub-basement
below the street level and sixteen stories and, in part, eighteen

-stories above the street.   The new build¬
ing will be of South Dover (N, Y.) mar-       j;^-----

ble. Renaissance in style of design har-       !     '    "

■monizing with the present buildings and       [

^connected with  the  Home  office  build-

.ing by a bridge at the lunch room level,

,146 feet above the street level.

' It is of interest to note that the new
building is to stand on the site of the
Madison Square Presbyterian Church,
widely known as the "Parkhurst Church."
This church was built fifteen years ago
'on the site purchased by the Metropol¬
itan Life Insurance Company which,
through Vice-President Reker, then
'treasurer, induced the church organi¬
zation to give up its old church which
stood where the Metropolitan Tower
Tiow stands. The old church on the
^ower site was of stone with a Gothic
spire which was quite overpowered by
the mass of the big insurance building.
The new church of brick and terra cotta,
Renaissance in style with a dome, was
designed by McKim, Mead & White in
a manner which made it distinguished
even though it stood beside the 48-story
Metropolitan Tower. This church was
accounted by critics one of New York's
notable works of architecture, and a
masterpiece among the designs of Stan¬
ford White.

The architect of the new Metropolitan
building, D. Everett Waid, regretting
the necessary destruction of the beauti¬
ful church, tried to find some organiza¬
tion which would take it and re-erect it
on another site for a church or possibly
a bank. Finally another architect de¬
cided that he could use a part of the
materials in a business building of quite
a different design. It will be interest¬
ing after a year hence when visiting
Hartford, to look up the Hartford Times
Building and find its facade toward a
public square built of the white brick
and the terra cotta cornices and band
courses, door and window architraves
and even the six granite columns—but
with new Ionic capitals replacing the
old  terra  cotta  Corinthian  ones.

There were many details of the church
which were exquisite in design, some of
which were executed by well known
sculptors. Mr. Waid had the pleasure
of arranging that fragments of cor¬
nices, friezes and balustrades should be





sent to Columbia University School of Architecture. Some
details went to individuals who were interested, including
the son of Stanford White. Robert W, DeForest who is at
once a director of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and
President of The Metropolitan Museum, has put the beauti¬
ful sculptured reliefs from the main pediment in safe storage
with the expectation of exhibiting them in the museum. The
disposition of the rich stained glass windows has not yet
been  determined.    The fine pipe organ, the pews, and wain-

'   {Continued on page 404)







1^^





-Jt





Vr





--"S





- > ■-





-^'





ft





-'-





%











'N>,







I





t*"^"





m











'^1





:V:





N













.\











V:.^:





ftr



















J     ^.





u





I Ir- -^











1 c:-'^n













■ .i--i^'-.













•r;-^:.^4^?^















^^gipSi.





ti





mmm







I





i^^^i^y^:^











>   «





.^^i.:;^-^^















I













\^





b.











' ^ ^*^«^;; f'^iff  ALc^i^^^f,







^u-C"













C~'  ■^'''" -' —^







IJ





■I"





^ Jii HI

111 tl





H'rtV





Vj







j'#'#







kT







:^*





Vi^





D. Everett Wald. Architect.

METROPOLITAN ANNEX REPLACING DR. PARKHURST'S CHURCR