I 29.88:R 95
FEDERAL PUBLICATION
THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (THE RYAN CENTER)
Gateway National Recreation Area
Floyd Bennett Field Unit
Brooklyn, New York
PUBL DEPOSiTT
DEC 0 7 21 LIBRA
T I I 1| ■ g
Historic Structure Report
THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (THE RYAN CENTER)
Gateway National Recreation Area Floyd Bennett Field Unit
Brooklyn, New York
By Judith A. Quinn
Northeast Cultural Resources Center
Northeast Region, National Park Service
U.S. Department of Interior
Lowell, Massachusetts
Written 1994 Published 2000
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/historicstructurOOquin
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA 4
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 6
II. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF
THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 7
EXTERIOR ELEMENTS 9
INTERIOR ELEMENTS 13
CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS 21
III. INTRODUCTORY HISTORY OF THE SITE 41
IV. ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF THE
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 49
BRIEF CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY OF THE SITE 51
INITIAL CONSTRUCTION 55
CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS 65
Works Progress Administration 65
Passenger-Loading Tunnel 67
Landscaping 77
Decorative Program 78
Radio Transmitter and Receiver 78
Ticket Counter and Restaurant 79
Miscellaneous WPA Projects 79
in
U.S. Navy Alterations 82
Changes 1931-1946 82
Changes 1946-1969 93
National Park Service Alterations 97
Changes 1972-1994 97
DECORATIVE PROGRAM 100
Overview 100
Materials 106
Imitation Caen Stone 106
Stenciling 112
Polychrome and Ornamental Plaster 1 13
"Development of Transportation" Canvases 1 15
"History of Aviation" Murals 1 15
Floyd Bennett Portrait 122
V. USE AND FUNCTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 123
ORIGINAL ROOM DESIGNATIONS 125
TENANTS AND ACTIVITIES, 1931-1941 127
ROOM-USE CHARTS, 1930 - 1946 141
VI. HISTORIC DRAWINGS OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 151
VII. HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 229
VIII. CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND RECOMMENDATIONS 275
INTRODUCTION 277
IV
EXTERIOR CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES 279
Style 279
Shape 279
Roof and Roof Features 280
Walls 280
Windows and Doorways 281
Control Tower 282
Porches, Stairways, and Ramps 283
Materials 284
Landscape 285
Photographs 287
INTERIOR CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES 299
Plan 299
Flooring 300
Walls 300
Trim 302
Doorways 302
Ceilings 303
Stairways 304
Ornamental Plaster 305
Materials 305
Photographs 307
CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES NO LONGER EXTANT 321
Exterior Elements 321
Interior Elements 322
IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY 325
X. APPENDICES 331
APPENDIX A. Finishes Analysis 333
List of Samples 335
Schematic and Photographs Drawings of Stencil Designs 350
APPENDIX B. Imitation Caen Stone Specifications -
Registry Room, Ellis Island 369
APPENDIX C. Ornamental Plaster and Molding Profiles 375
393
lg V.UI1U.I.U..,, —J ~ ■'
APPENDIX E. WPA Job Index
APPENDIX D. Survey of Existing Conditions, May 1941
403
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LIST OF FIGURES AND CREDITS
(Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are by the author, 1994.)
ARCHITECTURAL SCHEDULES
Figure 1 . Window and doorway schedule, east and west elevations. Original drawings by Joseph Tonetti Associates, NYC, January 30, 1984. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 15
Figure 2. Window and doorway schedule, south and north elevations. Original drawings by Joseph Tonetti Associates, NYC, January 30, 1984. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 16
Figure 3. Room and doorway schedule, basement plan. Original plans by the
Division of Planning and Professional Services, Gateway NRA, September
1993. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 17
Figure 4. Room and doorway schedule, first-floor plan. Original plans by the
Division of Planning and Professional Services, Gateway NRA, September
1993. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 18
Figure 5. Room and doorway schedule, second-floor plan. Original plans by the
Division of Planning and Professional Services, Gateway NRA, September
1993. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 19
Figure 6. Room and doorway schedule, third- and fourth-floor plans (tower). Original plans by the Division of Planning and Professional Services, Gateway NRA, September 1993. (Annotated and updated by Judith Quinn, September 1994) 20
CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS
Figure 7. The Administration Building, west and south sides 23
Figure 8. The Administration Building, detail of west (front) side, projecting center
pavilion with entrance portico 23
Figure 9. West side of building, detail of first-floor window W 1-4 24
Figure 10. West side of building, detail of parapet ornament above main entry 24
Figure 11. South end of building and part of east side with terrace stairway at right 25
Figure 12. North end of building, showing ghost of former addition in brickwork
around doorway 25
Figure 13. East (field) side of Administration Building, south terrace 26
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Figure 14. East side of building, north terrace 26
Figure 15. East side of building, control tower 27
Figure 16. East side of building, looking south 28
Figure 17. East side of building, detail of control tower, showing 1930 perimeter
walkway and cornice and 1943 glass enclosure 28
Figure 18. East side of building, north terrace, window W 1-22 (originally a doorway).
Shows scars on wall from former light fixtures 29
Figure 19. East side of building, north terrace, doorway D 1-24, tower to left. Shows
ghost of former doorway canopy 29
Figure 20. Roof of building, looking south 30
Figure 21. Roof of building, looking northeast 30
Figure 22. West end of passenger-loading tunnel, looking west toward Stairway #4
leading up to lobby 31
Figure 23. North wall of passenger-loading tunnel, showing tile wainscot and display
panel 31
Figure 24. Interior of lobby, northeast corner 32
Figure 25. View from lobby, looking south down south corridor. Main stairway
(#5) visible at left 32
Figure 26. Interior of lobby, main staircase (Stairway #5) in southeast corner 33
Figure 27. Interior of lobby, east balcony panel with plaster ornamentation 33
Figure 28. First floor, north corridor, west wall: detail of buff marble wainscot with
scored plaster above 34
Figure 29. North corridor, east wall: former window wall looking into Room 1 10.
Plate glass now replaced with plywood 34
Figure 30. Second floor, at top of Stairway #2, Room 204 at left. Shows marble
wainscot separated from plaster by wood rail 35
Figure 3 1 . Second floor, north corridor, looking south; Room 209 and 210 at left. Shows checkerboard linoleum, plaster wainscot, scored stucco, and plaster cove cornice 35
Figure 32. Second floor of lobby, northeast corner near ceiling, showing plaster
ornamentation of pier capitals and cornice 36
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Figure 33. Second floor, south corridor, looking north toward lobby balcony 36
Figure 34. Second floor, west wall of Room 209, showing plaster cove cornice, panel
moldings, chair rail, and birch veneer door 37
Figure 35. Second floor, west wall of Room 219. Shows baseboard, plaster wainscot,
chair rail, panel moldings, and veneer doors 37
Figure 36. Second floor, tower room, looking south through windows W 2-23 and
W2-24 38
Figure 37. Fourth floor of control tower, looking southeast 39
Figure 38. Exterior north side of control tower 40
Note: The following seven figures are all details from a drawing dated January 22, 1936, showing plaster and tile work in the J 0-foot and 8-foot-wide sections of the tunnel. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings.)
Figure 39. Passenger-loading tunnel: Section through barrel vault in 10-foot-wide portion 70
Figure 40. Passenger-loading tunnel: Section through barrel vault in 8-foot-wide portion 71
Figure 41 . Passenger-loading tunnel: Section showing architectural treatment at
intersection of 10-foot and 8-foot-wide portions 72
Figure 42. Passenger-loading tunnel: Elevation showing architectural treatment of
10-foot-wide portion, and plan of ceiling 73
Figure 43. Passenger-loading tunnel: Section through wall in 10-foot and 8-foot-wide
portions 74
Figure 44. Passenger-loading tunnel: Elevation showing typical display panel 75
Figure 45. Passenger-loading tunnel: Elevation showing typical wall treatment in
10-foot and 8-foot-wide portions 76
Figure 46. Imitation Caen stone on wall of Stairway #5 between second and third
floors, showing pargeting spalling from scored cement brown coat 108
Figure 47. Imitation Caen stone at juncture of wall of Stairway #5 and east wall of south corridor, second floor. Exposed cement brown coat of imitation stone on left, scored plaster on right 109
Figure 48. Imitation Caen stone at junction of wall of Stairway #3 and east wall of north corridor, second floor. Shows pigmented imitation-stone pargeting on stairway wall and plaster application on wall of corridor 110
Figure 49. Imitation Caen stone at corner of original lobby wall now enclosed in Room
211. Shows buff marble wainscot, and pigmented pargeting below later paint Ill
Figure 50. Imitation Caen stone on south corridor, second floor, west wall. Shadow
glaze on plaster visible beneath later paint; scratch and finish coats of plaster
also visible 1 1 1
HISTORIC DRAWINGS
Note: The following 17 figures were prepared November 17, 1930, for Contract 2000, Department of Docks, City of New York. Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA), Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives.
Figure 51. East and west elevations (sheet 1 of 17) 153
Figure 52. North-end elevation and cross-section through wings (sheet 2 of 17) 154
Figure 53. Cross-section through center pavilion (sheet 3 of 17) 155
Figure 54. Longitudinal section through corridors and lobby (sheet 4 of 17) 156
Figure 55. Basement plan (sheet 5 of 17) 157
Figure 56. First-floor plan (sheet 6 of 17) 158
Figure 57. Second-floor plan (sheet 7 of 17) 159
Figure 58. Roof plan and plan of control room (sheet 8 of 17) 160
Figure 59. Details of doorways and windows (sheet 9 of 17) 161
Figure 60. Sections through double-hung windows (sheet 10 of 17) 162
Figure 61. Door schedule (sheet 11 of 17) 163
Figure 62. Details of marquee over doorways D 1-24 and D 1-31, and plan, elevation,
and section of Stairway #5 (sheet 12 of 17) 164
Figure 63. Foundation plan and footing schedules (sheet 13 of 17) 165
Figure 64. First-floor steel framing plan (sheet 14 of 17) 166
Figure 65. Second-floor framing plan (sheet 15 of 17) 167
Figure 66. Roof and third-floor framing plan (sheet 16 of 17) 168
Figure 67. Column schedule (sheet 17 of 17) .. 169
Note: The following three figures were prepared February 16, 1931, for Contract 2028, Department of Docks, City of New York. Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA), Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives.
Figure 68. Electrical work, first-floor plan 170
Figure 69. Electrical work, second-floor plan 171
Figure 70. Sketches of lighting fixtures, types A-M 172
Figure 7 1 . Basement alterations, showing new chimney, boiler room, transformer room, and storeroom, March 27, 1931. Contract 2000, Department of Docks, City of New York. Gateway NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 173
Figure 72. Alteration to stairways of Weather Bureau Room, July 14, 1931.
Contract 2000, Department of Docks, City of New York. Gateway
NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 174
Figure 73 . First-floor plan showing proposed arrangement of furnishings, ca. 1931. Reproduced from Blakemore, Historic Structures Report, Vol. I (location of original drawing not known) 175
Figure 74. Second-floor plan showing proposed arrangement of furnishings, ca. 193 1 . Reproduced from Blakemore, Historic Structures Report, Vol. I (location of original drawing not known) 176
Figure 75. Waterproofing for terraces of Administration Building, July 27, 1932.
Contract 2000, Department of Docks, City of New York. Gateway NRA,
Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 177
Figure 76. Tables for Radio Operating Room in Administration Building, March 28, 1935. TERA Project no. 89-BR 433, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 178
Figure 77. Radio facilities in control room in Administration Building, March 28, 1935. TERA Project no. 89-BR 433, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 179
Figure 78. Details of hatch covers for passenger-loading tunnel, March 30, 1935. TERA Project no. 89-234, Job no. 26, Department of Docks, City of New York. Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 180
Figure 79. Details of radio-control receiving antennae, April 26, 1935. WPA Job no. 28-5E, Department of Docks, City of New York. Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 181
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Figure 80. Details of passenger-loading tunnel, April 23, 1935. TERA Project no. 89-BR 433, Job no. Bd-26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 182
Figure 81. Landscaping in front of Administration Building, May 6, 1935. TERA Project no. 89-BR 433, Job no. 15, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 183
Figure 82. Landscaping in front of Administration Building, construction plan, May 19, 1935. WPA Project no. 234 F, Job no. 15, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 184
Figure 83. Detail of typical light standard, May 23, 1935. WPA Project no. 234 F,
Job no. 15, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives
(Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 185
Figure 84. Change of window locations at entrance to passenger-loading tunnel, July 18, 1935. WPA/ERB Project no. 234-F34, Job no. Bd-26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 186
Figure 85. Details of turntable pits, August 6, 1935. WPA/ERB Project no. 234 F, Job no. Bd-26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 187
Figure 86. Drainage of passenger-loading tunnel and turntables, September 26, 1935. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. Bd-26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 188
Figure 87. Detail of field sign at entrance to Floyd Bennett Field, October 3, 1935.
WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 15, Department of Docks. City of New
York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA:
Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 189
Figure 88. Details of burglar-alarm system, first-floor plan, December 30, 1935. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 54, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 190
Figure 89. Steel furring plan of ceiling and walls in passenger-loading tunnel, January 25, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 191
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Figure 90. Layout of passenger-loading tunnel, showing outline of interior treatment, January 29, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 192
Figure 91 . Conduit run for power circuit, sump pump and hatch motors in passenger- loading tunnel, February 5, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 193
Figure 92. Details of plaster and tile work, sections through barrel vaults in passenger- loading tunnel, January 22, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Dock. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 194
Figure 93. Details of architectural treatment in passenger-loading tunnel, January
22, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and
Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 195
Figure 94. Layout for floor covering in passenger-loading tunnel, February 23, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 196
Figure 95. Details of folding doors in passenger-loading tunnel, February 25, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 197
Figure 96. Details of steel casement sash in 10-foot portion of tunnel, March 1 1, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 198
Figure 97. Treatment of tunnel ceiling at entrance to Administration Building, March
23, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and
Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 199
Figure 98. Details of steel casement sash in 10-foot portion of tunnel, March 4, 1936. WPA Project no. 234-F34, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 200
Figure 99. Proposed plan, section, elevation, and detail of passenger-loading tunnel, ca. 1936. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 201
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Figure 100. Electrical layout for landscaping and floodlights, April 14, 1936. WPA
Project no. 234-D34, Job no. 15, Department of Docks. City of New York,
Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd
Bennett Field Drawings) 202
Figure 101 . Schematic wiring diagram for passenger-loading tunnel, May 8, 1936. WPA Project no. 65-97-1661, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 203
Figure 102. Detail of mounting ceiling fixtures in passenger-loading tunnel, May 18,
1936. WPA Project no. 65-97-1661, Job no. 26, Department of Docks. City
of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade,
WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 204
Figure 103. Lawn lighting in front of Administration Building, December 15, 1936. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 205
Figure 104. General layout of public-address system, first-floor plan, December 13, 1936.
WPA Job no. 42, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 206
Figure 105. Drawing showing storm doors, storm sash, and storm-sash details, December 6, 1936. WPA Project no. 108, Job no. 98, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 207
Figure 106. Drawing showing location and installation of traffic-control radio transmitter in control tower, January 8, 1937. WPA Job no. 66, Department of Docks. City of New York, Municipal Archives (Accession No. 93-15, Ports and Trade, WPA: Floyd Bennett Field Drawings) 208
Figure 107. Plan showing "Teletalk" system, first floor (sheet 1 of 4), ca. 1942. U.S. Naval
Air Station, Public Works Office. City of New York, Municipal Archives 209
Figure 108. Plan showing "Teletalk" system, second floor (sheet 2 of 4), ca. 1942. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. City of New York, Municipal Archives 210
Figure 109. Plan showing "Teletalk" system, Aerology and control tower and ceiling of second floor (sheet 3 of 4), ca. 1942. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. City of New York, Municipal Archives 21 1
Figure 1 10. "Teletalk" riser diagram (sheet 4 of 4), ca. 1942. U.S. Naval Air Station,
Public Works Office. City of New York, Municipal Archives 212
Figure 111. Extension to Administration Building, heating and plumbing floor plan, February 13, 1943. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62034) 213
MY
Figure 112. Alterations to control tower. Plans, elevations, and sections, ca. December 1942. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. Gateway NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 214
Figure 113. Control tower, temporary construction enclosure. Plan and sections,
February 15, 1943. Contract 5176, U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works
Office, Gateway NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 215
Figure 1 14. Control tower on administration building, construction details for glass enclosure, March 5, 1943. Contract 5176, U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office, Gateway NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 216
Figure 115. Basement floor plan (sheet 1 of 4), February 1, 1946. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62033) 217
Figure 116. First-floor plan (sheet 2 of 4), February 1, 1946. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62033) 218
Figure 1 17. Second-floor plan (sheet 3 of 4), February 1, 1946. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62033) 219
Figure 118. Roof plan (sheet 4 of 4), February 1, 1946. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62033) 220
Figure 1 19. Proposed plans for alterations to the east elevation, November 26, 1947.
Madigan-Hyland, Long Island City. City of New York, Municipal Archives 221
Figure 120. Proposed changes to the basement, January 20, 1947. Madigan-Hyland,
Long Island City. City of New York, Municipal Archives 222
Figure 121. Proposed changes to the first floor, January 20, 1947. Madigan-Hyland,
Long Island City. City of New York, Municipal Archives 223
Figure 122. Proposed changes to the second floor, January 20, 1947. Madigan-Hyland,
Long Island City. City of New York, Municipal Archives 224
Figure 123. Weatherproofing the Administration Building, west and east elevations,
December 23, 1954. Floyd Bennett Naval Air Station, Office of Installations Engineer. NPS, Denver Service Center, Technical Information Center (#62032) 225
Figure 124. Plans and elevations for waterproofing the Administration Building, March
23, 1959. U.S. Naval Air Station, Public Works Office. NPS, Denver Service
Center, Technical Information Center (#623 18) 226
Figure 125. Basement floor plan with proposed changes, July 17, 1978. NPS, Denver
Service Center, Technical Information Center (#01040A) 227
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Figure 126. First-floor plan with proposed changes, July 17, 1978. NPS, Denver Service
Center, Technical Information Center (#01040A) 228
HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS (Exterior)
Figure 127. The Administration Building under construction, north and west sides of building, May 19, 1931. Courtesy the Kingsborough Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY 231
Figure 128. The Administration Building newly constructed, south and east sides of building, ca. 1932. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17664 232
Figure 129. An air show at Floyd Bennett Field, spring 1932. Administration Building and surrounds, looking south. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17661 233
Figure 130. The Administration Building, looking north, ca. 1933. National Air and
Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 94-4468 234
Figure 131. The Administration Building, looking southwest, ca. 1933. National Air
and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 94-4469 235
Figure 132. Third and fourth levels of the control tower, west and south sides, ca. 1935. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17671 236
Figure 133. Southeast corner of Administration Building roof, looking south, ca. 1935. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17669 237
Figure 134. Northwest corner of the Administration Building roof, looking west, ca. 1935. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17659 238
Figure 135. Control tower of the Administration Building, looking north, ca. 1935. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 78-17662 239
Figure 136. East side of the Administration Building with WPA projects underway, including construction of the passenger-loading tunnel, July 1935. National Archives, Still Pictures Branch, Washington D.C. (#69-N-7708D) 240
Figure 137. The Administration Building, south and east sides, August 1935. Gateway
NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Archives 241
Figure 138. West, center front doorway, with aviatrix Beryl Markham and crowd, September 6, 1936. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-32-931 242
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Figure 139. West side of the Administration Building, November 20, 1936; shows WPA landscaping projects newly completed. National Archives, Still Pictures Branch, Washington D.C. (#69-N-7763D) 243
Figure 140. Field sign designed and constructed by the WPA, west lawn of the Administration Building, November 11, 1936. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-32-931 244
Figure 141. West lawn of the Administration Building, flag ceremony for Amelia Earhart, spring 1937. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 4833 245
Figure 142. Flood lamp, beacon lamp, anemometer, and weathervane on top of control tower of the Administration Building, July 16, 1937. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 5197 246
Figure 143. Fleet wing F-5 Seabird aircraft, with east side of the Administration
Building behind, May 6, 1938. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National
Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 2447 247
Figure 144. Howard Hughes arriving at Floyd Bennett Field for his around-the-world flight, July 14, 1938. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-31-794 248
Figure 145. Aerial view of Floyd Bennett Field looking south, showing hangars,
runways, and Administration Building, August 1938. National Air and
Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. A-1041 249
Figure 146. General Aircraft Corporation Skyfarer, with east side of the Administration Building behind, May 10, 1941. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 9929 250
Figure 147. West side of the Administration Building, showing wartime guard booth at street entrance, 1942. Courtesy the Kingsborough Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY 251
Figure 148. West side of the Administration Building, with modernized control tower and new extension at north end, ca. 1945. Courtesy the Museum of the City of New York, NY (MCNY, Print Archive, Floyd Bennett Field) 252
Figure 149. West and south sides of the Administration Building, showing glass blocks installed in windows W 1-24 and W 1-25, ca. 1945. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the Brooklyn Public Library-Brooklyn Collection 253
Figure 150. View of the Administration Building looking northeast, ca. 1954. City of
New York, Municipal Archives (Ports and Trades, Floyd Bennett Field) 254
Figure 151. East side of the Administration Building, 1979. Courtesy the Kingsborough
Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY 255
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HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS (Interior)
Figure 152. Mrs. Floyd Bennett unveiling photographic portrait of Floyd Bennett on east wall of lobby, October 25, 1935. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 2587 256
Figure 153. View of the airport manager's office, looking north, second floor of the control tower (manager Ken Behr at left), September 5, 1936. Photo- graph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 3634 257
Figure 1 54. View of lobby, looking east, showing interior finishes, original lighting fixtures, and baggage-check counter, 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #1 1361) 258
Figure 155. View of lobby, looking northeast, showing interior finishes, stairway down to passenger-loading tunnel, and baggage-check counter, 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #1 1361) 259
Figure 156. View of lobby, looking southeast, showing interior finishes, stairway down to passenger-loading tunnel, and baggage-check counter (view into restaurant at right), 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #1 1361) 260
Figure 157. View of lobby, looking east, showing interior finishes and baggage- check counter, 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #11361) 261
Figure 158. Sketch of lobby showing proposed installation of WPA murals, March 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #11361) 262
Figure 159. Sketch of lobby showing proposed installation of WPA murals, March 1937. Art Commission of the City of New York, NY (Exhibit File #11361) 263
Figure 160. View of airport manager's office, second floor of the control tower, showing south side of room, August 13, 1938. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-32,874 264
Figure 161. View of pilots examining a flight plan in the restaurant (Room 117), showing west side of room, wall treatment, furnishings, and floor, May 18, 1938. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 2236 265
Figure 1 62. WPA artist Charles Polowetski, in his studio with the oil portrait of
Floyd Bennett to replace photographic portrait in lobby, June 24, 1939.
Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum,
Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-32,785 266
xviii
Figure 163. View of Mrs. Floyd Bennett unveiling Polowetski's oil portrait of Floyd Bennett on east face of lobby balcony, showing new Art Deco light fixtures, October 25, 1939. Photograph by Rudy Arnold. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Photograph No. 86-32,786 267
Figure 164. Two of the murals by Eugene Chodorow and August Henkel, July 1940: "Aviation in Peace" (top), "First Practical Beginnings"(bottom). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the Brooklyn Public Library-Brooklyn Collection 268
Figure 165. "Mythology of Flight" mural being removed from east face of lobby
balcony, July 8, 1940. ). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the
Brooklyn Public Library-Brooklyn Collection 269
Figure 166. Detail of figure 164, showing decorative finishes in northeast corner of
second floor of lobby 270
Figure 167. Removal of "Mythology in Flight" mural nearly complete, July 8, 1940. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the Brooklyn Public Library- Brooklyn Collection 271
Figure 168. Detail of figure 167, showing elaborate metal gate at top of stairway down
to passenger-loading tunnel, July 8, 1940 272
Figure 169. View from lobby balcony looking down and northwest as the "Aviation in War" mural is rolled up, showing star design in linoleum floor, July 8, 1940. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the Brooklyn Public Library- Brooklyn Collection 273
Figure 170. Oil portrait of Floyd Bennett being rehung on east face of lobby balcony after removal of the "History of Aviation" murals, July 8, 1940. Brooklyn Daily Eagle Collection. Courtesy the Brooklyn Public Library-Brooklyn Collection 274
PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES
Figure 171. Exterior of building, north and west sides 288
Figure 172. Exterior of building, east and north sides 288
Figure 173. View of the roof and roof parapet wall looking northwest 289
Figure 174. Exterior of building, south end, east side 289
Figure 175. Window W 1-5, west side of building 290
Figure 176. Doorway D 1-24, east side of building, showing scar from former marquee
and decorative brickwork 290
xix
Figure 177. Third and fourth levels of the control tower, looking northeast from the roof 291
Figure 178. Control room of control tower, looking south 292
Figure 179. East side of building, ramp accessing doorway B-14 293
Figure 180. East side of building, stairway north of tower, leading to terrace 293
Figure 181. Cast-stone balusters, south terrace along east side of building 294
Figure 1 82. Southeast corner of building, showing cast-stone quoins and terrace railing,
as well as facing blocks on stairway 294
Figure 183. View looking north, showing southeast corner of building and landscape,
including green zone planted with grass and original curbing 295
Figure 184. View looking southwest toward Flatbush Avenue, showing landscape west of building, including drives, sidewalks, green space, and outline of original paving blocks beneath asphalt 296
Figure 185. View looking west toward Flatbush Avenue, showing landscape west of
building, including parking area, walks, trees, and flagpole 296
Figure 186. View looking northwest toward Flatbush Avenue, showing landscape west
of building, including drives, sidewalks, and green space 297
Figure 187. Original light standard with cast-iron base, lantern with finial, and crushed-glass globe; located in front of flagpole circle at former Flatbush Avenue entrance 298
Figure 188. Original linoleum flooring, Room 107 308
Figure 189. Wall treatment, Room 101, southwest corner: black marble baseboard, buff
marble wainscot, imitation Caen stone upper walls 309
Figure 190. Imitation Caen stone stucco finish along north wall of Stairway #2 309
Figure 191. Glazed ceramic-tile baseboard, wainscot, and display panel in passenger- loading tunnel 310
Figure 192. Glazed ceramic-tile wainscot with decorative border, Room 208B (typical
of all original bathrooms) 310
Figure 193. Window wall of Room 1 17, looking north toward lobby 3 1 1
Figure 194. Original three-piece baseboard, Room 108, northwest corner 312
Figure 195. Typical example of wall panel moldings, Room 220 313
Figure 196. Original wood door with "chipped glass" in upper panel (D 1-30) 314
xx
Figure 197. Original French doors in Room 1 10, leading from former lounge to lobby
(D 1-22) 314
Figure 198. Original wood-veneer single-panel door, Room 208 315
Figure 199. Metal-clad fire doors, painted and grained, Room 208 (D 2-16) 315
Figure 200. Stained-glass skylight in lobby ceiling 316
Figure 201. Lobby-skylight housing on roof 316
Figure 202. Decorative painting, second floor, south corridor, ceiling above Stairway
#5 leading to third floor of tower 317
Figure 203. Decorative painting, second floor, south hall, ceiling above Stairway #5
leading to third floor of tower 317
Figure 204. View of Stairway #5, showing black marble stringer, buff marble treads,
cast-iron and bronze balustrade, and molded wood handrail 318
Figure 205. Stairway #5: cast iron newel at third-floor landing 318
Figure 206. Molded plaster ogee cornice, Room 1 10 319
Figure 207. Plaster entablature, Room 1 16, north wall. Entablature consists of a molded cornice, plain frieze, and ornamental architrave with crenelated molding, triglyphs, and rosettes 319
Figure 208. Carrera-glass and wood bathroom stalls, Room 118 320
xxi
I. INTRODUCTION
Executive Summary
[Editor's note: When this report was written, the author was an employee of the Building Conservation Branch (BCB) of the Cultural Resources Center (CRC), part of the North Atlantic Region (NAR), National Park Service (NPS). The North Atlantic Region was later incorporated into a new Northeast Region (NER), and the name of the CRC was changed to the Northeast Cultural Resources Center (NCRC). The terminology in this report has been updated to reflect current organizational conditions.]
This historic structure report (HSR) was intended to function as an addendum to the 1981 historic structure report for Floyd Bennett Field, part of Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA), Northeast Region, NPS. The 1981 report was written for the entire Floyd Bennett Field Unit, so the Administration Building is just one of many elements of the field discussed in it. In light of the upcoming preservation projects at the Ryan Center, a more specific examination of the construction history and evolution of the building was thought to be necessary.
As per the task directive, research for revising the extant HSR was guided by the sources identified by Denver Service Center (DSC) of the NPS in 1981. Existing reports, documents, and sources were reviewed, and new sources of documentation were pursued and exhaustively investigated. A more detailed understanding of the construction and evolution of the Administration Building was developed. A nondestructive investigation of the building was carried out during a number of site visits to assess current architectural conditions, and to examine the building's structural evolution.
The task directive likewise called for a careful examination of the areas of the interior of the building with original decorative painting. An examination was made and the areas documented with photographs, sketches, and tracings of designs where possible. Extensive paint samples were removed from painted surfaces throughout the building for a future in-depth analysis of both the decorative program and the finishes applied room-by-room. Sample locations were carefully noted on floor plans and in many cases individual site sketches of exact locations were made for future reference.
Also according to the task directive, character-defining features of the building were determined and included in order to guide recommendations for the restoration and adaptive use of the structure. Character-defining features (CDFs) are those elements or treatments that give a structure its distinction and character, and without which the architectural or historical integrity would be diminished or lost. CDFs can date to original construction or to later alterations. Preservation and rehabilitation efforts should minimize any adverse effects to the CDFs of the building.
The report resulting from the above-described investigations is more than an addendum or revision of the original HSR, so it will remain a separate document entitled The Administration Building, Floyd Bennett Field: Historic Structure Report. This new HSR will incorporate findings and documentation included in the 1981 report that relate to (a) the general history of the site, and (b) events and features specific to the Administration Building.
The recommended treatment for the Administration Building is the preservation of the exterior and the rehabilitation of all interior spaces. (Restoration of the lobby and main north/south corridors is currently under consideration by park management.)
The 1993 draft of the NPS-28: Cultural Resource Management Guideline defines the selected treatments as follows:
Preservation maintains the existing integrity and character of a historic structure by arresting or retarding deterioration caused by natural forces and normal use. It includes both maintenance and stabilization.
Rehabilitation improves the utility or function of a historic structure, through repair or alteration, to make possible a compatible contemporary use while preserving those portions or features that are important in defining its significance.
The recommended use for the Administration Building is adaptive use as a visitors' center, and as space for exhibits, staff offices, and training services. Use of the building for these functions is compatible with the structure.
Maintenance conditions will be determined and included in the upcoming design package to be developed by an architectural and engineering firm and the Division of Cultural Resources, Gateway NRA. Recommendations related to maintenance concerns will evolve from this assessment.
Administrative Data
The Ryan Center/Administration Building (LCS # JB-001) is located at Floyd Bennett Field in South Brooklyn on Jamaica Bay. One of the primary buildings included in the Floyd Bennett Field Historic District, it was constructed in 1931 as the airport terminal building for Floyd Bennett Field, New York City's first municipal airport.
The Administration Building was the focal point of the Floyd Bennett Field airport. Located just north of the main runway, it is sited about 250 feet east of Flatbush Avenue. It is oriented on a north/south axis, with the official front of the building facing west toward Flatbush Avenue, and the control tower facing the airfield behind.
Floyd Bennett Field (including the Administration Building) was never a large commercial success. It transferred from the city to the Department of the Navy in 1941, which modified and enlarged it for use as a major naval air station. The Navy made continuous use of the field until the site was transferred from the Defense Department to the Department of the Interior on October 27, 1972.
Construction drawings outlining repairs and partial restoration of the Administration Building were first prepared in 1978. As described previously, a historic structure report for Floyd Bennett Field, including the Administration Building, was completed by the Denver Service Center in May 1981. The HSR included a historical data volume and an architectural data volume. Formal recommendations for rehabilitation of the building were again proposed in 1982. A conditions survey and assessment of the building was conducted in 1984. Preservation of the control tower was
NPS-28: Cultural Resource Management, Release No. 4. Draft (February 1993), p. 140.
carried out in 1992 by park staff and the Building Conservation Branch of the Northeast Cultural Resources Center.
A National Register nomination for the Floyd Bennett Field Unit was prepared and submitted in 1978. The nomination was accepted, and the unit-original runways, Administration Building, eight original hangars, and several dependant buildings-was designated as a historic district.
The proposed treatment of the Ryan Center is exterior preservation and interior rehabilitation, with the possible restoration of several interior features (e.g., the lobby). As explained previously, the proposed use of the building is adaptive use as a visitors' center, and for staff offices, exhibit spaces, and training services operations.
The proposed treatment and use of the Ryan Center are in agreement with available planning documents regarding the management of the cultural resources of the Floyd Bennett Field Unit of Gateway NRA. The General Management Plan of 1979 identifies the Administration Building as one of the most significant cultural resources of the unit, and identifies the following management objectives for Floyd Bennett Field:
The proposed historic district, which will include the site of the historic central runway system, the administration building/control tower, and six hangars that date from the 1929-1931 period, will be planned to maintain the historic ambience.... interior space in the hangars and attendant buildings as well as adjacent open space on and near the runways will be adaptively reused [sic] and rehabilitated as part of the larger design.
The intent was to emphasize "preservation and adaptive reuse of historic resources...."2 The proposed use of the building, according to the GMP, was "Interpretation and Administration - small auditorium, exhibit room, interpretive use of control tower, environmental, education, administrative offices."3 Some of these uses are still planned for the building.
The proposed treatment and use are also compatible with the information in the List of Classified Structures (LCS). The LCS identifies the Ryan Center/Administration Building as a historic structure in the "Should Be Preserved" management category, with adaptive restoration proposed for its ultimate treatment.
Related studies that examine the Administration Building include the following:
Porter R. Blakemore and Dana C. Linck, Historic Structure Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Volume I (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, Mid- Atlantic/North Atlantic Team, Branch of Historic Preservation), May 1981.
Richard Greenwood, "National Register of Historic Places Nomination. Floyd Bennett Field Historic District" (National Park Service), April 1978.
2
General Management Plan, Gateway National Recreational Area (1979), p. 136.
3
Porter R. Blakemore, "Historical Data Section," p. iii, in Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I, by Porter R. Blakemore and Dana C. Linck (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, May 1981).
Sam Holmes, Historic Structure Report, Administrative Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Package No. 109 (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, Mid- Atlantic/North Atlantic Team), August 1979.
Frank Matero, "Emergency Documentation/ Analysis of the Interior Decorative Finishes of the Lobby- Waiting Room of the Administration Building, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area" (National Park Service: North Atlantic Historic Preservation Center, Boston, MA), February 7, 1981.
Susan Simpson, Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Volume II (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, Mid- Atlantic/North Atlantic Team, Branch of Historic Preservation), May 1981.
Tonetti Associates, "Facade Investigation, Visitors Center, Floyd Bennett Field," January 30, 1984.
The materials generated by this report will be copied and distributed to park and regional personnel for review. Original photographs, drawings, and text will remain at the NCRC until a final draft of the report is completed and accepted. Original materials will then be delivered to the archives of the Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Gateway NRA for cataloging and storage. A final draft of the report will be maintained at the NCRC, the Boston System Support Office of the NPS, and the DSC's Technical and Informational Center.
Statement of Significance
The significance of the Administration Building according to the 1978 National Register nomination is threefold. The significance of the Floyd Bennett Field Unit (including the Administration Building) was determined to be:
• its role in the evolution of aviation history and municipal airport construction;
• its association with individuals significant in early aviation (i.e. Wiley Post, Howard Hughes, Jackie Cochran); and
• the remaining integrity of its original structures and setting, which tell the story of the early years of aviation.
The National Register nomination does not specifically identify a period of significance, although the above-listed determinations of significance roughly bracket the period from construction in 1931 to the establishment of a Naval Air Station in 1941.
In addition, however, Floyd Bennett Field played a major role throughout World War II as a naval air station. The field provided invaluable services as the East Coast terminal of the Military Air Transport Service, serving as the main receiving point of all air traffic and supplies heading for Europe, and as the primary communications link with ships in the Atlantic. It also served as a base for anti-submarine squadrons and as a center for training air cadets. Therefore, a broader period of significance reflecting an extended continuum of occupation, function, and changes to the site is currently under consideration.
6
II. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
EXTERIOR ELEMENTS
The Ryan Center/Administration Building is a two-story brick structure with a full basement. The building measures 182 feet by 74 feet in plan; it is rectangular in shape, except for a projecting entry pavilion on the west side and a projecting tower on the east side.
The style of the building is an eclectic mix of elements from the Renaissance Revival, Colonial (Georgian) Revival, Neoclassical, and Art Deco styles. These have been combined to form a type of stylistic hybrid that was frequently employed for the construction of public structures from ca. 1900 to 1940. The "municipal hybrid" borrowed stylistic elements from a variety of classical styles to create an imposing formal appearance with clear historical precedents. However, it also simplified the details of those styles, to project the functional and public nature of the building. In order to attract the acceptance and respect of the general public, buildings constructed in the "municipal hybrid" style are generally large, impressive structures that employ-and frequently exaggerate-the most associative features of certain traditional styles. Visitors were therefore both impressed by the size and scope of the architecture, and comforted by the use of familiar, popular, and repetitive features, such as the symmetrical placement of windows and doorway.
Renaissance Revival elements employed in the design of the Administration Building include:
the flat roof with eave parapet
the prominent entablature with cornice dentils
the different window treatments to emphasize each story
the use of quoins and the stucco surface of the recessed entry
the rusticated foundation1
Colonial Revival features of the design include:
the Flemish bond red brick of the walls
the light-colored trim, including the keystones in the window lintels
the blind arches over first-story windows
the use of transom lights and sidelights at first-floor doorways
the double-hung sash with multi-pane glazing in upper sash
the paired and triple windows
the segmental pediments of the front entry doorways2
i
Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990), pp. 396- 398.
2
** McAlester and McAlester, pp. 320-325.
Neoclassical features of the design include:
• the facade, which is dominated by a center projecting pavilion containing a recessed entrance portico with two classical columns in antis3
In addition, Art Deco aesthetics are evident in the translation of the more traditional styles. Art Deco elements can be seen in the:
• stylized simple geometric shapes employed, particularly for window openings, transom designs, portico columns, and roof cornice
• the spare, sharp lines of the building
• the pattern of flush brick arches and lintels
• the smooth, unornamented surface of most of the exterior walls
• decorative brickwork in the walls of the control tower, and above the front entry on the roof parapet, consisting of flat geometric patterns of squares and triangles.
Therefore, the overall appearance of the exterior is an eclectic combination of traditional and popular styles interpreted by the architect for use in a public/municipal building with a new and modern function-fhe facilitation of air travel. This stylistic marriage and public function dominated the design of the interior features of the building, as well.
The building has changed very little since initial construction in 1930. Walls are of red Harvard brick laid in Flemish bond. White cast stone is used for contrasting trim, water table, stairways, and portico columns. Trim includes quoins, parapet coping, entablature, blind arched panels above the windows, window keystones, window sills, doorway surrounds at north and south ends, arched pediments over the west entry doorways, terrace balustrades, and a decorative globe above the main entry on the roof parapet. Decorative brickwork is found on the roof parapet above the main entry, on the walls of the control tower, and around doorways and windows. The decorative brickwork generally consists of raised or inset geometric designs of white cast stone.
The continuous concrete building foundation measures 2 feet 4 inches wide, and is faced with a water table of cast-stone blocks. The size of the blocks vary, but they generally measure 1 foot by 3 feet and are several inches thick. They are laid to resemble ashlar block. Joints are recessed and tooled smooth. A smooth curved band of cast stone caps the water table. The foundation rests on a bluestone sill that is footed on reinforced concrete piles 35 feet long and 14 inches square. Numerous windows and doorways pierce the water table and foundation to provide light and access to the basement rooms.
The perimefer walls are 12 inches thick, and consist of partially bearing common-bond brickwork faced with red Harvard brick laid in Flemish bond. Exterior walls rest on the concrete foundation.
The walls feature a cast-stone entablature at the roofline. The entablature consists of an architrave, frieze, and cornice that run the full perimeter of the building, except at the tower. From bottom to top are: a double fascia, cyma reversa, and fillet in the architrave; a plain frieze of one course of cast-concrete block; a fascia, dentil course, fascia, fillet, cyma recta, and two fillets in the
McAlester and McAlester, pp. 343-345.
10
cornice.4 (The dentil course was divided into runs of 33 small dentils by a larger concrete square.) The frieze on the east and west sides of the building served as a background for bronze letters which spelled out the name of the field and administering agency. Lettering is extant only along the east frieze, and reads "NAVAL AIR STATION - FLOYD BENNETT FIELD." The FLOYD BENNETT FIELD letters are original.
A four-story control tower centered on the east (airfield) side of the building dominates this elevation. The tower projects from the main block of the building, and exhibits in plan half a hexagon. The tower is dominated by large paired and triple rectangular windows at the lower three levels, and by a steel-framed glass enclosure at the fourth/top level. Windows cant out at a 45-degree angle at the fourth level for a better vantage of incoming planes. (This steel frame viewing room replaced the original in 1943.) The original ornamental aluminum railing and cornice are extant on the control tower.
The roof of the building is flat with a 1 -foot-thick brick parapet wall around the perimeter. The gravel-ballasted built-up roof is slightly pitched to roof drains. The current surface of the roof is an asphaltic waterproof coating. A 10-foot-square glazed skylight is located at the center of the roof, allowing natural light to reach the stained-glass skylight directly below in the lobby.
