The Woolworth Building

Long before there was Wal-Mart or Amazon, there was Woolworth's.  

Frank W. Woolworth invented shopping.  

Well, not exactly.  His worldwide chain of five and dime stores sold most anything to the general public at every day low prices.  Woolworth's innovation was allowing customers to independently select their purchases from store shelves, rather than asking a shop clerk to pull an item from a shelf behind a counter.  Thus, he transformed the centuries-old counter and clerk concept to the modern shopping experience.  He was the Sam Walton and Jeff Bezos of his day.  

The concept was so transformative and successful that he made a fortune and built his own trophy, the Woolworth Building in NYC.  For more than 15 years, the Woolworth Building was the world's tallest skyscraper, with design and decorative innovations everywhere.  The 60-story building is a 1913 neo-Gothic tower dubbed the "Cathedral of Commerce."

The Woolworth Building (1913, 792 ft.), as seen from City Hall Park

We recently took a tour led by an excellent, knowledgeable guide.  It turns out that the guide was the very same NYC employee who wrote the comprehensive report considered when the City landmarked the building in 1983.

Our guide

We highly recommend the tour.  Thanks to our friends who not only recommended the tour but gifted the full length version to us. 

Here are photos from our tour.

Some random hottie in the lobby of the Woolworth Building

The mosaic dome of the lobby

Close up of the mosaic dome

Mezzanine with mural depicting Commerce

Mezzanine with mural depicting Labor

Skylight

Lobby clock (not the correct time, except twice every day)

Lobby interior (from the back looking toward Broadway entrance)

Vaulted ceiling with mosaic

Close up of mosaic bird

Frank W. Woolworth as a gargoyle

Architect Cass Gilbert as a gargoyle

They don't make mailboxes like that anymore

Hidden W's are everywhere if you have a keen eye

A winged head (one of many)

Elevator doors, designed by Tiffany Studios

 

P.S.  We recommend booking the tour in advance.  It is usually sold out.  Greg, who some people say vaguely resembles George Clooney, found out the hard way what happens to tourists with no reservation.  Check it out here.