The Palace of 5 Beekman Street: The Past, Present, and Future
Of a Newly Discovered Forgotten Landmark
People often think that everything noteworthy in New York City has been discovered and widely publicized. The cities vast and intricate infrastructure is something to be marveled at and exposed to world. The city's infamous skyscrapers, parks, unique media, and one of a kind cultures, have all been widely attributed to the city's grandeur and illustriousness. However, the world has seemed to forget about one large piece of the city's prestigious façade. The palace located at 5 Beekman Street has been abandoned for over 70 years. This building is not just one of NYC's abandoned, rundown, factories or decrepit structures, but is a 9 story, beautifully crafted edifice that happens to be one of the first skyscrapers built in the city. The location is in limbo with its future purpose being debated, and this very teetering of the buildings potential use is what makes it such an interesting site.
English: View of Woolworth Building and surroundin...
English: View of Woolworth Building and surroundin...
Interior of the Woolworth Building in New York Cit...It is by all means an art world not only for its stunning architectural construction, but for always evolving use of the space. From the building's first tenants of offices and residences, to more recently movie sets and catwalks, this building has been used for many things and it is widely agreed that it is its abandoned stark interior that lends itself to artistic manipulation.
The marvelous building was erected between the years of 1881 through 1883 by the means of extremely wealthy Irish banker Eugene Kelly. He was a self-made millionaire by his success in banking after following the gold rush to San Francisco (Wilson). Kelly accumulated a net worth of about twenty-five million dollars, which is the equivalent of about 630 million dollars by today's standards. Builders of the time were looking...