The building features several porches, ramps, and stairways providing access to the basement and first-floor levels of the interior. A two-story projecting pavilion is centered on the west (front) side of the building; it projects approximately 10 feet from the main block of the building. The center of the pavilion contains a recessed portico that features two Tuscan columns supporting the cornice. A 30-foot wide granite stairway with nine steps lead up to the portico. Also on the west side of the building are two concrete ramps descending from grade into the basement.
The east side of the building features two terraces running nearly the full length of the building at the first-floor level. Both terraces extend from the control tower toward the ends of the building. The north terrace stops 16 feet short of the north end of the building. The south terrace extends all the way to the south end. The terraces are rectangular and bounded by a balustrade of cast-stone balusters, brick piers, and a cast-stone railing. Stairways lead from the terraces to the field at either side of the control tower. In addition, a stairway at the south end of the south terrace leads to the walkway at that end of the building. Steps are granite. Stairway walls are faced with cast stone. Three concrete ramps leading from grade into the basement are located on the east side of the building beneath the terraces. One ramp leads into the south end of the basement, and two ramps lead into the north end of the basement.
In addition to the east and west entrances into the building, an entry with stairway is located at both the north and the south ends of the building. Steps are granite, with cheek walls of brick and concrete faced with cast-stone blocks.
Fenestration is arranged symmetrically on all sides and at all levels. Window openings at the basement level alternate in an ordered pattern between narrow rectangular openings and wide rectangular openings, all cut into the water table. First-floor window openings are likewise a balanced composition of narrow and wide openings. Each first-floor opening is topped by an arch composed of header brick and accented with a cast-stone keystone and cast-stone blocks at the spring
4 Porter R. Blakemore, "Historical Data Section," p. 7, in Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I, by Porter R. Blakemore and Dana C. Linck (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, May 1981).
11
points of the arch. In addition, all first-floor arches are infilled with segmental cast-stone panels. Second-floor window openings follow the placement pattern established on the first floor (except in the tower). All second-floor window openings are rectangular and feature straight soldier-brick lintels accented with a cast-stone keystone. First- and second-floor window openings have cast-stone sills. Most windows currently contain stationary steel window frames and sash. (These steel windows replaced original wood windows in 1954.) Four window openings (W 1-21, W 1-22, 1-23, and W 1-25) have been infilled with glass blocks (see figures 1-2).
Doorways on the exterior of the building include the tri-portal entry on the west side, the single entries on north and south ends of the building, and three doorways opening to the terraces along the east side of the building. In addition, five doorways are located in the foundation accessing the basement-two on the west and three on the east side of the building. All doorways contain double doors.
The tri-portal doorways on the west facade are the most elaborate openings, featuring cast- stone segmentally arched pediments. The doorways at the north and south ends have plain rectangular cast-stone surrounds with molded caps. Of the three doorways on the east side of the building, two (D 1-24, D 1-31) are located on either side of the control tower. These are original, rectangular openings with soldier-brick lintels accented with a cast-stone keystone). A header-brick arch above these doorways is evidence of original arched canopies (now removed). The third east- side doorway (D 1-35) is located near the south end of the south terrace. Wider than the other two, it has an arched top containing a cast-stone panel, and sidelights of glass block. Three more east-side openings of similar size and placement, which are currently windows (W 1-1 1, W 1-12, and W 1-22,) were also doorways originally. They have been altered at various times in the building's history.)
All doors are double steel fire doors with one light in the top half of each panel. Several doorways also feature glass transoms. See the subsequent doorway schedule for specific locations and details.
12
INTERIOR ELEMENTS
The arrangement of interior space is generally similar from floor to floor. The focus of the plan is a large open central space, from which corridors extend north and south, with smaller rooms opening off the corridors on either side. At the basement level the center space is enclosed and less dramatic than on the first floor, where the large central space is an open two-story lobby. Two sets of doorways are located at the east and west sides of the lobby on the first-floor, opening to the field- side terraces and the front portico, respectively.
A major variation to the plan is found on the basement level. A passenger-loading tunnel runs underground from the main block of the building due east for 124 feet, and then branches at right angles to the north and south forming a 240-foot "T." The tunnel was added to the building in 1935. It is completely defunct as of this writing, and in rapidly deteriorating condition
The traffic circulation within the building is linear: end-to-end through the corridors, and back and forth through the lobby. Vertical circulation is provided by six main staircases. Staircases at the north and south ends of the building (Stairways #1 and #6) run from first to second floors. A staircase in the northwest corner of the lobby (Stairway #2) runs from the basement to the second floor. A staircase in the northeast corner of the second floor of the lobby (Stairway #3) runs from the second to the third floors. A stairway descends from the center east side of the lobby on the first level (Stairway #4), providing access to the basement and passenger-loading tunnel. This stairway is currently concealed and not functional. The main staircase of the building is located in the southeast corner of the lobby (Stairway #5); it runs from the basement to the third floor of the control tower.
The control tower is an important element of the floor plan. It is a four-story shaft of half- hexagon shape located prominently on the center of the east wall of the building, projecting some 10 feet beyond the main block of the structure. The tower room on the first floor has been subdivided into three small rooms, but remains one large open space on the second, third, and fourth levels.
The structural system of the building consists of riveted steel. Steel columns are spaced around the perimeter at 16 feet on center. Interior framing is provided by a double row of columns flanking the north-south axis. The central floor area is left open, with support provided by columns in the corners of the square space. Girders span columns east to west, with beams spanning girder to girder at 5 feet on center.5 Partition walls are generally of terra-cotta blocks.
Interior finishes of the rooms on the first and second floors (excluding the lobby and north- south corridors) generally consist of plaster walls and ceilings on diamond metal lath, wooden baseboards and chair rails, and molded plaster cove cornices. Many of the second-floor rooms also have wood moldings on their walls forming decorative panels above the chair rail. Floors throughout are reinforced cinder concrete with a granolithic finish, covered with linoleum tiles in a checkerboard pattern. Bathrooms generally feature white enamel tile wainscots with raised decorative borders in contrasting colors (blue or yellow), mosaic tile floors, and Carrera-glass shower and toilet stalls. Doors are generally of birch veneer or white pine. Thresholds are either marble or oak.
The finishes of the north and south corridors and the lobby are more elaborate than elsewhere. The first-floor walls feature a black marble baseboard, a buff marble wainscot, and upper
Blakemore, p. 7.
13
walls of scored stucco designed to imitate Caen stone. The second-floor walls of the lobby were treated in a similar manner. However, the walls of the second-floor corridors differ somewhat: they have black marble baseboards, a molded wooden chair rail (no buff marble wainscot), and scored plaster walls painted and glazed to imitate Caen stone. Lobby areas have an ogee cornice molding. Second-floor corridors have a plaster cove cornice. The imitation Caen stone in all areas has been painted over. The buff and black marbles are extant throughout.
Stairways #2 and #4 retain their original latticework balustrades of cast iron, with bronze rosettes at the center of each lattice panel, and wood handrails. The ornamental balustrades run from first to third floors at both stairways.
Additional ornamentation is found in the lobby at the second-floor level. The sides of the balcony facing the lobby have panels with cast-plaster bands of geometric dentils along their tops and bottoms. A plaster winged shield is mounted at the top center of each panel. Column capitals are elaborately decorated with plaster leaves and medallions. The lobby ceiling likewise features an ornamental plaster cornice of stylized leaves, as well as a stained-glass skylight.
The finishes in the basement are generally plastered walls with a simple wood baseboard.
* * *
The following report utilizes a system of schedules in order to facilitate the discussion of specific architectural elements. All windows have been assigned a number that includes a designation of the level at which they are located. Thus, basement windows are W B-n; first-floor windows are W l-n; second-floor windows are W 2-«; and so on. Numbering for the window schedule begins at the main entry of the west (front) side of the building and moves in a clockwise direction. Thus numbering begins at the center of the west elevation and proceeds north.
Doorways are also numbered according to floor level (doorways in the basement are B-n, doorways on the first floor are D \-n, doorways at the second floor are D 2-n, and so on). Numbering for the doorway schedule follows a similar pattern as used for the window schedule. It is a pattern established on the original drawings. The doorways are scheduled on floor plans beginning with the center portal on the west (front) side of the building, and moving in a clockwise direction through the building to include all exterior and interior doorways.
Rooms are also scheduled for this report. Rooms are numbered beginning with the open central space on each floor as Room 001, 101, or 201 and moving in a clockwise direction from the northwest corner of the central space. Thus, all scheduled elements of the structure are treated in a consistently clockwise manner.
The drawings immediately following are annotated to provide a visual guide to the scheduled number designations of windows, doorways, and rooms of the Ryan Center/ Administration Building as they will be referenced throughout this report. Photographs are a sampling of the current appearance of the building, and are intended to illustrate the preceding architectural description.
14
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20
CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS
21
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Figure 7. The Administration Building, west (front) and south sides.
Figure 8. Detail of the west side: projecting center pavilion with entrance portico.
23
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Figure 9. West side of building, detail of first-floor window,
W 1-4.
Figure 10. West side of building, detail of parapet ornament above main entry.
24
Figure 11. South end of building and part of east side with terrace stairway at right.
Figure 12. North end of building. Note ghost of former extension in brickwork
around doorway.
25
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Figure 13. East (field) side of building, south terrace.
Figure 14. East side of building, north terrace.
26
Figure 15. East side of building, control tower.
27
Figure 16. East side of building, looking south.
Figure 17. East side of building, detail of control tower. Note 1930 perimeter walkway and cornice, and 1943 glass enclosure.
28
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Figure 20. Roof of building, looking south.
Figure 21. Roof of building, looking northeast.
30
Figure 22. West end of passenger-loading runnel, looking west toward Stairway #4
leading up to lobby.
Figure 23. North wall of passenger-loading tunnel, showing tile wainscot and display panel.
31
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Figure 26. Interior of lobby, main staircase (Stairway #5) in southeast corner.
Figure 27. Interior of lobby, east balcony panel with plaster ornamentation.
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Figure 34. Second floor, Room 209, west wall, showing plaster cove cornice, panel moldings, chair rail, and birch veneer door.
Figure 35. Second floor, Room 219, west wall. Note baseboard, plaster wainscot, chair rail, panel moldings, and veneer doors.
37
Figure 36. Second floor, tower room, looktng south through
windows W 2-23 and W 2-24.
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Figure 37. Fourth floor of control tower, looking southeast.
39
Figure 38. Extenor north side of control
tower.
40
III. INTRODUCTORY HISTORY OF THE SITE
41
[Editor's note: This section is based entirely on Porter R. Blakemore 's "Historical Data Section " in the Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I.' Thus, rather than using repetitive footnotes, only the page number of Blakemore 's report has been cited in parentheses.]
Floyd Bennett Field, the first municipal airport built by New York City, played a key role in the technical and commercial development of American aviation in the 1930s. The field was never the most important airport in the country. Yet, its location and the quality of its facilities led to extensive use. Numerous record breaking flights either originated or terminated there. An airmail controversy between Floyd Bennett Field and Newark Airport, which the New York airport lost, led to the field's commercial failure and shows the importance of postal business to the struggling airlines at the time. Finally, after the airport was sold to the Navy in 1942, it played a significant military role in World War II.
Thus reads the introductory paragraph of the historical data section of the historic structure report for Floyd Bennett Field, as written by Porter Blakemore in 1981 (p. 1). The following abbreviated history of Floyd Bennett Field is likewise gathered, and in many cases paraphrased, from this 1981 report. The inclusion of an introductory history in this report is an attempt to briefly familiarize the reader with the overall historical context of the site to which the Administration Building belongs-"to set the scene." It is not in any way intended to replace the 1981 HSR. Indeed, for a more detailed account of the site history, and for primary source citations, it is recommended that the 1981 HSR be consulted.
The city of New York began considering the construction of a municipal airport in 1925 on the initiative of the Board of Trade and Transportation's Committee on Landing Places for Commercial Air Lines. No formal action was taken. The issue was again addressed in 1927 by the Port of New York Authority, the agency responsible for promoting and protecting the commerce of the metropolitan area. A report was compiled recommending that New York have "one or more thoroughly modern airports or terminal flying fields" (p. 2). Again, no specific action was taken.
By this time, the federal government began to show an interest in the airport issue. The Department of Commerce was increasingly concerned by New York's lack of a commercial airport. A "Fact-Finding Committee on Suitable Airport Facilities for the New York District" was established under the Secretary of Commerce; it produced a report in November 1927 that recommended six primary and four secondary areas for landing fields in New Jersey and in New York (pp. 4-5).
Additional pressure was put on New York City officials by a number of successful trans- Atlantic flights that drew the attention of the American public, and by the start of construction of the Newark (New Jersey) Municipal Airport in early 1927. The Newark airport opened in October 1928 and became the primary landing field in the metropolitan area (p. 5). New York City was caught unprepared for the burgeoning interest in, and commercial possibilities of, air travel; it thus began to make an earnest effort to catch up with developments in the field.
Porter R. Blakemore and Dana C. Linck, Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, May 1981).
43
One of the secondary sites selected by the aforementioned "Fact-Finding Committee" was Barren Island in Brooklyn, located at the end of Flatbush Avenue on Jamaica Bay. The Barren Island site was selected by city officials and is the current location of Floyd Bennett Field. The site was chosen for a number of reasons, including the following: (a) the city owned Barren Island; (b) work to create a major shipping harbor out of Jamaica Bay was well advanced and would tie in nicely with an airport; (c) no obstructions were nearby to endanger planes; (d) the proximity to Jamaica Bay would accommodate seaplanes; and (e) there was little history of fog, haze, or bad storms in the area (p. 9).
The agency in charge of the construction of the municipal airport was the Department of Docks. The Department of Docks had gradually inherited the administration of the New York City port facilities. It received the airport project because it was in charge of developing the Jamaica Bay harbor project at the time (p. 13).
The first step in constructing the airport was the enormous job of the hydraulic filling and grading of "an area of about 350 acres between Jamaica Bay Main Interior Channel and Flatbush Avenue" to a height of 16 feet above mean low tide. The initial filling and grading was completed in late 1928 (p. 13).
Plans for the field and the service structures were prepared in 1929 by the Department of Docks. The plans called for two runways, a row of hangars, and an Administration Building on the west side of Flatbush Avenue, as well as a seaplane base at the southeast corner of the field on Jamaica Bay (p. 74).
Construction of two reinforced-concrete runways, a privet hedge on the northern border of the field, gravel strips along the runways, subsoil, topsoil, topsoil treatment, and seeding followed the hydraulic filling operation. This work was begun in the summer of 1929 and completed by late 1929 (pp. 74-79).
The city awarded the first building contract in early 1930 to the Woodrest Construction Company. The contract was for eight hangars and a concrete apron. (Plans had originally called for 14 hangars but funds were not available.) The work was completed in May 193 1 (p. 97).
The contract for the Administration Building was awarded in late 1930 to the Longacre Engineering Company. The building was completed in May 1931. The hangars were situated both north and south of the Administration Building in two groups of four. The concrete apron ran in front of the hangars and the Administration Building, leading to the runways.
Additional structures erected as part of the initial construction phase were a metal building housing a sewage-disposal system with pump well on the southern part of the field, and a brick transformer vault next to the pump well (p. 99). Therefore, a total of 1 1 buildings and two runways were erected at the airport between 1929 and 1932.
Flight activities commenced at the field after a short dedication ceremony on June 26, 1930. At this time the runways, taxiways and aprons, and some of the hangar facilities were completed (p. 29). The official dedication of the airport was held nearly a year later on May 23, 1931. An estimated crowd of 25,000 attended the ceremonies and accompanying air show. All of the hangars were complete, and the Administration Building was nearing completion, at the time of the dedication (p. 30).
44
An important controversy arose shortly after the dedication of the airport. The Department of Docks and New York City officials assumed that upon completion, Floyd Bennett Field would be able to take over the air-mail business for the metropolitan area. In order to insure this, special care was taken to meet all federal government requirements for airports seeking Post Office Department contracts. However, Newark Airport had also taken care to meet the Post Office Department requirements, and it was designated the air-mail terminus within the New York metropolitan area the year it was completed- 1928 (pp. 33-34).
Despite intense lobbying efforts by New York City officials to convince the Post Office Department that Floyd Bennett Field was a better facility than Newark Airport, the air-mail business remained in Newark, New Jersey. The fight for the recognition of Floyd Bennett Field as the air- mail terminus was led by Fiorello H. LaGuardia (who became mayor on January 1, 1934). The controversy raged from the completion of the airport in 1931 to March 1936, when the Postmaster General finally decided the issue in favor of Newark Airport. As historian Blakemore explains,
This decision, along with the inability of New York officials to solve the accessibility problem, killed Floyd Bennett Field's chances of commercial success. Though the issue was brought up again on a number of occasions, largely by the press and certain business leaders, the city went ahead with plans to build another airport, LaGuardia Field, which would be more accessible to Manhattan and the railroads. Floyd Bennett Field stayed out of the center of commercial aviation in the New York metropolitan area (p. 44).
While not a huge commercial success, Floyd Bennett Field became a mecca for aviation enthusiasts, and was both start and terminus for dozens of record-breaking flights throughout the 1930s.
Improvements continued at the field. The second major phase of work (after initial construction) occurred from 1934 to 1938. It consisted of a large number of major and minor alterations, repairs, and new constructions carried out by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Primary among the WPA projects was the expansion of the concrete runway, taxi way, and apron system (including two new runways). WPA work also included the construction of a boiler room and machine shop, infill buildings between Hangars 1 and 2 and Hangars 5 and 6, a field house beside the Administration Building, a sprinkler system pump house, a gasoline pump house, a second transformer vault, and the addition of a passenger-loading tunnel at the Administration Building (pp. 134-135). Other improvements to the field by the WPA included new fencing, landscaping, field grading; construction of dirt and bituminous roads, sidewalks, sewers, water mains; and the installation of manholes. The seaplane ramp at the southeast corner of the field on Jamaica Bay was likewise constructed by the WPA (p. 140).
Throughout the 1930s the field was used not only by professional aviators embarking on historic flights, but also by the following: private aircraft companies, to store and maintain aircraft; American Airlines, as a base for their New York/Boston flights; individual pilots and instructors; the City Police Department aviation unit; the U.S. Coast Guard; and the U.S. Navy (pp. 52-53).
Because Floyd Bennett Field was not a huge commercial success, it became a financial burden to the City of New York. Not surprisingly, an offer by the U.S. Navy to purchase the field and turn it into a naval air station was warmly received by city officials. Negotiations for the Navy's purchase of the field began in late 1940. The field was closed to commercial traffic on May 26, 1941, and the New York Naval Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, was commissioned on June 2, 1941. The Navy agreed to pay $9,750,000 for Floyd Bennett Field and the adjacent city-owned and
45
privately owned areas, totaling more than 1,200 acres. The arrangements were finalized on February 18, 1942 (pp. 59-60).
The alterations and improvements by the Navy represent the third major phase of construction at Floyd Bennett Field. In preparation for the field's use as a naval air station in wartime, many additional facilities were necessary. Between 1941 and 1944 major construction projects were carried out. Blakemore gives a complete list of Navy construction on pages 63 and 151-165. This included the following work:
Three of the four existing runways were widened to 300 feet and lengthened to 5,000 feet. In addition a new Runway 6-24, measuring 300 feet wide and 5,000 feet long, was constructed on the northern part of the field. A new seaplane hangar was built on the eastern side of the field and two seaplane runways were dredged out of Jamaica Bay. Also barracks, training classrooms, a BOQ [bachelor officers' quarters], officers' club, enlisted men's club, warehouses, machine shops, high explosive magazines, and a gunnery range were built.... (p. 63).
...the Navy erected recreation buildings, additional officer and enlisted men's barracks, married housing for enlisted and officer personnel, Marine barracks and married housing units, more gasoline pump houses, storage buildings, a public works office and police station, a dispensary, a fire station and garage, numerous maintenance buildings, a torpedo overhaul shop, a power plant, and various smaller structures (p. 155).
The Navy also installed a new lighting system to aid night landings, and modified many of the original 1930s structures. The Administration Building was the structure most extensively remodeled, including a new modernized control tower and a wood-frame extension on the north side of the building. These alterations will be discussed in Section IV ("Architectural History") of this report.
During World War II, the naval air station fulfilled many missions. One of its primary functions was the training of aviation cadets for the Navy fleets. It was also a base for anti- submarine squadrons that protected ships entering and departing New York Harbor. Floyd Bennett Field was a base for the Fleet Service squadrons, which consisted of carrier aircraft that served as a communications link with ships in the Atlantic by carrying mail, personnel, and vital supplies. Floyd Bennett Field was the midway point for aircraft and supplies that went to the European Theater of combat. Aircraft and supplies were continuously stored at, and shipped overseas from, the station. In 1943, Floyd Bennett Field became the east coast terminal of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). As such, it was the receiving point for much of the traffic heading for Europe and the North Atlantic. Historian Blakemore reports that "The volume of MATS traffic made Floyd Bennett Field one of the busiest airports in the United States during the war..." (pp. 63 and 71).
Following World War II, the staffing and activity at Floyd Bennett Field was dramatically and rapidly downsized. It became a naval air reserve training station. From 1946 until 1971, the field experienced varying degrees of activity corresponding to the national and international climates. Therefore, the Korean War reinvigorated the life of the field when naval air reserve and marine air reserve squadrons were recalled to active duty in 1950. The field remained active through the Vietnam War era, with a total of 34 aircraft squadrons constantly training for present and future combat. As the United States withdrew from Vietnam and a national demobilization effort commenced, the Navy began to consider the closing of Floyd Bennett Field. The Naval Air Station
46
was finally decommissioned in mid- 1971 and transferred in 1972 to the Department of the Interior (pp. 71-73).
Following World War II little new construction was undertaken at Floyd Bennett Field. However, with the advent of the Korean War and escalation of the Cold War, a modest expansion of the facilities commenced. This work represents the fourth and last phase of construction at the field prior to National Park Service occupation.
In 1951-1952, 1,000 feet were added to Runway 6-24, and the following were constructed: a new parking area, two new radio towers, new lean-tos for the hangars on the eastern side of the field, a new barracks and mess hall, a public works garage, and four maintenance buildings. Fire-alarm and sprinkler systems were repaired, the main entrance gate was relocated, and a jet-fuel storage tank was built. A new airport beacon tower was erected south of the Administration Building in 1957 (p. 166). Historian Blakemore indicates that little change was made to original structures during this period. He writes
In many instances the buildings went unused, since the Navy centered its activities at the field in the late 1940s away from the original hangar row. Nevertheless, the New York City Police Department maintained its air patrol unit in Hangar 3, and the New York Air National Guard occupied several of the hangars north of the Administration Building (p. 167).
The only major addition to the field in the later history of the site was the construction of the Blue Hangar immediately north of the Administration Building. The hangar was erected by the Air National Guard in 1964-1965.
47
IV. ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
49
BRIEF CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY OF THE SITE
[Editor's note: This construction chronology is largely copied from Porter R. Blakemore's "Historical Data Section " in the Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section, Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I, pp. 215-217.' However, it has been annotated and augmented by the author, using information extracted from the Department of Docks (DOD) annual reports, and from historic drawings and photographs collected for this report.]
* * * Items specifically related to the Administration Building are highlighted in bold type.
1927 - Barren Island at Jamaica Bay selected as site for municipal airport
Oct. 1928 - City decided on name "Floyd Bennett Field"
Jan. 30, 1928 - Plans completed for proposed municipal airport including Administration Building, 14 aircraft hangars, and runways: "City of New York, Department of Docks, Proposed Municipal Airport, Borough of Brooklyn, General Location Plans"(revised April 15, 1931)
Jan. 19, 1929 - Contract 1935 (Supplementing Contract 1917) completed: filling and grading sand areas-R.A. Perry, $74,970
Jan. 26, 1929 - Contract 1917 completed: filling in the site of the municipal airport at the foot of Flatbush Avenue-R.A. Perry, $591,805
1929 - Plans for Administration Building accepted
Nov. 17, 1930 - Contract 2000, drawings completed: "For the Construction of Administration Building with Appurtenances at the Site of The Municipal Airport Floyd Bennett Field"
Late 1930 - Contract 2000 awarded to Longacre Engineering Company for the
Administration Building, $249,079.45
Feb. 2, 1930 - Contract 1941 completed: privet hedge along north side of airport, two concrete runways, gravel strips, placing subsoil and topsoil, topsoil treatment, and seeding-John L. Walsh of Northport Sand & Gravel Company,
$722,407.58 (begun 5/6/29)
Porter R. Blakemore and Dana C. Linck, Historic Structures Report, Historical Data Section. Archeological Data Section, Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area, Vol. I (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, May 1981).
51
May 20, 1930 - Contract 1963 completed: widening the two runways to 100 feet each-Fleming and Sheppard Company, Inc., $103,651.80 (contract let 7/29, work begun 1 1/14/29)
June 2, 1930 - Contract completed: placing additional topsoil-J.L. Walsh, $10,800
Aug. 2, 1930 - Contract 1978 completed: wood screen fencing-M.D. Lundin Company (awarded 1928)
Mid- 1 930 - Navy installed a new lighting system
May 14, 1931 - Contract 1997 completed: parking area-Fleming and Sheppard Company, Inc., $19,160 (contract let July 1929)
May 1931 - Contract 1967 completed: plans and specifications for 14 hangars and concrete
apron (number of hangars reduced to eight by Board of Estimate and apportionment)-Woodrest Construction Company, Inc., $1,051,000 (contract awarded 1/30)
May 23, 1931 - Formal dedication ceremonies for Floyd Bennett Field, field opens to public
1931, summer- Contract 2028 completed: sewer disposal plant and transformer vault-Rosoff Brothers, Inc., $79,800
1931, summer- Contract 2020 A completed: construction of offices, shops and enclosures, etc., in four lean-tos; construction and erection of two temporary comfort stations-Rosoff Brothers, Inc.
1931, summer- Contract 2020 B completed: plumbing, drainage, water supply, etc., for Administration Building, lean-tos, comfort stations, etc.-Thomas F. Mulligan,
$25,333
1931, summer- Contract 2020 C completed: electric wiring for fire alarm, light and power; telephone conduits; manholes, light and power for Administration Building, lean-tos, hangars, comfort stations, pumping stations, etc.-J. P. Morrissev, Inc., $99,899
1931, summer- Contract 2020 D completed: oil-fired steam system heating system, oil-fired hot-water supply plant, fuel-oil supply system, and incidental work for the Administration Building-Jacob E. Brown, Inc., $11,328
1931, summer- Contract 2032 completed: furnishing and installing landing equipment together with all incidental work thereto-General Electric Company, $73,200
1931, summer - Contract 2038 completed: preparation of areas for parking of motor vehicles, including the furnishing and installation of wire mesh fencing-Robert E. Orr Company, Inc., $51,500
August 1931 - Administration Building, contract 2000, fully completed
52
|
Feb. 2, |
1932 - |
|
April 4. |
, 1932 |
|
1934- |
|
|
1935- |
Oct. 14, 1931 - Formal completion date of Administration Building Contract, initial construction
Oct. 21, 1931 - Contract 1999 completed: seaplane base-Charles F. Vachris, Inc., $148,164
Jan. 17, 1932 - Contract 2031 completed: furnishing and installing a complete landing area floodlight system, including necessary buildings, appurtenances, auxiliaries and all required work incidental thereto-Sperry Gyroscope Company, $26,356
Contract 2053 completed: construction of sand fences, new removable wire fence 943 feet in length-Independent Fence Company, $3,510
Contract completed: construction of three taxi strips-Thomas McMillian Company, $18,495
WPA constructed a boiler room and machine shop
WPA began construction of passenger-loading tunnel in the Administration Building
Aug. 1935 - WPA began construction of stairway at south end of terrace of Administration Building
1935 - WPA expanded concrete runways, taxiways, and apron system
1935 - Decorative program begun at Administration Building
1936 - WPA "History of Aviation Murals" begun
1936 - WPA built a field house (just north of Administration Building), sprinkler system
pump house, and gasoline pump house
1 936 - WPA constructed the Coast Guard Air Station
1936 - WPA constructed infill buildings between Hangars 1 and 2 and Hangars 5 and 6
1936 - WPA installed new fencing, landscaping, roads, air beacon, sidewalks, sewers,
water mains, manholes, and seaplane ramp
Feb. 1937 - Contract awarded for a hangar and barracks building, seaplane ramp, and other
facilities
1937 - Octagonal baggage counter completed in lobby of Administration Building
1937 - Interior stencils, ornamental plaster, painting, etc. completed in Adminis-
tration Building
Early 1940 - New seaplane facility constructed
53
Mid- 1940- Erection of Bachelor Officers' quarters and enlisted men's barracks, and office
buildings
Late 1940 - U.S. Navy asked to build barracks for 100 aviation students
Early 1941 - A second seaplane hangar constructed
May 26, 1941 - Floyd Bennett Field closed to commercial traffic
1941 - Construction of barracks and mess hall building by U.S. Navy
1941, June - U.S. Navy constructed an On-Shore Patrol Base
1941, summer - Runways extended, a new seaplane hangar and several smaller buildings built
Feb. 18, 1942 - U.S. Navy purchased Floyd Bennett Field from New York City
1943 - Alterations to the Administration Building made by the Navy, including new
control tower
1943 - Single-story frame extension added to the north end of the Administration
Building
1941-1944 - U.S. Navy built a marginal wharf, a seaplane parking area, and seaplane ramp
1941-1944- U.S. Navy built recreational buildings, additional offices, enlisted men's married housing, and various other structures
1946- Installation of new instrument approach system, new Radio Compass Location
Station, ground control approach equipment, and a taxiway
July 195 1 - Contract awarded to Albert A. Lutz Company for expansion of the naval air station
1954 - Original wood sash windows and wood doors on Administration Building changed
to steel casements
1957 - New beacon tower constructed to south of Administration Building
1964 - Blue hangar immediately north of Administration Building constructed by the
National Air Guard
Mid- 1971 - Naval air station decommissioned
October 1972 - Department of Interior takes over administration of Floyd Bennett Field as part of Gateway NRA
54
INITIAL CONSTRUCTION
The Administration Building was designed and constructed as a primary element of the initial phase of construction at Floyd Bennett Field. From the beginning of the planning stages in 1928, an administration building was included in the designs for the field. The plan that was finally accepted in 1929 called for two runways, a concrete apron, a row of 14 hangars, an administration building, and a seaplane hangar. Hangars and administration building were to be constructed parallel to, and on the west side, of Flatbush Avenue, with the airfield to the east of these structures, and the seaplane hangar located at the southeast corner of the field on Jamaica Bay. Although no seaplane hangar and only eight of the 14 regular hangars were built initially, the basic layout and scope of the 1929 plan was retained during actual construction.2
The building was designed and constructed under the administration of the Department of Docks (hereafter DOD). The DOD architect in charge of the project, and responsible for the rendering of architectural drawings, was Hugh McLaughlin. At the time that he designed the Administration Building he had been with the department for 26 years. Very little else is known about the architect. Also on the design and planning team were John McKenzie, newly appointed commissioner of DOD; T.F. Keller, chief engineer; and James S. Kenny, assistant engineer-in- charge.3
The original set of architectural drawings for the building was located during the research efforts of 1981. They consist of 18 sheets and are included in this report as Section VI ("Historical Drawings"). They were approved on November 17, 1930, by Michael Cosgrove, then Commissioner of the DOD. Dimensions, materials, and details set out on the drawings were generally followed in the construction of the building.
No work orders or record of the construction of the Administration Building were discovered. The original drawings, and several general comments in the annual reports of the DOD, stand as the only record of the initial phase of construction. The drawings should be closely examined, since they provide the best view of the building in new condition. However-although the drawings are beautifully rendered and annotated as to the intent of the design elements-there are few details as to how the building was actually put together (i.e., stone attachment, roof details, tower construction details, etc.).
The design called for a two-story building with a four-story tower centrally located on the east (airfield) side of the structure, and a two-story portico centrally located on the west (entry) side. The building was rectangular, measuring 182 feet by 74 feet in plan. All exterior features were very regular and symmetrical.
2 Blakemore, p. 75.
3 Photograph from the Brooklyn Times dated May 24, 1931. City of New York, Municipal Archives, James Walker Papers, Box 252, Folder II.
55
Below are listed most of the exterior features as specified on the original drawings.
Foundation - Bluestone course with ashlar cut white marble coursing above
Harvard brick, Flemish bond
Walls - Terraces -
Portico -
Quoins - Windows -
Doorways
Cornice -
Parapet
Control Tower -
Floor, red cement scored to look like pavers
Railing, white marble balustrades and brick piers with marble coping
Floor, red cement scored to look like pavers White marble Tuscan columns White stucco walls
White marble
Wood frames and sash
12-over-l and 6-over-l lights, double-thick sheet glass
Brick lintels
White marble sills, keystones, and arched panels
White pine doors and sash
Double French style with one-eighth-inch plate glass
Transoms of simple fan design
West entry, white marble arched pediments with cast bronze eagle in
center pediment Canopies on west terrace doorways, obscure leaded glass with copper ribs
and flashing
White marble
Copper lettering on west:
"Department of Docks Floyd Bennett Field Municipal Airport" Copper lettering on east:
"City of New York Floyd Bennett Field"
Brick with white marble coping Copper lettering on west:
"City of New York 1930" Winged globe, center, west:
White marble with blue glaze, copper wings Wood flagpole, center, west
Aluminum covered walls, aluminum railing, aluminum sash Clock affixed to center of walkway
Although the original drawings of the exterior indicate that white marble was intended for all trim-including quoins, window panels and keystones, water table coursing, terrace balusters, roof cornice, and roof parapet coping-cast stone was eventually substituted for all white marble elements. The substitution of materials was probably due to financial constraints and construction expediency. In addition, the granite specified for steps on the west front and east terraces was replaced with
56
concrete during construction. In all other details, construction of the building appears to have been true to the original design.
The contract for the Administration Building (#2000) was awarded to the Longacre Engineering Company in late 1930. Construction began shortly thereafter with the excavation of the basement and the sinking of reinforced-concrete foundation piles. Piles were generally 35 feet long and 14 inches square. They were arranged in 54 groups of four. Square concrete footings capped each group of four piles. Footings measured either 5 feet by 5 feet or 6 feet 3 inches square, and were from 2 feet to 2 feet 7 inches high. Each footing supported a single steel column of the structural framing system (for a total of 54 steel columns).
The plan of the building was a simple rectangle with a crossing transept at the center. The center crossing consisted of a central two-story atrium, with the control tower projecting beyond the basic rectangle of the plan on the east, and the front entry pavilion projecting on the west. A long main corridor led off the central atrium to the north and south on both first and second stories. With the exception of the rooms in the control tower and the rooms located above the entry portico, rooms were arranged symmetrically along both sides of the north and south corridors. Circulation was by means of six separate stairways: one on each end of the building (north and south), one at each side of the lobby atrium (north and south), one stairway in the center of first-floor lobby leading down to the subterranean passenger-loading tunnel, and one stairway beginning at the northeast corner of the lobby on the second floor and accessing the third floor of the control tower.
Footings and columns were arranged approximately 16 feet on center along the perimeter of the building, with a double row of columns along the north-south axis, and a double row of columns along the east-west axis at the north and south sides of the central open area of the plan. In addition, four columns framed the tower on the west elevation. Exterior stairways, ramps, and terraces were supported by wooden piles and wall footings. See sheet no. 13 of the original drawings (fig. 163) for a foundation plan and column.
The structural steel framing system of the building was bolted and riveted together. Horizontal framing members consisted of girders spanning the columns east to west, with beams spanning girder to girder at 5 feet on center.
The original drawings called for the following interior features. They are listed here as they are noted on the drawings, and as they appear floor by floor.
Basement
Floors - 4-inch reinforced cinder-concrete slab with 2-inch granolithic finish and
linoleum cover
Walls - 4-inch terra-cotta partitions, metal lath, plaster
Trim - some plain wood baseboard and doorway trim
Ceiling - plaster on metal lath
Doors wood with obscured glass
Stairways - steel treads and risers, safety treads (Stairways #1, #3, and #6)
57
Special Features - metal shelving, hollow metal counter and gate, metal lockers
First Floor
Floors -
Walls -
Wall Finish -
Trim
Ceiling -
Stairways -
Doorways
Special Features
4-inch reinforced cinder-concrete slab with 1-inch granolithic finish and linoleum cover
4-inch terra-cotta with metal lath and plaster quarter-inch polished plate glass (fixed)
generally plaster on metal lath faux Caen stone stucco (lobby only) buff marble wainscot (halls and lobby) "Fabrikoid" wall covering (lounge & restaurant) tile wainscot (rest rooms)
buff marble doorway trim (lobby).
1 3/>-inch ornamental cast brass molding (halls)
aluminum trim (around plate-glass window walls)
black marble baseboard (halls and lobby)
molded wood baseboard (rooms)
galvanized steel kalameined trim (exterior doorways)
molded wood chair rail (rooms)
plaster on metal lath
ornamental plaster ceilings (lobby, restaurant)
"All 1st floor rooms except lobby, restaurant and women's rest room to
have plain molded plaster cornice" ornamental plaster cornice, triglyphs and medallions (restaurant)
steel stringer, steel treads & risers, safety treads, steel balustrade with
wood handrail (Stairways #1, #3, and #6) marble risers, marble treads, steel stringer, ornamental bronze balustrade
with molded birch handrail (Stairways #2, #4, and #5)
see doorway schedule, sheet 1 1 (fig. 61) all lobby and hall doorways have transoms polished glass and white pine doors obscured glass and white pine doors polished glass and birch veneer doors
fireplace in lounge decorative painting (lobby) decorative linoleum (lobby) marble counters (lobby)
58
Second Floor
Floors -
Walls - Wall Finish
Trim
Ceiling -
Stairways
Doorways
Special Features
4-inch reinforced cinder-concrete slab with 1-inch granolithic Finish and linoleum cover
4-inch terra-cotta partitions with plaster on metal lath
imitation Caen stone stucco (lobby) buff marble wainscot (lobby) plaster on metal lath (halls, rooms) damask covering/panels on plaster (parlors) glazed tile wainscot (rest rooms)
black marble baseboard (halls, lobby)
buff marble doorway surrounds (lobby)
molded wood baseboard (rooms)
molded wood chair rail
wood panel moldings
wood (birch) doorway surrounds
kalameined galvanized steel trim in stair halls
hung ceiling, plaster on metal lath with coved plaster cornice (rooms,
halls) obscured glass skylights (halls) leaded, colored glass ceiling light (lobby) gilded plaster-leaf cornice (lobby)
steel stringer, steel treads & risers, safety treads, steel balustrade with
wood handrail (Stairways #1 and #6) marble risers, marble treads, steel stringer, ornamental bronze balustrade
with molded birch handrail (Stairways #2, #4, and #5) steel treads & risers, safety treads, decorative cast-iron balustrade with
birch handrail (Stairway #3)
all hall doorways have transoms birch veneer doors white pine doors
decorative paint program (lobby atrium) decorative column capitals (lobby atrium) decorative balcony panels (lobby atrium)
59
Third Floor (Control Tower only)
Floor -
4 inch reinforced cinder-concrete slab with granolith finish and linoleum covering
|
Walls - |
terra-cotta partition and t |
|
Wall Finish - |
plaster over metal lath |
|
Trim - |
molded wood baseboard |
|
plain wood window trim |
|
|
Ceiling - |
plaster over metal lath |
|
Doorways - |
white pine doors |
Special Features - none
Fourth Floor (Control Tower only)
Walls - all terra-cotta (and windows)
Wall Finish - Trim -
Ceiling - Doorways - Stairway - Special Features
plaster over metal lath
molded wood baseboard birch doorway trim
plaster over metal lath
none
iron spiral stairway
oversized plate-glass aluminum sash windows Walkway surrounding control room
Interior features included on the original drawings that were never realized during construction were: the elevator shaft designed for the east side of the central lobby; the fireplace shown on the north wall of the first-floor lounge; the ornamental plaster ceiling in the first-floor restaurant; and damask panels in some of the second-floor rooms. Judging from extant conditions, as well as post-construction photographs and historic drawings, all other construction details seem to have been executed. Exterior photographs dating to the last phases of construction show how closely the finished building adhered to the design. Unfortunately, interior photographs of the building upon completion were not found. The earliest interior photographs date to 1935.
60
The DOD annual report for 1931 recorded completion of the Administration Building in its list of "Contract Work Advertised in 1931 and Completed in 1931" as follows:
Contract 2000— Administration Building Airport. Completed October 14, 1931, by Longacre Engineering Co., at a cost of... $249,079.45 .4
Another passage in the report records the conflicting account that
The Administration Building a structure about 200 feet long by about 70 feet wide, of Colonial type, has been fully completed since August and has received many favorable comments from all sides as the quality of the work therein, and also of the architecture of the building itself.
The October 14 date represents the official completion of the contract and therefore, for the purposes of this HSR, October 14, 1931 is considered the formal completion date of the initial phase of construction.
However, the building first opened to the public at the official dedication ceremony on May 23, 1931. The DOD report for 1931 recorded that work at the airport began to be pushed as rapidly as possible for the formal opening in May.
To do this necessitated a great deal of emergency work by the Dock Department, aided by several other City departments. Contracts for plumbing, heating, paving, grass seeding, sodding, electric light and power including both the hangar and administration building system, as well as the flood lights, border lights, etc., on the field itself. All of these contracts were completed late in the summer.
In addition, "Several thousand feet of wire fencing to protect the spectators from any danger of accident and still give the planes ample room to manoeuver, take-off and land" was installed along the east side of the building.7 The building contained "facilities for a restaurant, cafeteria, post- office, dormitories, lounge; weather bureau and Dep't of Commerce rooms."8
A photograph (fig. 127) dated May 19, 1931, shows the north and west sides of the building just four days before the dedication. Work is clearly still in progress including the installation of most of the windows.
The dedication ceremonies were extravagant, including an air show, extensive decorations, speeches, and a catered dinner. A crowd of more than 10,000 people was reported. An itinerary of some of the activities was found in the files of Gateway NRA.
4 Department of Docks (DOD) Annual Report, 1931, p. 31. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
5 Annual Report, 1931, p. 35.
6 Annual Report, 1931, p. 35.
7 Annual Report, 1931, p. 35.
8 Annual Report, 1931, p. 19.
61
For May 23, 193 1, the following activities were planned:
Floyd Bennett Field Open all day, sunrise to midnight
10:30 a.m.- Air cleared and airport receives Army planes from adjacent fields
12 noon- Army squadron formation over airport
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.- Official dedication ceremonies. Hon James J. Walker, presiding
3:20 to 4 p.m.- Army planes pass in review
4:00 to 5:30 p.m.- Exhibition Flying by Army Pilots
5:30 to 11:00 p.m.- Commercial Flights and Demonstration of Airport Lighting facilities9
A folder in the Mayor Walker papers at the New York City Municipal Archives contains a breakdown of the costs for the opening events as follows:
Caterer 900.00
Processed letters 100.00
Letters, indiv. processed 14.42
Photographs 39.90
Beefsteak dinners 400.00
Officers and pilots dinner 4,000.00
7.5 coils of rope 142.33
American beauty roses 27.00
Iron stakes 165.00
P.A. System 75.00
White wool felt arm bands 6 1 .20
Busses 80.00
Chairs, platform, decorations 2,607.00
Total: 8,611.85'°
A proposal for decorations at the dedication was also found in the Mayor Walker Papers. The C.H. Koster Co. wrote to the Mayor's Committee on Receptions proposing a comprehensive plan of decoration for the hangars and the Administration Building using flags, banners, fans, festoons, and sunbursts. For example, for the Administration Building was suggested
From roof flagpole, Flatbush Avenue side, to the roof cornice each way
We would arrange streamers of burgees 2-1/2 x 5 ft., showing the emblems, twenty- four pieces, twenty-four different emblems, as used on aeroplanes of the Air Service.
From roof turret to roof cornice each side, field side of the building
We would arrange streamers of burgees 2-Vi x 5 ft. showing the emblems, twenty-six pieces, twenty-six emblems, as used on aeroplanes of the Air Service.
Archives, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Gateway NRA. 10 Mayor Walker Papers, Box 248. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
62
Inside rotunda of building
Here we would mass the colors, using 3 x 5 ft. flags on staffs in metal bases or standards, approximately sixty nations.
The Two sides of the building
Each decorated with eight half-sunbursts about nine feet deep - four red, white and blue, and four in the City colors.
Turret rail
Decorated with a festooning of red, white and blue about nine feet deep.
Side facing Flatbush Avenue
Here the decorations would consist of red, white and blue and City colors, in festoons, extending down about nine feet. There would be eight units of red, white and blue, and six pieces of City colors, for the roof cornice."
Since the cost of this proposed decorative scheme was $2,806, it is unlikely that the city accepted the offer of services. In the absence of dedication photographs, it does, however, give some idea of what types of decorations may have been used for the ceremonies.
Several contracts for the Administration Building were completed the following year (1932), including the contract with Sperry Gyroscope for floodlighting the airport, and a contract with the Independent Fence Company for 943 feet of removable wire fence. The annual report of DOD described the fence as follows:
A wire mesh fence was built along the apron and around the parking areas, which while allowing visitors to the airport a clear view of everything happening at the field, protects them from moving airplanes and propellers, and allows the handling of a large attendance with less police protection.
A complete new drainage system with catch basins and over 600 linear feet of vitrified pipe was laid down in the main parking area surrounding the Administration Building.12
The first available images of the completed building date to ca. 1932 (e.g., fig. 128). This photograph provides a look at the exterior of the east side of the building.
Although landscaping around the building was planned, it was not realized until the mid- 19308. For the first few years of operation, the site surrounding the building was one large level sandy parking area, with just an apron of grass and small shrubs immediately adjacent to the building. This is clearly seen in an aerial photograph taken during a well-attended air show ca. 1932 (fig. 129).
11 Mayor Walker Papers, Box 248, Folder - General Correspondence. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
12 DOD Annual Report, 1932. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
63
As previously mentioned in this report's "Introductory History," the early 1930s at the airport were dominated by the efforts to have the federal government designate the field as an air terminal for the delivery of the U.S. Mail. Improvements at the airport, and to the Administration Building, were made with this goal at the forefront. As the Airport Beacon bluntly assessed in March 1933:
Admittedly no single item could possibly mean more to the development of Floyd Bennett Field than securing the contract for the U.S. Mail, for in its wake would come passenger lines to all parts of the country. Since this is conceded to be the stepping stone upon which the municipal airport's future greatness depends, every effort is being bent toward that end.
A pending contract with Trans World Airlines (TWA) dated October 3, 1934, added additional pressure on airport administrators. In the contract, the use of Floyd Bennett Field as TWA's central headquarters was contingent on the airfield receiving the air-mail contract, as well as on the successful completion of a specific list of improvements from widening the runways to providing a loudspeaker system in the Administration Building.
i <
The Airport Beacon, Aviation News and Views, March 1933. Archives, Floyd Bennett Field Unit, Gateway NRA.
64
CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS
Although neither the air-mail contract or the TWA contract ever materialized for Floyd Bennett Field, strong efforts were made during the negotiating period to carry out the improvements deemed necessary. The need for early improvements and finishing touches at Floyd Bennett Field coincided with the establishment of President Roosevelt's New Deal agencies such as the Works Projects Administration and the Federal Artists Project. These agencies began to put the burgeoning ranks of the jobless back to work across the nation. One of the main concerns of the relief work was the development and improvements of airports. Because Floyd Bennett Field was a municipal airport, it received a significant share of the federally assisted funds for work projects allocated to the City of New York. Indeed, most of the projects carried out at Floyd Bennett throughout the 1930s were administered by the Works Projects Administration (WPA). The work was carried out by WPA crews.
Works Progress Administration
An index of WPA projects carried out at Floyd Bennett Field was found in the Mayor F.H. LaGuardia papers at the New York City Municipal Archives. The index is typed on graph paper and includes small schematic sketches of each building at Floyd Bennett Field, along with abbreviated descriptions of dimensions, materials, and total costs of WPA projects. Jobs noted in the index with regards to the Administration Building are:
Job #12 WPA Job #17 WPA
WPA
Job #60 WPA
Job #65 WPA
Job #84 WPA
WPA
Job #66 WPA
Job #5 WPA
Job #26
Weather Proofing
Ticket & Doctors office
Restaurant
Public Address System
Alt. in Control Room
Alt. on Elevator Shafts
Decorations
Storm Doors & Sash
Radio
Transmitter & Receiver
Passenger Tunnel
19,005.00
40,873.00 1,985.00 2,513.00
33,064.00
5,385.00
8,046.00
25.00
6,624.00
83.270.00
TOTAL
181,785.00
Landscaping:
WPA WPA WPA WPA WPA WPA WPA WPA WPA
Field Grading & Seeding North Parking Area Drainage
Grading West of Hangars Road on North & East boundary Covering Sand Areas Landscaping Adm. Bldg. Landscaping Field House Storm Manholes
511,093.00
113,407.00
212,697.00
7,320.00
15,702.00
38,136.00
158,101.00
5,619.00
4,082.00
65
WPA Storm Manholes 4,082.00
WPA Rebuilding Terraces Admin. Bldg. 12.056.00
TOTAL 1,078,213.00
Pages of the index relevant to the evolution of the Administration Building are included as Appendix E at the end of this report. Information in the index is used in combination with the annual reports of the DOD, DOD/WPA drawings, and period photographs to provide the most comprehensive examination possible of changes and alterations to the Administration Building by the WPA. However, it is important to note when using this report that the documentation contains many gaps. Some jobs that are listed above have no further record, and some jobs not listed above are documented in reports and drawings.
The major WPA work at the airport began in 1935. The DOD report for 1935 lists the major projects undertaken as follows:
• two new concrete runways, one running southeast to northwest, and one running north to south
• A modern Department of Commerce approved antennae system was installed north of the field.... a receiving station and a wooden building constructed to house Radio Receiving equipment. South of the Field there was constructed a modern transmitting antennae system, together with a brick building to house radio transmitting equipment. The radio range is remote control by means of underground cable from Avenue U to the Administration Building....
• Taxi strips widened from 30 to 100 feet.
•
The apron in front of Administration Building [east side] was widened 54 feet for a distance of approximately 400 feet.
This apron widening was done in connection with the construction of a loading tunnel beneath the concrete apron immediately in front of the Administration Building [east side]. Purpose of the loading tunnel is that arriving passengers may disembark from the plane, go down one flight of steps to the loading tunnel and go into the Administration Building, where another flight of stairs goes up to the lobby.
Four turn tables were installed in this area to facilitate quick arrival and departure of planes by cutting down turning radius required for large transports.
Consolidated ticket counter was constructed in the lobby. A baggage chute from the ticket counter to the baggage room in the Administration Building basement was built.
The restaurant was outfitted with a ventilating system.
66
• The main parking area on both sides of Administration Building was completely landscaped. Modern driveways installed. Paving blocks transferred from North of Field and used in paving driveways.14
Therefore, important alterations to the Administration Building begun in 1935 included the construction of a passenger-loading tunnel, landscaping of the grounds, construction of a ticket counter and baggage chute in the lobby, and work in the restaurant. Drawings for most of the projects cited were found at the New York City Municipal Archives, and are included as Section VI ("Historic Drawings") of this report.
Passenger-Loading Tunnel
The passenger-loading tunnel was designed to project in a T-shape from the center of the east side of the building at the basement level. The main corridor therefore ran east-west and was 10 feet wide and 124 feet long. The T-crossing ran north-south and was 8 feet wide and 240 feet long. The north and south ends of the T-crossing were likewise crossed by short corridors; these had a stairway at each end, covered by a hydraulic hatch, ascending to the tarmac of the airfield above. The tunnel was constructed of concrete with steel reinforcement bars and sunk below grade. Sixteen drawings provide original construction and finish details for the passenger-loading tunnel (see figs. 84-86 and 89-102). The tunnel is extant, although non-functioning, and appears to have been constructed and finished exactly as designed in these drawings.
According to construction drawings, the tunnel was planned as a square concrete tube. The floor consists of a 4-inch concrete base, a five-ply membrane waterproofing of a 15# felt, a 1-inch coat of mortar protection, and 10 inches of concrete reinforced with steel bars one-half inch and five- eighths of an inch thick. The floor pitches a maximum of 3 inches toward drains along the sides. The pitch of the entrance tunnel follows the slope of the concrete apron above. The concrete floor surface features several half-inch expansion joints. The concrete mix specified for the floor was 1:3:6.
The floor was to be finished with asphalt tile three-sixteenths of an inch thick over a plastic layer over cement grout over the concrete base (see fig. 94). The asphalt tiles were laid in a checkerboard pattern of alternating large and small rectangles on a solid background. Large rectangles were surrounded by a narrow solid border, and the small rectangles featured a diamond in the center and a narrow solid border. A solid border was also designed for the perimeter of the floor as well. Asphalt floor tiles were specified in the following colors:
Checkerboard - 12" x 24", alternating azure blue & steel gray
Diamonds in small rectangles - regal blue
Narrow borders - 2" wide, Spanish red
14 DOD Annual Report, 1935. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
67
Background - 3-1*4 inches, lead gray
Perimeter border - IO-V2 inches, regal blue
The walls of the tunnel were designed from exterior to interior as follows: first, a three-ply waterproofing felt membrane, followed by a brick wall 2 feet 2 inches thick; a five-ply membrane waterproofing of 15# felt; and a 10-inch-thick concrete wall reinforced with steel bars. The mix specified for the concrete walls was 1 :2:4, with three-quarter-inch stone. The overall wall height was 7 feet.
The lower wall zone was to feature tiled baseboard and wainscot. The tile design consisted of a 6-inch baseboard and a wainscot field of tiles measuring 4-Vi by 4-lA inches with joints three- sixteenths of an inch wide, topped by a 1-inch strip, a 2-inch band, and a 2-inch cap. Colors for the tiles included peach for the baseboard, cream for the wainscot field, blue for the strip, cream for the band, and blue for the cap. The baseboard was to be "the scotia type and the asphaltic floor tile to be set level with the lower edge of the scotia on the wall tile."15 Vents were placed in the baseboard every 5 feet on center. Tiles were one-quarter of an inch thick laid in a half-inch setting bed of tile plaster. The setting bed was applied to a cement plaster scratch coat over expanded metal lath on wood furring. A 1-inch air space was included between lath and concrete wall for ventilation purposes (see figs. 44-45).
The upper wall zone was to be a "cement plaster." The cement plaster was to be sanded, sized with "shellac white, 5 lb. cut," and painted with a flat finish in a light cream color.'6
Display panels measuring 3 feet wide by 5 feet 10 inches tall were planned for the walls. A total of 1 1 display panels were included in the design. Four panels were included on each side of the main east- west section of the tunnel, three panels were placed on the east wall of the T-section of the tunnel, and two panels were placed at either end of the T-section near the hatches accessing the airfield. The panels were of plaster, finished smooth with bronze moldings measuring five-eighths of an inch around the inner edges and a 4-inch tile border on the outer edges. The panels were for advertisements and informational posters (see figs. 42-44).
The ceiling of the passenger-loading tunnel was to be squared off with a dropped ceiling furred to a curve. The squared ceiling consisted of a 10-inch concrete slab reinforced with steel bars one-half and five-eighths of an inch thick. The 10-inch slab was found below the 4-foot 4-inch concrete slab and five-ply waterproofing membrane of the airfield apron. The mortar mix specified for the 10-inch concrete ceiling slab was 1 :2:4, with three-quarter-inch stone. Within the squared-off concrete slab was a drop-in ceiling, furred out and curved to a barrel vault with a groined vault at the T-intersection and at intersections at the ends of the north-south section of the tunnel (figs. 39-42).
1/8" scale Layout of Passenger Loading Tunnel, Showing Outline of Interior Treatment. DOD drawing, January 29, 1936. Municipal Archives, City of New York. A scotia is a concave molding used especially in classical architecture in the bases of columns.
6 White shellac is made by bleaching shellac with chlorine. The "5 lb cut" may refer to the amount of alcohol cut with the shellac to create the desired mix.
68
The furred-out curved ceiling was attached to channel irons (2 by 1 by three-sixteenths inches) spaced 2 feet 8 inches on center. Channel ribs were set in 2-inch-wide pockets in the side walls and packed with cement mortar to insure full bearing on the ends of the channels. Metal lath (Truscon three-eights-inch diamond-rib lath) was wired to channel ribs and carried the three-quarter- inch cement plaster ceiling surface. One drawing described the surface finish as "cement plaster, sand finished and painted." Ventilation grills measuring 6 by 20 inches were placed in the ceiling at the spring line over all display panel and doorway heads.
Additional primary features of the passenger-loading tunnel included the hatches opening onto the airfield and the drainage system designed for the tunnel, an essential consideration in subterranean construction.
Four hatches were to cover the four stairways leading up from the passenger-loading tunnel (see figs. 78, 80). The hatches measured 10 feet 10-1/2 inches long by 5 feet 4 inches wide and consisted of a metal cover and a frame. The hatch frames were inset approximately 6 inches into the apron surface and the covers laid flush with the apron grade. The hatches were accessed by concrete stairways and activated by a one-quarter-horsepower motor at each hatch. Switches marked for the hatch motors and "Raise-Lower" were controlled from the check-in desk in the center of the lobby of the main building. Three-quarter-inch conduit ran from the hatch motors along the ceiling in the tunnel and under the floor of the lobby to the control box at the desk.
Drainage in the tunnel was accomplished through a combination of sloping grades, ventilation, and a 14-horsepower centrifugal sump pump (electric) in a sump pit located on the east wall at the T-intersection of the tunnel. (See figure 86.) The pump room walls were to be covered with two coats of bituminous paint. Floors of the tunnel were designed to pitch to the sides. A main drainage trench was located to the east of the tunnel.
Alterations related to the construction of the tunnel included changes to Administration Building windows at the tunnel entrance, as illustrated on a DOD drawing dated July 7, 1935. The basement windows on the east face of the tower were changed when the tunnel was constructed. The original window heights were retained but the window frame was cut down, new brick mullions were built, and obscure glass (glass block) was installed (see fig. 84).
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76
Landscaping
The landscaping of the grounds surrounding the Administration Building was another major project undertaken by the WPA. At least five DOD/WPA drawings relate specifically to landscaping designs. Several photographs dating to the late 1930s and early 1940s indicate that most of the landscaping was realized as designed (figs. 81-83, 87, 100, and 103). Features of the landscaping plans included sidewalks, curbs, driveways, parking areas, lawns, shrub plantings, light standards, water fountains, flagpole, and a decorative field sign and stand.
A small parking area was located immediately in front of the Administration Building, while larger parking areas were designated to the north and south of the building. Driveways extended to the north and south at a 90-degree angle from the front stairway of the building to Flatbush Avenue. Sidewalks surrounded the building, flanked the driveways, and extended front and center from the central parking area to a flagpole on the front lawn and continued onto Flatbush Avenue. A large, generally triangular lawn was planned in front of the building beyond the central parking area. Two small rectangular lawns were indicated to the north and south of the entrance driveways at Flatbush Avenue. Three additional small grassy areas were planned adjacent to the south end of the building.
The May 19, 1935, WPA drawing for "Landscaping in Front of Administration Building, Construction Plan" described some of the landscape features in detail as follows.
Sidewalks: To consist of a 4 Vi" course 1-2-4 concrete on a well tamped subgrade. The slope should be about 1/3" per foot. The walk should be cut into entirely separate blocks not more than 6' in either direction. Expansion joint about every 50'. Expansion joint at intersection of walks.
Curbs: A 4" curb 18" deep of 1-2-4 concrete with a Vi" [?] Reinforcing rod at the top and bottom. Outside comers to expansion joints every 25'.
Piers: 3 piers of concrete under every 25' of curb spaced equally.
Driveways: To consists of 3" asphalt blocks on well prepared subgrade, crowned, and expansion joints at curbs. All drainage, water and electric piping to be completed before any paving works, as well as catch basins, hydrants, gate valve manholes and all other subgrade structures.
This drawing also details the existing and planned locations of catch basins, drains, storm sewer, water main, fire hydrants, and manholes (see fig. 82).
Another WPA drawing for "Landscaping in Front of Administration Building" identified the plants and shrubs proposed for use in the landscaping scheme. The number and selection of plants was extensive. A total of 1,067 decorative plants were included on the plan, in addition to 5,100 privet hedge plants to be used along sidewalks and driveways. Among the varieties of plants included in the design were rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, lilacs, junipers, bridal wreath, and roses. Photographs dating to 1936 and 1938 indicate that this ambitious planting schedule was never implemented. Although the configuration of the landscape design was maintained, the actual shrubs and plants were much reduced in variety and number (see fig. 81).
An important element of the landscape design was the flagpole and sign placed prominently in the center of the front lawn. A sidewalk extended from the central parking area (on a direct axis from the main entry of the building), circled the flagpole, and continued to Flatbush Avenue. This
77
arrangement served as the primary pedestrian entrance to the site. The flagpole and field sign were placed in the island of grass encircled by the sidewalk.
Much care was taken in the design and construction of the field sign and its housing (see fig. 87). Both a full-size drawing of the sign and a scaled drawing of the sign and its housing were found in the DOD collections at the New York City Municipal Archives. The sign was a rectangular oak plaque with carved lettering spelling out "FLOYD BENNETT AIRPORT" and a carved seal of the city of New York. Incised lettering was to be covered with silver leaf and outlined in black. The sign hung by an iron chain in a small roofed structure measuring 6 feet 8 inches wide, 1 foot 8 inches deep, and 8 feet 5 inches tall. The structure was designed with a brick base 1 foot 8 inches high laid in common bond ("laid up with a little rustic texture"), and two chamfered posts on each side of the suspended sign supporting a pitched slate roof. A 1936 photograph of the sign (fig. 140) indicates that the construction drawings and specifications were closely followed.
A final element of the landscape design planned for the grounds and executed was a lighting system that consisted of floodlights, standard street lights, and lights highlighting the flagpole and field sign. A drawing dated April 14, 1936, includes plans and several details for the "Electrical Layout for Landscaping and Floodlights" (fig. 100). A single floodlight was mounted on the northwest and southwest corners of the roof parapet facing directly west out onto the landscaped grounds of the front of the building. A 300-watt lamp on a wood standard was planned for the northwest and southwest corners of the central parking area. Two blue obstruction lights were to be placed at the top of the flagpole, and two General Electric reflector units were to be included in the construction of the sign housing, lighting the sign from beneath the roof canopy. Finally, two 300- watt street lamps on steel standards are indicated at the entrance to the pedestrian sidewalk at Flatbush Avenue. A photograph dated November 20, 1936, exhibits floodlights, wood-standard streetlights in the parking lot, flagpole hazard lights, and both of the steel-standard street lamps (fig. 139).
Decorative Program
A third major project carried out by the WPA in the Administration Building was the interior decorative program. The program included murals, stenciling, decorative finishes, and polychrome highlighting of architectural features. Work was begun in 1935. The extensiveness of the program requires a separate discussion of the design and evolution of the decorative program. The discussion is found in a subsequent section, "Decorative Program."
Radio Transmitter and Receiver
The WPA was also involved in upgrading the technological aspects of the airport, in particular the radio transmitting and receiving capabilities. Four drawings reflect the impact of this work on the Administration Building (figs. 76-79). As illustrated in the drawing labeled "Radio Control Receiving Antennae, Administration Bldg.," several new features were planned for the roof, including four pipe masts 2 inches in diameter and 15 feet tall, connected with guy wires. All four pipe masts were also connected by guy wires to a new 4-foot-high wood post at the top of the control room roof. A photograph dated to 1937 indicates that this work was carried out: the pipe masts are visible in the distance (fig. 141).
7S
The other three drawings detail changes to the interior of the control tower to accommodate new equipment. The drawings are titled: (a) "Radio Facilities in Control Room, Administration Building," March 29, 1935; (b) "Tables for Radio Operating Room in Administration Building, March 28, 1935"; and (c) "Traffic Control Radio Transmitter - Control Tower - Showing Tentative Location & Installation," January 13, 1937. All three drawings are valuable for their illustration of the types and arrangement of furniture proposed for the control room during this period. It is not known if the work was executed, since no photographs of the interior of the control tower predating the 1950s were located.
Ticket Counter and Restaurant
Smaller undertakings of the WPA noted in the 1935 annual report included the construction of an octagonal ticket counter in the lobby and the installation of a ventilation system in the restaurant. The ticket counter first appears in drawings dating to 1935 and in photographs dating to 1936. The counter was located in the center of the lobby approximately 5 feet from the stairway leading down to the tunnel (Stairway #4). It was octagonal with black counters, faux marble siding, and a black baseboard. The siding was light-hued with dark veining, and matched the wainscot lining the stairway wall from the lobby down to the passenger tunnel. Siding material along the stairway wall and tunnel entrance area is extant but deteriorated. It appears to be quarter-inch composite board overpainted with a faux-marble finish. The faux finish may be machine-generated. The counter was designed with a gated opening on the east send to allow entry to personnel staffing the desk. The counter also featured six knee-high slots measuring 1 lA feet wide around its perimeter for checking baggage. A baggage chute was housed in a square section of counter in the middle of the open area behind the counter. Drawers and shelves were also located behind the counters (see figs. 154-157).
No details were found concerning the installation of the ventilation system in the restaurant.
Miscellaneous WPA Projects
A drawing for a burglar-alarm system illustrates intentions to install a protection system for some of the areas of the Administration Building, and for the external radio-receiving station, radio- beacon station, and radio-transmitting station (fig. 88). The drawing is dated December 30, 1935, and includes a plan of the first floor as well as details of the burglar-alarm relay and signal cabinet. The system consisted of a series of closed-circuit door switches (i.e., when the door opened, the alarm was activated). Whether this system was actually installed is not known.
A WPA drawing was also discovered for the installation of a public-address system. The drawing was approved on December 16, 1936, and included a first-floor plan with the location of loudspeakers, receptacles, and conduits marked on it (fig. 104). Loudspeakers on the first floor were intended for the men's room, the lounge, the lobby, the restaurant, the ladies' room, and the operations office in the tower. Speakers were also intended for the manager's office on the second floor of the tower, and for the control room on the third floor of the tower; additionally, two large speakers were to be installed on the roof of the building. Messages and announcements could be broadcast from microphones in the operations office, the manager's office, and the control room. Conduits were to run under the floor. Whether the public-address system was actually installed is not known. The drawing was labeled "Strictly Schematic."
79
The DOD annual report from 1937 reported the following:
Among the numerous jobs completed during the year 1937 under Project No. 65-97-1661 of the Works Progress Administration....
Alterations to tower of Administration Building in order to have a modern airport traffic control tower, necessitating structural changes to the building and new architectural layouts.
Completion of the parking area at the North end of the Field.
Construction of a Field House which is a building used for the sale of refreshments, located North of the Administration Building, at either end of which, entirely cut off from Field House proper, is a comfort station.
Storm sash doors and vestibules for airport buildings are being made.
The reconstruction of both terraces of the Administration Building is under
17
way.
Follow-up documentation for the above-described jobs is scant and is largely limited to the examination of period photographs. Exceptions were found in a drawing detailing some of the storm door and window work, and in a proposal submitted to the Art Commission of the City of New York for the Field House.
Two drawings of the Works Progress Administration for the "Development and Improvement of Airports" are titled "Storm Doors and Storm Sash Location Plan," and "Storm Doors and Storm Sash Details" (fig. 105). They were drawn December 4 and 8, 1936, and approved January 6, 1937. The location plan notes that storm vestibules are present on two main doorways on the east side, and on the main entry on the west side. The detail drawing includes plans of the first, second, and tower levels of the Administration Building, which show the windows to have storm sash. Also included on the sheet are elevations of 12 different sash types to be installed, sash schedules, and vertical sections through a typical storm sash and storm door. It appears that only the openings on the north and east sides of the building were to be outfitted with storm protection. Notes on the drawing include the following details:
Silent-Nite Storm Sash, Adjuster no. 40. Curtis Cat. Feb. 1, 1936 page 199 or equal
All material white pine
Painted - 3 coats
All sash to be numbered and marked for storage
All muntin bars to line up with those of existing double hung windows
All sash and doors to have metal corner angles
Wood sill pieces to be applied on wood sill and stone sills where needed
DOD Annual Report, 1937, pp. 28-29. Municipal Archives, City of New York. 80
The proposal for a "field house" was submitted to the Art Commission on March 25, 1936, and approved. The proposal called for
One story brick Field house with refreshment room - men and women's comfort station on adjunct to building entirely cut off from main structure.... Along west side of apron between hangar #5 and Administration Building at Floyd Bennett Field - Brooklyn, N.Y.... Designed by Department of Docks per James S. Kenny.... 18
A list of WPA jobs at Floyd Bennett Field briefly outlines the construction of the field house. It identifies the building as WPA project number 65-97-1661, Job 55, "Concession Stand & 2 Lavatories." Architectural features were listed as
Walls: Brick and Artificial Stone. Interior Finish: Plaster, Tile Floor. Footings: Reinf. Concre. 4" Floor Slabs. Sash etc.: Steel. Roof: Composition. 19
The building contained a cellar, oil-tank enclosure, and first floor. The total construction cost was $60,261. This field house presumably replaced two white snack stands that were located north and south of the Administration Building along the apron. (The snack shacks are visible in several ca.-
1935 photographs that were taken from the roof and included in the 1981 HSR.) The field house was torn down by the U.S. Navy in 1964 when a large National Guard hangar was built.20
Period photographs taken mostly by the airport photographer, Rudy Arnold, provide visual documentation of some of the changes and alterations to the Administration Building during the 1930s. For example, an August 10, 1935, view of the building looking northwest clearly shows the stairway on the south end of the south terrace under construction (fig. 137). A gap in the formerly solid brick wall has been made and a board has been placed across the new opening. (See figure 130 for a comparative view of the terrace wall as original constructed.) The alteration was mentioned briefly in the 1937 DOD annual report.
A photograph of the female aviator Beryl Markham taken on the steps of the front entry September 6, 1936, provides good details of the storm vestibule installed over the main doorways. The storm vestibules were installed by the WPA in 1936.
A photograph of the WPA-designed and -constructed field sign was taken November 11,
1936 (fig. 140). Several days later a photograph of the whole west front of the building and site was taken that shows the field sign, the completed landscaping, and the two new floodlights installed on the west roof parapet (fig. 139). Another photograph of the west front of the building taken in 1937 at a memorial ceremony for Amelia Earhart (fig. 141) provides better details of the flagpole and the new steel lamp standards with crushed opaque glass globes, decorative finials, and octagonal shafts.
18 "Design for a Public Structure - Proposal," March 25, 1936. Floyd Bennett Field Folder, Art Commission of the City of New York files.
1 Index of Works Progress Administration projects at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, N.Y., n.d. Mayor F.H. LaGuardia Papers, Box 3365, Folder 3. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
20 Blakemore, p. 140.
A close-up shot of the anemometer, flood lamp, beacon lamp, and weathervane on top of the control tower illustrates the original configuration of these essential air-traffic control features. The photograph was taken on July 16, 1937 (fig. 142). A photograph the following year (May 6, 1938) shows a different arrangement of control tower features, suggesting that WPA improvements to radio-transmitting and receiving equipment had been executed. Features are no longer contained close together within a metal frame; they are redistributed at wider distances on the tower roof. A new beacon lamp is visible on the west. In addition, the field clock has been moved from its original position on the walkway railing to the cornice of the control tower roof
The same photograph shows the completed field house for the first time. The field house, located several hundred yards north of the Administration Building, was designed and constructed by the WPA. The field house replaced the concession function of the two white snack shacks that appear in photographs of the field dating to 1935 (e.g., fig. 143).
An aerial view of Howard Hughes' departure for an around-the-world flight (fig. 144) captures several completed WPA projects at the building. The photograph dates to July 14, 1938. Visible improvements include the extensive landscaping, the completed parking areas, the completed stairway at the south end of the southern terrace, the four access hatches in the apron to the passenger tunnel, the new arrangement of the control-tower clock, antennas, etc., and four turntables in the tarmac for aircraft turn-arounds.
U.S. Navy Alterations
Changes 1931-1946
The Need for Repairs
The U.S. Navy was a presence at Floyd Bennett Field as early as the spring of 1931, and it expanded its facilities there in 1937 and 1939.21 However, it was not until 1939, with the outbreak of war in Europe, that serious consideration was given to turning the entire field over to Navy ownership. Negotiations for the purchase of the airfield began late in 1940; the field was closed to commercial traffic May 26, 1941, and commissioned as the New York Naval Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, on June 2, 1941. The final deal was consummated on February 18, 1942. The purchase price was $9,750,00.22
The new function of the site required both new facilities and improvements of existing facilities. Extensive new construction was begun. According to historian Blakemore, "The field was increased 300 percent in size and the facilities greatly expanded into a sprawling complex."23
1 Blakemore, pp. 53-54. 22 Blakemore, pp. 59-60. Blakemore, p. 63.
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The Navy presence involved few major changes to the exterior appearance of the Administration Building, and few structural modifications to the interior. It did involve a good deal of maintenance and general remodeling work, as well as changes in the use of individual rooms. (Changes in the use of individual rooms are extensively documented in Section V ("Use and Function of the Building").
A survey of existing conditions of the facilities at the field was carried out in May 1941 in preparation for Navy occupation. The report of the survey reveals the condition of the structures at the site and the types of work needed to bring the buildings and grounds up to standard. The report includes a survey, a summary, and recommendations. Notes concerning the survey of the Administration Building are also included. Room designations are those found on the original 1930 drawings (figs. 55-57). The current room designations are included in brackets when possible. The report is included in full as Appendix D.
Administration Building: - Basement.
Restaurant Kitchen [023] - Plastered pier shows signs of leaks. Plaster is peeled and cracked and shows signs of efflorescence. Concrete floor is cracked. Needs paint.
Field Employees Rooms and Timekeeper's Room [0251 - Ceiling paint is peeling. Plaster is in poor condition on walls and terra cotta partitions. Composition floors on concrete base are cracked and broken. Services and utilities are not finished through walls and ceilings. Need painting.
South Corridor [022] - Composition floor is cracked and broken. Pipe covering is broken and some is missing. Plastered ceilings show leaks and efflorescence. Ceilings have been patched, but not painted over patches. Need painting.
Field Force Room [027] - Plaster and metal lath are missing over an 18 ft. by 1 8 ft. area on ceiling and also on a plastered pier enclosing pipes. Exterior plastered walls are cracked and show efflorescence. Composition floors are broken and missing. Some door hardware is missing. Concrete slab where exposed from below has been broken away from pipes. Much unnecessary concrete was broken. Concrete shows some honey-comb. Room is very dirty. Needs painting.
Toilet [028] - Wood window frame broken. Toilet stall doors missing. Plaster ledge over wash basins badly damaged by water. Tile base cracked. Tile floor, plaster walls and ceiling in good condition but need cleaning and painting.
Room under west stairs [032] - Bad honey-comb in stair concrete. Wood doors fit poorly.
Boiler Room [002] - (Not shown on plan.) Plaster is broken and falling away from entrance of boiler exhaust to stack. Room is unfinished except for poorly plastered ceiling.
Large Room, center of basement [001] - Good condition. Needs painting.
83
Entrance to tunnel on basement level - Plaster walls and ceiling are badly effloresced. What appears to be marble wainscot is merely painted masonite.
Pedestrian Tunnel under apron (not used) - Composition flooring has been under water and is badly warped, cracked and broken. Painted concrete walls and ceilings are marked by mold. Metal doors do not fit.
North Corridor [003] - Composition flooring is broken and missing. At entrance from field, plaster and brickwork are effloresced. Plaster walls need patching. Plaster shows signs of bad leaks. All plaster around window is rotten. Wood window sash and frame are decayed.
Customs Room [013]- Good condition. Needs painting.
Storeroom [005-006] - Concrete floor is cracked. Open holes for pipes in concrete floor. Plaster walls and ceiling need patching.
Transformer and Switch Room [007] - Unfinished. Scratch coat plaster ceiling, brick walls, concrete floor. Good condition.
Express and Freight Room [008-010] - Unfinished. Concrete ceiling on steel beam, brick exterior walls, terra cotta partitions - Good condition. Concrete floor cracked. Unpainted wood partition. Some efflorescence evident on brick walls. Walls show leaks near floor.
Administration Building - First Floor.
Restaurant [117] - Linoleum floor is worn and broken. Wallpaper is cracked, peeling and discolored. Walls show signs of efflorescence. Painted ceiling is cracked and peeling. Interior window frame and sash are worn and scarred. Ornamental plaster molding is chipped and broken. Linoleum flooring is rotten at edges. Some door hardware is missing. This room is very dirty and has a disagreeable sour smell.
Kitchen [1 15] - Concrete floor is cracked. Paint is peeling on plastered wall. Plaster needs patching. This room is very dirty.
Men's toilet [1 18] - Condition fair. Needs painting.
Newsstand [123] - Good condition.
Corridors and lobby [101] - Linoleum floor, marble wainscot, scored plaster walls, plaster ceiling, metal door frames, wood doors. Good condition. Needs painting.
Manager's Office [113] - Cracks in plaster walls near corners. Wood doors and trim worn and scarred. Some hardware missing. Linoleum cracked. Plaster broken. Evidence of leaks and efflorescence in ceiling.
Telephone Room [102] - Good condition.
Telegraph Room (used as barber shop) [103] - Chimney apparently in bad condition. Walls covered with plywood and painted. Shows signs of leaking smoke. Plaster molding broken. Door check missing.
S4
Barber Shop [107] - Plaster shows leaks in ceiling. Holes in plastered wall. Wood trim is badly scarred.
Storeroom (formerly Men's Toilet) [106] - Tile floor and wainscot. Plastered walls and ceiling. Wood doors and windows. Good condition. Needs paint.
Radio Room and Press Room [104-105] - Plastered walls and ceiling. Linoleum floor. Good condition. Needs painting.
Stairs [#1] - Concrete floors cracked. Metal stairs in good condition.
Lounge [110]- Interior wood trim scarred. Door hardware missing. Leather upholstered lounge furniture appears to be built-in. Papered walls. Linoleum floors. Plastered ceilings, ornamental plaster moldings. Good condition.
Baggage Room [111] - Plaster cracked under windows. Needs painting.
Post Office [108-109] - Linoleum floor cracked and broken.
Women's toilet and rest room [122] - Tile floor and wainscot. Plaster walls and ceiling. General condition good. Needs painting.
Doctor's office (Dept. of Commerce) [120-121] - Light fixtures missing. Holes in plaster. Walls cracked. Wood window trim warped.
Administration Building - All rooms and Corridors on Second Floor:
Plaster walls and ceilings show many signs of leaks, particularly around chimney. Wood window frames warped and checked, and in some cases decayed. Many door checks and other hardware missing. Bad cracks in plaster at door in corridor.
City Officials Office [212] - Linoleum floor, plaster walls and ceilings. Condition excellent. Newly painted.
Weather Room - Third Floor [301] - Plaster walls broken and cracked due to leaks and settlement. Plaster repair job unfinished. Electrician working on controls.
Control Tower [401] - In process of remodeling. Electricians and carpenters changing controls.
Control Tower Exterior - Sheet metal and glass, conditions good. Needs paint. Roof good.
Administration Building Roof - Flat tile roof. Seems to be poorly pitched. Water can stand in pools near parapet. Parapet brickwork needs painting. Exterior woodwork on storm entrances is rotten in some places. All need paint. Copper flashing has been patched and sealed with pitch. Tile roof joints have been patched and painted with tar and pitch in an apparent attempt to combat leaks. Seems to be unsuccessful.
85
Grounds Around Administration Building - Concrete roadways and sidewalks in good condition. Occasional broken places in concrete curbs. Bituminous black paving in poor grade alignment. Front ground landscaped with grass, shrubs, hedges. Condition good. Parking areas surfaced with fine crushed stone. Fair grade alignment.
Administration Building, Exterior (from ground level) - Many ornamental pre-cast white cement blocks are cracked and checked. Joints need pointing. Some blocks heaved by frost. Paint cracked and peeling on exterior wood doors. Some doors do not fit. Some hardware is missing. Areaway concrete cracked. Stucco front cracked and discolored. Granite slab stairs need pointing. Exterior steel lintels rusting. Exterior wood trim is badly weathered, cracked, checked, warped and palled away from joints. In some cases decayed."
From this 1941 conditions survey it is clear that the building suffered from a number of problems caused by water infiltration, settlement cracks, wear and tear, and deferred maintenance. The extent of the reported deterioration is surprising, considering that the building was only 10 years old. However, the overall exterior and interior appearance must have been rather shabby. Recommendations in the report focused on repairing the identified problem areas, and included substantial cleaning, painting, plastering, patching, and replacing missing hardware and fixtures. In addition, it was recommended that the roof be rebuilt, the exterior brickwork be pointed and patched, and decayed wood windows and doors be replaced. Whether all of the recommended measures were actively pursued is not known. However, a substantial rehabilitation of the building was clearly felt to be necessary before the Navy occupied the structure.
Documented Alterations
Specific work by the Navy on the building for which documentation exists includes the following changes. A 60- by 73-foot single-story frame extension was added to the north end of the building. It was connected by a narrow 10-foot-wide corridor leading to the first floor. The extension contained 1 1 separate rooms and was intended for communications activities.25 A drawing dated February 13, 1943, for the heating and plumbing of the extension suggests that the addition was under or near construction at this time (fig. 111). The extension appears in several photographs dating to the late 1940s. The extension was demolished in 1965.
The second major alteration to the building undertaken by the Navy was the reconstruction of the control tower. A drawing dated February 15, 1943, titled "Control Tower on Administration Building, Temporary Construction Enclosure" seems to be plans for constructing an enclosure around the original control tower in order to make the alterations. Changes would be made within the enclosure. Tne enclosure was to be built up on the existing railing and extend above the existing cornice.
"Report of survey of existing condition of facilities at Floyd Bennett Field," May 13, 1941. Headquarters of the Commandant, Third Naval District. (National Archives Record Group 72, Records of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Box 3898, Vol. 5).
Blakemore, p. 164.
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Three sheets of drawings dated March 5, 1943, are titled "Alterations to Existing Control Tower" and "Administration Building Control Tower, Construction Details for Glass Enclosure" (figs. 112-114). These drawings represent the work carried out on the tower.
The drawings show: an elevation of the existing tower, and an elevation of the tower with the alterations; the existing floor plan and the new floor plan; the existing railing and the new railing (never installed); a section of the new windows with the original configuration dotted in; and details of the new windows' hinge mechanism. In essence, the new construction consisted of installing new windows between the original metal-covered wood sill of the existing windows and the wood fascia of the original roof. The new steel sash, fitted with quarter-inch plate glass panels, canted out from the top of the tower at a 45-degree angle and from the bottom at an angle of 30 degrees. The upper glass panels measured 5 by 2 feet and the lower glass panels measured 4 by 5 feet. The new configuration of the control tower allowed for a much wider and unobstructed view of incoming and outgoing planes. The changes to the control tower are obvious in all photographs postdating 1943 (figs. 148-150). In addition, new electronic equipment was installed, including radar and radio and communications equipment.26 The extent of the technological improvements is evident from the many new antennas, wires, and related equipment visible on the roof of the building.
Apparent Alterations - Exterior
Observing the building in period photographs reveals smaller changes made to the exterior and grounds, including the following:
•
The lettering on the cornice entablatures was changed to read "Naval Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field, New York" on the east, and "Naval Air Station, Floyd Bennett Field" on the west. As determined from photographs, lettering changes were made between 1941-1943. A photograph taken in 1941 shows the original lettering intact on the west side. A photograph dated ca. 1942, during Navy occupation but before the control tower was changed, shows the most of the lettering removed from the east cornice (fig. 147). This suggests that the lettering was being changed at this time. In addition, a brochure dated November 25, 1943, features a full view of the west, front of the building with the new lettering in place (fig. 148).
• Glass block was installed in first-floor windows 1-25 ard 1-24 on the south end and window 1-23 on the east side by October 13, 1946.
•
A wire-link fence was in place across the west boundary of the site along Flatbush Avenue by ca. 1945 (see fig. 148). Access to the Administration Building by the various sidewalks of the WPA landscaping on the west was therefore curtailed.
26
Blakemore, p. 164.
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Apparent Alterations - Interior
Alterations to the interior were determined from the examination of floor plans. Two plans of the building survive from the early years of Navy occupation. Comparing them to original 1930 plans, and to each other, reveal a number of interior alterations made to the plan of the building. The plans date to ca. 1942 and 1946 (figs. 107-1 10 and 155-1 18). Alterations that are currently extant are preceded by an asterisk (*).
Basement
1931 POD
*A new boiler room (Room 002) was created in the northwest corner of the center hall.
1937 WPA
The passenger-loading runnel running due east from the center of the east side of the building was constructed.
*A central stairway [Stairway #4] was added at the east side of the building, descending from the first-floor lobby down to the passenger tunnel.
*A hallway was added at the bottom of Stairway #4 leading into the tunnel; this required the removal of an original bearing wall.
The elevator shaft and elevator machine rooms were converted to an entryway (Room 017) to the runnel from the basement rooms, and to storage space (Room 020).
By 1942
No basement plan was contained in this set of drawings By 1946
The metal rail and gate at the northwest stairway (Stairway #2) were removed.
The original doorway on the south wall (east corner) of Room 004 was filled in.
The wall between Rooms 005 and 006 was added.
*Doorway B-6 from the north corridor into the newly created Room 005 was added.
The counters and shelving were removed from the south and east walls of Room 005.
*Doorway B-10 from the north corridor into Room 009 was added.
*A new partition wall was built along the east side of Rooms 009 and 013, creating new spaces under north terrace.
*Doorway B-15 was created in the original wall between Rooms 01 1 and 012.
*Room 021 was created and a bathroom installed.
The south end of the south corridor (Room 023) was partitioned off to create a large storage closet, currently Room 026.
The lockers in Rooms 025 and 027 were removed.
The "Timekeeper's Room" in the northeast corner of Room 025 was removed.
The bathroom (Room 028) was divided into a men's and a women's room.
Changes made 1941-1946, no longer extant:
The whole center hall (Room 001) was transformed with partition walls into a Navy Air Transport Service (NATS) office, NATS waiting room, and Red Cross office.
First Floor
1937 WPA
An octagonal baggage counter was built at the east side of lobby.
A stairway [Stairway #4] down to the passenger tunnel was constructed in the lobby at the center of the east side.
Bvca. 1942
The octagonal baggage check-in counter was removed from the lobby (Room 101).
The stairway (#4) from the lobby (Room 101) to the passenger tunnel appears to be closed off, with an office on top.
A rest room for Room 103 was carved out of the southwest corner of Room 105, with a doorway [D 1-7] cut through the west end of Room 105's southern partition wall. (Doorway 1-7 is still extant.)
*Room 106 was changed from a men's room to an office.
The wall between Rooms 108 and 109 was changed from a wall with windows to a solid wall. The doorway between the two rooms was moved from the north end to the south end of the partition.
Room 110 was subdivided by the construction of a partition wall with a communicating doorway, spanning east-west between piers.
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Room 1 1 1 was eliminated.
The east partition wall of Room 1 12 was removed to combine Rooms 1 12 and 113.
*In Room 112 and 113, the doorways on the north and south walls of the former manager's office leading the terraces were converted to windows Wl-15 and Wl-19.
Rooms 118, 119, 120 were created out of two original (1930) rectangular rooms, to form one large office with a "head" in the southeast corner and two closet spaces in the northeast comer. The bathroom was entered from the hall only. The office was entered between the closets in northeast corner.
Room 121, originally a women's toilet, had all its fixtures removed. Much of original southern partition was removed, and a new partition was built approximately 4 feet south of the original (no longer lined up with piers).
By 1946
The stairway from the lobby (Room 101) to the passenger tunnel is indicated, but a counter runs across it.
A partition running between the north and south columns on the west side of the lobby (Room 101) blocks off open access to the lobby. The entrance into the lobby space is now through new, narrow doorways at the ends of the partition.
*A new doorway was cut in the west side of the partition wall between Rooms 106 and 107.
The original anteroom of Room 107 was removed.
* Doorway D 1-19 between Rooms 108 and 109 was moved from the south end of the partition to its center.
*A washroom and closet were created in the southwest corner of Room 108.
The ca.-1942 partition in Room 1 10 was removed, creating one big room again.
Original doorways from Rooms 112 and 113 to the terrace [later converted to windows Wl-15 and Wl-19] are again indicated as doorways. (This may be an error, since the openings remain as windows today.)
The doorway from Room 1 17 to the terrace was converted to window W 1-22.
The partition wall between Rooms 120 and 121 seems to be back in its original location, and is keyed as being of terra cotta. (Perhaps the wall was not changed as indicated on the ca.-1942 drawing.)
The extension on the north end of the building is indicated for the first time.
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Second Floor
WPAca. 1937
*In Room 212, a bathroom was built in the former elevator shaft space. The color and type of tile matches the materials used in the passenger tunnel.
Bvca. 1942
The area remained basically unchanged.
*Doorway D 2-20 was made in the terra-cotta partition wall between Rooms 209 and 210.
*Room 211 was added.
The doorway between Room 214 and 215 was filled in.
A doorway was created in the terra cotta partition wall between Rooms 215 and 216. (It is now infilled.)
*Doorway D 2-50 was made in the terra-cotta partition wall between Rooms 220 and 221.
By 1946
*Doorway D 2-43 was made in the terra cotta partition wall between Rooms 218 and 219.
*A closet and a bathroom are shown in Room 212 for the first time on any drawing, but their materials indicate that they were actually added ca. 1937, as described above.
Third Floor - Tower
Bvl942
The elevator shafts were transformed to a storage closet or office.
By 1946
The stairway up to the control tower was relocated and changed from a spiral staircase to a straight staircase.
*A new partition configuration created two offices and a closet along the west wall. A closet was built in the former location of the stairway to the control room. [This is partially extant.]
A doorway was added at the bottom of the stairway accessing Room 301.
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Doorway D 3-1 was built in the southwest comer of the room facing the stairway down to the second floor. The former access doorway in the west wall was filled in.
Weather vestibules were added to the doorways at the north and south ends accessing the roof.
By 1993
The offices in the northwest comer of Room 301 were removed.
The weather vestibules at the doorways to the roof were removed. (These were removed ca. 1959, as explained subsequently.)
Control Room - Fourth Level, Tower
Bvca. 1942
*The space remained unchanged, except that no elevator shafts were installed along the west wall.
By 1946
*A new window configuration was in place.
*The stairway was altered from a half-spiral stair to a straight-run stair, which is still extant in the southwest comer.
*The doorway from Room 401 to the exterior walkway was moved from the southeast to the northwest comer of the room.
A set of preliminary plans for the post-war use of the Administration Building was developed by the Long Island engineering firm of Madigan-Hyland on January 20, 1947. The proposed alterations to the building were extensive and clearly related to returning the airfield to commercial use. The set of preliminary plans as well as a schematic sketch of the east elevation of the building are included in the "Historic Drawings" section of this report as figures 119-122. None of the proposed alterations were made, and the field remained the property of the U.S. Navy.
Changes 1946 -1969
During the 1950s, Floyd Bennett Field, now an air reserve training station for the U.S. Navy, experienced reduced activity. The old hangar row was largely evacuated. As historian Blakemore reports, "They [the Navy] continued to use the Administration Building but centered their activities on the southern and eastern sides of the field."27
Blakemore, p. 72.
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Two drawings dating to the 1950s reveal important changes to the Administration Building by the Navy during this decade. The first job with surviving documentation is an effort to "weather proof the building. The construction drawing is dated December 23, 1954 (fig. 123). The most dramatic element of the project was the replacement of all of the original double-hung wood windows with the current steel casements. Original exterior doors were also replaced. Notes on the drawing specify the work to be done as follows:
1 . Point up brickwork, masonry and make necessary repairs to outside walls.
2. Spray entire outside of Building with transparent water-proofing material.
3. Remove all windows & exterior doors and replace with steel; windows to be architectural type projected windows. Doors to be 2 panel type with top panel of clear lA" wire glass.
4. All sills, jambs, & heads to be weatherstripped.
5. Caulk completely around all work at masonry and metal.
6. Glass blocks to be installed on Field side as indicated. [Wl-12, Wl-1 1]
7. Brick-up door to sill line as indicated [now Wl-10]
Windows and doors were replaced as specified. Glass blocks were installed in the side panels of W 1-12 and W 1-11. The glass blocks installed in W 1-6 on the east elevation in the 1940s were removed and replaced with the new steel casement window. The glass blocks installed in W 1-7 and W 1-6 in the 1940s were retained. The post-office loading doorway, currently W 1-10, was bricked up to the sill to create a window. Presumably the specified caulking, weather stripping, and sealing were also carried out.
However, by 1959 there were once again concerns with water infiltration. A drawing dated March 23, 1959, addresses problems of leakage at the windows and doorways, the roof, and the terraces. The drawing is titled "Administration Building, Weatherproof Bldg. No. 1" (fig. 124). Notes on the drawings present the following instructions:
windows: Re-caulk all metal windows and frames.
Remove all loose existing putty on all windows and re-putty as required.
Paint all exterior steel windows, frames and trim . . . with two coats of paint.
All window ventilators in steel windows to be straightened and adjusted for proper operation and made watertight.
doors: Re-fit all metal exterior doors. Replace existing thresholds with aluminum
thresholds.
Paint. . .all exterior doors and trim with two coats of paint.
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Install new bolts, locks and door closers on doors marked X. [D 1-1, D 1-2, D 1- ?, B-4, B-25, D 1-east, D 1-east, D 1-east]
A detail section on the sheet illustrates the installation of new drains and the resurfacing of the terraces as follows:
Remove and reset existing drains, install new 4" copper flange on all terrace drains.
Remove existing caulking and caulk with lead wool - at juncture of balustrade base and terrace wall.
New pre-molded expansion joints filled with asphalt filler.
New copper flashing at walls.
Repair all cracks in stairs and wall at terrace.
In addition, a new floor surface was to be laid on top of the existing concrete slab of the terraces. The new surface was composed of a new four-ply membrane covered with a 2-inch-thick concrete finish. The new terrace floor was to pitch 2 inches to existing drains along the east side.
Major work was outlined on the drawing for the roof of the building. Roof features included on the drawing are drains, antenna poles, a flagpole, the central skylight, stairways flanking the control tower, stairway skylights, coping on the perimeter parapet wails, a scuttle hatch at the north and south opening into the second-floor corridor below, and an air-cooling unit at the south side of the control tower. Instructions for roof work were noted as follows:
Roof surface:
Remove existing gravel and apply 2 layers of 15" roofing felt and gravel.
Drains, antennas, flagpole: To remain unchanged
Parapet walls: Central skylight:
Air cooling unit:
Stairways:
Caulk all joints in existing pre-cast concrete coping. Existing copper flashing at walls to remain.
Re-putty glass in skylight. Re-caulk skylight frame. Solder ribs where necessary.
Remove existing air cooling unit including I-beams on roof and reinstall unit & reset beams after roofing is completed.
Provide new l-!/2 inch copper pipe drain from air cooling unit to nearest roof drain.
Vestibules protecting doors to stairs to be removed. Existing double doors and frames to be removed and new 3'-0" x 6'~0" hollow metal doors and frames installed. Provide new concrete curb with aluminum saddle for each door.
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Provide new roofing in areas where vestibules are removed of sufficient number of plys to finish on same level at completion.
Remove plastic rock coating and quarry tile floor and cove base on existing concrete slab [in vestibule areas]. Apply 4 ply membrane waterproofing over slab and approximately 2" of concrete finish with waterproofing compound and wire fabric.
Apply asphaltic coating on metal surfaces [stairway roofs].
Re-caulk stairwell enclosures.
Stairway skylights: Re-caulk skylight frames. Re-putty glass in skylight. Solder ribs
where necessary.
Scuttles: Existing scuttles to remain. Remove existing counter-weights.
Remove existing pipe rail.
Comparison of the 1954 and 1959 drawings shows that W 1-11 and W 1-12 were created from former double doorways sometime between 1954 and 1959. This brought the arrangement of doorways and windows on the east elevation to its present form.
Only one other piece of documentation concerning changes to the building during the U.S. Navy presence was discovered. A drawing dated September 23, 1966, detailed the replacement of an air-conditioning unit in the control tower. The old equipment was to be removed and a new air- conditioning unit, condenser tower, return and supply air ducts, and summer-winter thermostat installed. The new equipment was to be centralized in the radio-receiving room (Room 301), and was to service this room and the control tower room through vents. Air ducts from this system are still visible in Room 301.
No further Navy-generated drawings or work orders were discovered. However, a set of 1978 construction drawings includes floor plans of the basement and first floor (figs. 125-126). Because the Navy and the Coast Guard vacated the Administration Building ca. 1969, it remained empty and unused throughout the 1970s. Thus, the 1978 floor plans ought to reflect the interior as it appeared in the last years of Navy use.
A comparison of the 1946 floor plans described previously and the 1978 floor plans indicates that some very slight alterations and additions were made to the structure between 1946 and ca. 1969. A list of changes identified in the comparison follows. Changes that are currently extant are marked with an asterisk (*).
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Basement
*Room 001 - The Red Cross office was removed; all NATS partitioning was removed.
Room 005 - Two east-west counters were installed. (They have since been removed.)
Two doorways were created in the partition wall between Rooms 005 and 006. (They are now infilled.)
A new partition with doorway was built, dividing a previously single space into Rooms 008 and 010. (This has since been removed.)
The west half of Room 024 was partitioned off to create a darkroom.
Room 025 was divided by partitions installed in a cross-shape into four separate rooms; two small square rooms on the east and two long rectangular rooms on the west. (Only the partition in the southeast corner remains.)
The current configuration of Rooms 015, 015a, and 016 was created by the installation of vertical-board partitions in a previously single space.
First Floor
The whole central area of the lobby (Room 101) was partitioned into four north/south rectangular office spaces. (The partitions have since been removed.)
The former partition in the southwest corner of Room 105, which created a rest room for the telephone operators, was removed.
*A partition wall was installed in Room 107, dividing the room in half and creating two smaller offices.
*A11 doorways along the east wall of Room 110 were converted to windows [W 1-10, W 1- ll.andW 1-12].
*Room 113 was created with a partition.
The doorway from Room 1 16 to the hall was infilled.
*A partition was built at the north end of Room 117; it extended to the west wall, blocking off the northwest corner of the room and creating a separate little room (Room 1 16).
Wood-stud partitions running east-west were installed in Room 117 between the piers on either side of the double doorways, creating three offices out of one room. (These partitions have since been removed.)
*A opening was cut through the original partition wall that ran north-south dividing Room 122 into two rooms. (This entire partition has since been removed.)
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National Park Service Alterations
Changes 1972-1994
The Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), received Floyd Bennett Field from the Department of Defense on October 27, 1972. The most recent changes to the building have been made by the NPS staff of Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA). The Administration Building was unoccupied at the time of the transfer and remained so for several years. Photographs taken in 1979, and included in the 1981 HSR, reveal extremely dilapidated conditions for the interior and exterior of the building.
A list of the known work on, and proposed projects for, the Administration Building by the NPS is included below and was collected from the files of Gateway NRA, Floyd Bennett Field Unit.
1978 Castro-Blanco construction drawings for "Repairs and Partial Restoration of the Administration Building."
18 sheets - Title Sheet, Basement Plan, First Floor Plan, Roof Plans, North & South Elevations & Notes, East & West Elevations, Roof Details, Deck & Miscellaneous Details, Plumbing-Basement, Plumbing-First Floor, Plumbing-Second Floor, Plumbing-Roof, Heating & Ventilation- Basement, Heating & Ventilation-First Floor, Heating & Ventilation- Second Floor, Heating & Ventilation-Roof, Electric Parts, Electric Work Notes.
Recommended repointing exterior walls. Also recommended removing the clock from the control tower, restoring it, and rehanging it. (Clock disappears by 1979 and has not been located.)
October Photograph of the west elevation in the 1981 HSR shows that the copper letters on
entablature and bronze eagle above front doorway were no longer in place.
Changes made to accommodate a new PABX switchboard; location not known.
1979 Photographs show five of the original lights still on the east parapet, and the flagpole in place on the west side of the roof over the entrance. All are now missing.
Photographs show no clock on the control tower.
1981
March 20 Triple X form for the rehabilitation of planned public areas of the building. Work is described as follows:
Remove all rubble from basement.
Remove flaking paint from walls and repaint with as historic colors as possible.
Patch plaster where necessary.
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Rehabilitate electrical and plumbing systems to usable condition.
Seal off closed-off areas to public with use of temporary doors and partitions.
Remove dilapidated partition at west side of the lobby.
Paint over intricately detailed paint design in atrium area in such a way as to preserve as much as possible of the decorative designs underneath; to be guided by the advice of conservator Frank Matero.
Replace individual panes of broken stained glass in skylight.
Remove loose vandalized equipment in control tower and store for future evaluation (currently missing)
April 29 A work order for replacement of seven plate-glass windows in control tower carried out.
June 20 Dedication of the building as the Ryan Visitors' Center.
Ryan Center plaque put up inside main entrance on north wall for dedication.
Drop ceiling installed in Room 117. Work order.
1982 News release, exhibits for lobby in place or initiated.
1984 Tonetti Associates conducted a conditions survey of the exterior of the building.
Report titled "Facade Investigation, Visitors Center, Floyd Bennett Field." Found extensive rust on all steel elements, missing cast stone, deteriorated cast stone, defective mortar joints, structural cracks, stone displacement, and defective flashing.
Fire-suppression system installed as part of a contract for all of Floyd Bennett Field.
Selective lintel and window replacement. Plans called for the selective replacement of second-floor window lintels on the north side, and on the north half of the east and west sides, of the building. Work by Gateway NRA Professional Services.
Masonry Repairs - Phase I. This contract included the repairs to the entablature and parapet walls. Corner areas of the parapet as well as the west portico section were dismantled and rebuilt. Remaining areas of the parapet were repointed. Cast-stone joints were raked and caulked. Several entablature stones were replaced. Previously patched stone was repatched.
1980s Miscellaneous plaster patching and repairs carried out on many walls as practice for
youth job corps over the years.
Ca. 1990 Handicap bathroom installed in Room 1 19.
Painting campaign in all public areas, including scraping and painting the lobby.
Wood-grain vinyl tile floor installed in the lobby. 98
Carpet installed in conference rooms and the lobby.
A projection room (Room 111) was added.
1992 New metal doors were installed at all doorways, including those to the roof.
1994 Remodeling of the former Coast Guard room in the basement, including the
partitioning of space and the alteration of some doorways (Rooms 008, 009, and 010.)
Partitioning in Room 105, creating Room 104.
Partition remodeling in Room 013.
Broken glass replaced in windows.
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DECORATIVE PROGRAM
Overview
The original drawings for the Administration Building include sketches and notes concerning a proposed interior decorative program. The program was to include the use of decorative painted finishes, decorative materials, molded plaster ornament, and the installation of fine artwork. The bulk of the decorative work was restricted to the lobby areas. Decorative elements for the lobby are specified on the 1930 drawings as follows. (Asterisks indicate which elements of the original decorative program were actually executed.)
*Eight mural paintings on the gallery face showing the development of aviation
*Stencils in color showing the development of travel: a stagecoach, a steam railroad, an autobus, a sailing ship, a steamship, a dirigible, and an airplane
*Molded plaster ornament on gallery panels and atrium pier capitals
*Gilded plaster leaf ornament
*Leaded, colored glass ceiling light
*Ornamental bronze stairway railing [Stairways #2 and #4]
*Imitation Caen-stone finish on upper walls with quarter-inch white joints (first and second floors)
Tower walls - buff marble wainscot and wainscot cap with black marble baseboard
*Linoleum floor with pattern of an eight-point star contained in a circle at the first-floor west entrance (suggestive of a compass rose)
Decorative elements for the north and south corridors on the first floor were indicated as follows:
Plaster painted light buff with gray border and green stripe
* Buff marble wainscot and wainscot cap with black marble baseboard Decorative elements for the north and south corridors on the second floor were as follows:
Light buff plaster walls (upper)
*Gray plaster wainscot with black marble baseboard
*Birch doorway trim and wainscot cap
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Additional areas identified in original drawings for decorative treatments were the "Restaurant" (Room 117) and the "Lounge" (Room 110). Room 117 was to be finished with an ornamental plaster ceiling and entablature. Walls were to be covered with a "Fabrikoid wallcovering" and a black marble baseboard. Room 110 was to feature an ornate "Adamesque" fireplace with paneled overmantel on the north wall. "Fabrikoid wall covering" was also planned for this room.
Most of the decorative work noted on the original drawings and listed above (except for wainscots and baseboards) was not included in the first contract for the construction of the building. Unfortunately, the contracts for the decorative work have not been found by this or earlier research efforts. However, by examining extant conditions, and by using historic photographs, DOD annual reports, WPA documents, New York City Art Commission papers, and a 1981 report by architectural conservator Frank Matero,28 it has been possible to reconstruct the development and execution of the decorative elements of the interior. It appears that the executed decorative program was both more and less than specified on the original drawings.
Items appearing in the proposed 1930 decoration of the lobby and carried out included molded plaster ornament on the gallery panels and atrium pier capitals. The gallery sides feature raised strips separating the plaster plane into five sections. The middle and end sections were decorated with pairs of raised rectangles creating a paneled effect. The two "unpaneled" sections were left smooth for the installation of murals. A raised course of alternating square and curved shapes runs along the top and bottom of the gallery to form a type of dentil course. Dentil courses were part of the original design. Winged plaster shields with the raised letters "N.Y.C." were also part of the original design and are extant today, one at the top center of each side of the gallery.
Pier capitals at the second-floor level were decorated with molded plaster ornament closely resembling that depicted on the 1930 drawing. Likewise, the gilded plaster leaf ornament at the ceiling cornice, the leaded colored glass ceiling light, and the ornamental stairway balustrades with lattice work and bronze rosettes were also installed. All of these elements are extant today.
The imitation Caen-stone finish with quarter-inch white joints called for in the upper zones of the walls of the first and second floors in and around the lobby was executed. The lower walls were covered with buff marble wainscots and wainscot caps, and black marble baseboards as specified.
The linoleum floor pattern shown at the west entrance in the 1930 drawings, which included a checkerboard field and a star within a circle, is visible in at least one period photograph (fig. 169).
Several items from original drawings were carried out, but in a modified version. For example, mural paintings showing the development of aviation were indeed commissioned, but it was no longer intended that they should fit in the eight smooth gallery panels facing the lobby. Instead, four canvases 30 feet long were painted to span the entire length of each side of the gallery (covering all the plasterwork).
Frank Matero, "Emergency Documentation/Analysis of the Interior Decorative Finishes of the Lobby-Waiting Room of the Administration Building, Floyd Bennett Field," February 7, 1981. (Copy of report located at the NCRC, Lowell, MA.
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Likewise, color illustrations of the development of travel were in fact executed around the second-floor balcony frieze, but not as stencils. Instead, a series of seven canvases were painted and glued on the plaster frieze. The seven canvases were repeated on each side of the atrium in the order depicted on the 1930 drawing: stagecoach, steam railroad, autobus, sailing ship, steamship, dirigible, and airplane. Canvases were separated by a repeating stenciled motif not included in original drawings. (Six of the canvases survive today in the curatorial collections of Gateway NRA.)
In the first-floor corridors, the buff marble wainscot and wainscot cap and the black marble baseboard were introduced as specified. However, the painted plaster (light buff with gray border and green stripe) of the upper wall zones dictated on the 1930 drawings was not introduced. Instead, the imitation Caen-stone wall treatment was extended into the corridors. (Slight variations of the imitation Caen-stone application are found in corridors, as will be explained subsequently.)
In the second-floor corridors, the painted plaster wainscot, black marble baseboards, and birch wood trim were executed, but the buff plaster treatment of the walls above the wainscot was not realized. As in the first-floor corridors, an imitation Caen-stone wall treatment was extended from the second-floor lobby areas into the second-floor corridors. (As in first-floor corridors, here also was found a slight variation in the application of the imitation Caen stone.) Therefore, in both the first -and second-floor corridors, a fancier wall treatment than originally intended was executed.
Decorative details specified for Room 110 and 117 were largely unrealized. Evidence suggests that no fireplace was ever installed in Room 1 10, and that no ornamental plaster ceiling was ever installed in Room 117. However, the ornamental plaster entablature around the perimeter of Room 1 17 was executed. It survives today in the former northwest corner of the room that is now partitioned off and designated as Room 116. The entablature consists of a molded cornice, blank frieze, and an architrave featuring a crenelated molding above a repeating design of floral rosettes and decorated triglyphs (see fig. 207 and Appendix C, "Molding Profiles and Ornamental Plaster").
A photograph dated 1938 depicts a textured and patterned wall covering on the walls of Room 1 17 (fig. 161). It is possible that this represents the "Fabrikoid" wall covering noted on the 1930 drawing.
Items not on the original drawings but which became an integral part of the interior treatment of the lobby included various stencils on the ceilings, soffits, gallery panels, and balcony frieze; polychroming of ornamental plaster; and the inclusion of an oil portrait of Floyd Bennett in the center panel of the east gallery face of the balcony.
Available documentation suggests the following chronology of the decorative program.
Ca. 1931
Marble wainscot and baseboards in place
Staircase balustrades and rails installed
Linoleum floors laid
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By October 1935
Imitation Caen stone in place but unfinished
"Development of Transportation" canvases complete and newly installed on second-floor balcony frieze
Simple triglyphs painted between transportation canvases (design later changed)
Stencil on second-floor balcony soffit lightly sketched in (design later changed)
Molded plaster dentil courses, panel frames, and borders in place on balcony face
Ornamental plaster at pier capitals and ceiling cornice in place and primed for painting
Photograph of Floyd Bennett unveiled and hung on the center panel of the east face of the balcony
Ornate Art Deco lamps in place on balcony rail, two on each side of the lobby
By 1937
Caen-stone stucco of stairwells and second-floor walls exhibits three-dimensional glazed finish
Caen-stone stucco of lobby walls painted white or cream
Clock face painted black
Ornamental balustrade and railing at stairway down to tunnel newly installed
Balcony panels exhibit painted enframements with stenc:led corners (east only)
Raised plaster panel dividers on balcony face (east only) painted a contrasting color to the background field
Photograph of Floyd Bennett still hanging in center of east balcony panel
Molded plaster dentil course of balcony face (north, south, east and west) polychromed
Winged NYC shields painted red, white, and blue with gilt wings
Stencils between transportation murals on balcony frieze complete
Pier capitals polychromed
Ceiling cornice above balcony frieze gilded
Ceiling stenciled around outer perimeter and around perimeter of skylight
103
Ornamental plaster entablature in Room 117 executed and polychromed
Bv October 1939
Decorative wrought-iron barricade in place across stairwell to tunnel (Stairway #4)
Stenciled geometric designs around recessed light fixtures in second-floor lobby corridors in place
Oil portrait of Floyd Bennett unveiled and hung in center panel of east balcony
Caen-stone stucco of lobby walls still just painted a uniform light color
Caen-stone stucco of second-floor lobby walls and pier columns at the second level still painted with three-dimensional glaze finish
October 1939- July 1940
Floyd Bennett portrait moved from second-floor balcony panel to the first floor above the stairway to the tunnel
BvJulv 1940
Murals complete. Mythology mural had been hung along east balcony face but being removed at this time
Floyd Bennett portrait rehung in original location on east balcony face after removal of mural
All other decorative elements unchanged
Still no stenciling visible on first-floor balcony soffits
Still no glaze finish on first-floor imitation Caen-stone stucco in the lobby
The decorative work carried out from 1935 to 1940 was under the direction of the WPA. An index of WPA work at Floyd Bennett Field includes WPA Job #84 for $5,385 worth of "Decorations" in the Administration Building. Despite a search through WPA records at the National Archives, information detailing the specifics of Job #84 was never found. It is assumed that Job #84 included most of the painted finishes, as well as the finishing work on plaster and stucco surfaces.
Several proposals for works of art at Floyd Bennett Field were submitted to the Art Commission of the City of New York. They were WPA-sponsored federal projects under the Federal Art Project. Two proposals were found in the commission files for the oil-on-canvas aviation murals to be hung in the lobby of the Administration Building. The mural proposal was received and approved in the spring of 1936; the proposal for the installation of the murals was received and approved a year later in March 1937.29 The proposals are discussed more fully subsequently.
' "Floyd Bennett Airport - Brooklyn, Murals in Administration Building." Proposal for a work of art submitted
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No interior photographs were located post-dating 1940, except for photographs taken in 1981 documenting the condition of the lobby decoration30 (see the figures in Appendix A). It is therefore difficult to trace any additions or alterations to the decorative program, particularly during the years that the U.S. Navy occupied the building. The 1981 photographs show the following conditions in the lobby areas:
Shadow-glazed imitation Caen-stone stucco on stairwells and second-floor walls and piers- overpainted and dilapidated
Imitation Caen-stone stucco on first-floor walls-overpainted
Balcony faces (north, south, east, and west)-overpainted and dilapidated
Piers and pier capitals-overpainted and dilapidated
Transportation canvases on second-floor balcony frieze-missing
Stencils between transportation canvases on second-floor balcony frieze-overpainted
Molded plaster leaf cornice-overpainted and dilapidated
Stenciling on first-floor balcony soffits-extant but dilapidated
Stenciling on second-floor balcony soffits-extant but dilapidated
Ceiling stencil, skylight border-overpainted
Ceiling stencil, main border-extant but dilapidated
Ceiling stencil, ceiling-extant but dilapidated
Stenciling on ceilings, stairwells, and second-floor halls around lobby-extant but dilapidated
The photographs indicate, therefore, that some of the decorative finishes remained unchanged as late as 1981. Unfortunately, the entire lobby area was scraped and repainted by the NPS shortly after the above-described survey was completed. With the exception of the imitation Caen-stone finish, current analysis of painted finishes will be limited to locating patches of original paint beneath the present paint layers. Fortunately, extant examples of the shadow glazing of the Caen-stone stucco are abundantly visible beneath later layers of paint in the currently nonpublic areas of the north and south corridors, particularly on the second floor. A more detailed examination of certain elements of the decorative program follows.
to the Art Commission for its approval, March 27, 1936." "Floyd Bennett Airport, Brooklyn, Administration Building, Alterations for Murals." Proposal for designs for a public structure submitted to the Art Commission for ts approval, March 5, 1937. Both from the New York City Art Commission, Floyd Bennett Field File, Series 1951.
"° Matero.
105
Materials
Imitation Caen Stone
Caen stone is a French limestone that was extracted from quarries in the Caen plain, Calvados, Normandy, France, as early as the 1 1th century and exported for use as structural stone. As noted by the editors of Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone:
Caen Stone has been used since Gallo-Roman times, with large-scale exploitation developing in the 11th century boosted by the conquest of England by William, which opened up a huge new export market.
Caen stone is a fine-grained, homogeneous limestone, yellowish to yellow-white or quite white in color, with areas of crystalline calcite. A geological description is as follows:
the stone consists of pellet limestone, having rounded and ovoid pellets of cloudy calcite mud up to 0.15mm diameter set in a matrix of clear calcite crystals of rhomboid habit, averaging about 0.1 mm....
Caen stone is no longer available. The export of Caen stone continued into the 19th century, with production effectively ceasing in 1914.33 Imitation Caen stone, therefore is an attempt to replicate the appearance of this very old, venerated, and now-unavailable stone.
Two different techniques were used in the application of the imitation Caen-stone finish at the Administration Building. All walls of the lobby areas on both first and second floors, including the surfaces of the pier columns, reveal the application of two coats of a pigmented lime and cement pargeting each one-eighth of an inch thick over a cement brown coat and cement scratch coat applied directly to the terra-cotta walls.34 The pargeting is a rich golden yellow in color with a glittery quality due to quartz, mica, or limestone particles in the mix. Both the brown coat and pargeting were deeply scored to resemble uniform ashlar blocks measuring 1 by 2 feet. Original drawings specified "1/4 inch white joints."35
John Ashurst and Francis G. Dimes, eds., Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone, Volume 2 (London: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1990), p. 226.
32 Ashurst and Dimes, Vol. 1, p. 121.
53 Ashurst and Dimes, Vol. 2, p. 227. (There is some record of extraction up to 1930, 1952, and even 1960 at various quarries.)
Matero, p. 2. According to this materials analysis, "a thin bonding layer of mastic adhesive" was identified on the terra-cotta substrate. It is more likely that this layer represents a damp-proof coating applied to the terra-cotta surfaces.
Matero reports that "joints were emphasized by a white filling still surviving under the many layers of paint...." Historic photographs do not support the supposition that white filling was used in the joints of the imitation Caen stone. The white discerned in the limited 1981 investigation may simply be the cement of the scratch coats showing through the deeply scored joints. Further analysis of the finishes is necessary to satisfactorily substantiate this claim.
106
The pigmented finish coats represent the "Caen stone" element of the wall finish and were most likely produced from a commercial mix. No specifications for the pargeting treatment for this building are extant. However, specifications do exist for "Artificial Caen Stone" in the registry room at Ellis Island, and the finish they describe is remarkably similar to the work at the Administration Building. The specifications date to ca. 1916; they are reprinted in full as Appendix B of this report. In short, the brick and terra-cotta walls at Ellis Island received a coat of damp-proof material, a cement mortar scratch coat, a cement mortar brown coat, and a finish coat (no less than one-quarter- inch thick) of "Monarque Brand" or equal, artificial Caen stone. The finish coat was to be deeply scored into 1- by 2-foot blocks with joints three-sixteenths of an inch wide and deep. The surface of the "Caen stone" was roughened with emery paper to produce a stone-like texture, and joints were filled with fine white Keene's cement.36 The appearance of the imitation Caen-stone walls of the lobby areas at the Administration Building strongly suggests that a similar process and technique was employed there.
A different technique was employed on the upper wall areas of the north and south corridors. Although the appearance was also intended to imitate a Caen-stone finish, no commercial pargeting mix was used. Instead, corridor walls were simply plastered. Plaster layers include a thick cement scratch coat keyed into the terra-cotta block wall, followed by a cement brown coat and a fine white chalky finish coat. The final finish coat was smooth-floated and scored into 1- by 2-foot sections. The transition from pigmented pargeting to plain plaster is most evident where corridor walls turn the corners into the open lobby areas (see figs. 47-48).
The incised plaster of the hallway walls was then given a painted finish. On the first floor this finish appears to have been a simple cream paint. On the second floor, however, a tinted shadow glazing was applied to the incised plaster. Each "stone" was painted a brownish-gold on one half that gradually lightened to a yellow-gold on the other half. The pattern of dark-to-light repeated from block to block and created an illusion of depth enhanced by a clear glaze coat on the surface. The golden-brown shadow glazing was carried over onto the pargeted "Caen stone" of the upper lobby, as well as along the stairway walls of the main staircases (#2 and #5). The shadow glazing does not appear to have been applied to any of the first-floor "Caen stone." (An in-depth paint analysis will address the exact nature of the painted finishes.)
Several photographs that follow illustrate the two different imitation Caen-stone applications.
Harlan D. Unrau, Historic Structure Report, Ellis Island, Historical Data, Statue of Liberty National Monument (National Park Service: Denver Service Center, May 1981), p. 617.
107
Figure 46. Imitation Caen stone on wall of Stairway #5
between second and third floors, showing pargeting
spalling from scored cement brown coat.
108
Figure 47. Imitation Caen stone at juncture of wall of Stairway #5
and east wall of south corridor, second floor. Exposed cement
brown coat of imitation stone on left, scored plaster on right.
109
Figure 48. Imitation Caen stone at junction of wall of Stairway #3 and east wall of north
corridor, second floor. Shows pigmented imitation-stone pargeting on stairway
wall and plaster application on wall of corridor.
110
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111
A photograph dated October 25, 1935, shows the east wall of the lobby (fig. 152). Application of the imitation Caen-stone finish appears to be in progress. First- and second-floor pargeting has been applied, but tool marks and tonal variations are quite evident. There is no discernible white filling in the joints as yet.
Several photographs taken two years later in 1937 show the lobby from various angles (figs. 154-157). The imitation Caen-stone finish is completed by this time. It is clear that the surface of the imitation Caen stone of the first and second floors of the lobby have been treated quite differently. The first-floor pargeting (walls and piers) appears to have been painted a light color, creating a smooth uniform surface. Scored joints are visible only as shadowed lines. In contrast, the second-floor pargeting on the lobby walls, stairway walls, and piers clearly has been painted with the undulating shadow glazing described above. The scored joints of the shadow-glazed areas appear to be emphasized with a darker paint (although shadow may account for this effect as well). The different painted treatment of the lower and upper imitation Caen stone is clearly illustrated in these 1937 photographs.
Photographs of the lobby dating to 1939 and 1940 reveal that the first-floor Caen stone remained a uniform light color, while the upper Caen stone retained its shadow glazing. Therefore, the dramatically different treatment of the first- and second-floor stucco in the lobby was not a case of unfinished business, but an intentional aesthetic decision that juxtaposed the plain unadorned appearance of the more utilitarian lobby spaces with the highly decorated surfaces of the loftier realms of the lobby atrium.37 (See figures 163, 167, and 170.)
Stenciling
In comparing original drawings to photographs of the lobby dating to the 1930s, it becomes clear that much more decorative stenciling was carried out in the lobby than initially specified. Indeed, original drawings called only for stencils depicting the development of travel to adorn the second-floor gallery frieze. The use of stenciled decoration was extended to include the
first-floor balcony soffit
panels on the east face of the balcony
second-floor balcony soffit
second-floor balcony frieze, between travel canvases
second-floor balcony frieze corners
main ceiling border, just above the cornice
main ceiling field at the corners
main ceiling, skylight border
second-floor staircases, ceiling
second-floor corridor around the lobby, ceiling
Matero concluded that all of the imitation Caen stone was initially unpainted, with the shadow glazing following sometime later. However, he did not have the benefit of the photographs of the lobby from the 1930s, which clearly substantiate the conclusions reached in this report.
112
Each of the above-listed areas was treated with a distinct design. The stencils can be characterized as simple geometric patterns executed in two or three colors. Colors used were generally in the gold to brown range. A paint analysis will be conducted to provide exact color matches. Sketches of each stencil pattern are included in Appendix A. With the exception of four patterns scaled and drawn by the conservator in 1981, sketches were drawn from available historic and current photographs. Details of the patterns are thus sometimes less than precise.
The stenciled decoration was begun in 1935 and largely completed by 1937. The October 1935 photograph of the east side of the lobby (fig. 52) shows the stenciling in its very early stages. The transportation canvases (not stenciled, as specified) are in place on the second-floor balcony frieze but may be in progress: the background fields of both the stagecoach and airplane paintings appear incomplete. Between the transportation canvases are what appear to be painted stylized architectural triglyphs. Whether this was the initial design considered for these areas, or simply a masking system for the installation of the canvases and the application of the final stencil design, is not known.
The October 1935 photograph also shows the second-floor balcony soffit with a very faint stencil design. This faint rendering probably represents the proposed sketch for the final application. However, later photographs show that this particular design was not ultimately painted in this location. (The design was actually painted on the first-floor balcony soffit, at an as-yet-undetermined date.) Therefore, the decoration of the second-floor balcony soffit was in progress, but the final design for it had not yet been executed, by October 1935. No stencils had been begun in any other areas at this time, either.
The series of photographs dating to 1937 shows most of the stenciling completed (figs. 154- 157). A new (and final) design is present between the transportation canvases, and dark borders have been painted around each of the panels. A new (and final) design is present on the second-floor balcony soffit. The main ceiling and skylight stencils are complete, as are the painted ceilings of the lobby corridors. In addition, the east face of the balcony now features painted panels with stenciled details. The single known element of the stencil program that remains incomplete by this date is the stencil on the first-floor balcony soffit. No design of any kind is visible on this surface in any of the four photographs.
Curiously, photographs from 1939 and 1940 (figs. 167, 170) show that the first-floor balcony soffit did not receive its stenciled design until sometime after 1940. No interior photographs post- dating 1940 were located, so the date of the stenciled design seen in this location in the 1981 photographs is not known. Even stranger, this design and pattern clearly match those seen sketched on the second-floor balcony soffit in the in the 1935 photograph. Why the designs were reversed, and when the first-floor soffit was painted, remains a mystery.
Polychrome and Ornamental Plaster
An integral part of the decorative program was the painting of certain plaster elements in the lobby and corridor areas, as well as in Room 117. The polychromed plaster worked in conjunction with, and complemented, the stenciled decoration.
113
An examination of historic photographs reveals that painted plaster features in lobby and corridor areas included:
the geometric dentil course along the top and bottom of the balcony faces
the ornamental plaster winged shields in the center of each balcony face
the panels and dividers of the east balcony face only
the ornamental plaster of all four pier capitals
the water leaf cornice molding of the main ceiling
all second-floor corridor ceilings
the ceilings of the main staircases (Stairways #2 and #5)
According to the limited paint research carried out in 1981, the "teeth" of the dentil courses were painted alternating light (buff) and dark (green) colors, with the underside of the dark pieces