Butterfield House (New York City) Explained

Butterfield House
Location:37 West 12th Street,
Manhattan, New York City, NY 10011
United States
Mapframe-Wikidata:yes
Coordinates:40.7356°N -73.9956°W
Architect:William J. Conklin and James Rossant while at Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass
Main Contractor:Daniel L. Gray, Dangray Construction[1]
Completion Date:1962
Floor Count:12 with one penthouse floor

Butterfield House is a cooperative apartment building on West 12th Street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by the architects and urban planners William J. Conklin and James Rossant then of Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass. It is situated between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue within the Greenwich Village Historic District. The building was described in The New York Times as "a modernist landmark" that "received numerous accolades when it was built in 1962".[2]

Mimi Sheraton referred to it as "one of the Village’s most coveted residences."[3] Architectural critic Paul Goldberger included Butterfield House on his list of the “10 Top Postwar Apartment Buildings” in New York City.[4]

The building shares the block of West 12th Street with historic townhouses and when the street received its landmark designation in 1969 it was described as "one of the most distinguished examples of street architecture of the mid-Nineteenth Century."[5]

Architecture

Butterfield House is an example of the International Style and Mid-Century Modern architectural styles and was designed by the architects William J. Conklin and James Rossant. Both men were acolytes of Walter Gropius who they studied under at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School,[6] is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture.[7] [8]

Rossant's obituary in the New York Times states, "Butterfield House was hailed as a model of how to integrate modern architecture into a historic townhouse district."

The Municipal Art Society awarded Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass a Certificate of Merit in 1963 for its work on the Butterfield House.[9]

The building has been referred to as "[one] of Manhattan's finest postwar apartment buildings".[10] In 2016, the building was included on a list of thirteen "Architectural Masterpieces" that you can live in.[11]

The building is notable for its deep bay windows, historic brown-brick façade, and floor-plan design where many of the units are floor-through apartments that offer views of the street on one side and the landscaped inner gardens and fountains on the other. The majority of the apartments have balconies or terraces facing the inner garden. Originally consisting of 102 apartments, including multiple penthouses, apartments have been combined over the years and Butterfield House now has fewer than 100 units. The architectural height of the building is 78.03m (256feet). The Post-War Modern building's rear entrance address is on West 13th Street.

The AIA Guide to NYC calls it "The friendly neighborhood high rise", and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission cites it as an example of "urban harmony" between modern architecture and older forms.[12]

Name

The building was named after Union Civil War General and medal of honor recipient Daniel Butterfield. General Butterfield is credited with composing Taps, the bugle call played by the United States Armed Forces at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals.[13] The building sits on the site of his former home on 12th Street.[14] [15]

Notable residents

Current and former notable residents of the Butterfield House:

References

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: July 23, 1963. House at 37 W. 12th St. Becomes a Cooperative. en-US. The New York Times. 45. February 26, 2023. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: Barbour. Celia. October 22, 2006. At a Modernist Landmark, the New Guard Moves In. The New York Times. May 19, 2019.
  3. News: My Manhattan: West 12th Street, by the Numbers. Sheraton. Mimi. October 20, 2006. The New York Times. September 15, 2019.
  4. News: Goldberger. Paul. September 20, 1979. Top Postwar Apartment Buildings. en-US. The New York Times. February 26, 2023. 0362-4331.
  5. Book: New York City Landmark Preservation Commission Greenwich Village Historic District Designation Report, Volume 1. 1969.
  6. http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/b/bauhaus Bauhaus
  7. Web site: Butterfield House. James Rossant. September 15, 2019.
  8. News: Roberts. Sam. December 13, 2018. William J. Conklin, Architect With a Broad Stamp, Dies at 95. en-US. The New York Times. February 26, 2023. 0362-4331.
  9. News: City Arts Society Honors Architects. May 21, 1963. The New York Times. September 15, 2019.
  10. News: Goldberger. Paul. June 4, 1981. Architecture: a Bridge Known as Ramaz School. en-US. The New York Times. February 26, 2023. 0362-4331.
  11. News: How to live in an NYC-area architectural masterpiece. Peterson. Spencer. May 26, 2016. New York Post. September 16, 2019.
  12. Web site: NYCLPC Greenwich Village Historic District Designation Report, volume 1. August 28, 2022. February 12, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212024348/http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/GREENWICH_VILLAGE_HISTORIC_DISTRICT_-_VOLUME_1.pdf. dead.
  13. Web site: Detailed History of Taps . West-point.org . July 4, 1969 . March 23, 2011.
  14. Web site: NYPL Photo Collection.
  15. Book: All Around the Town: Amazing Manhattan Facts and Curiosities. 9780823231744. Bunyan. Patrick. November 2010.
  16. Web site: Velsey . Kim . Warby Parker Founder Neil Blumenthal Expands Butterfield House Holdings . NY Observer . February 6, 2015 . September 28, 2019.
  17. News: Ramsey Clark at 90: America's Most Liberal Attorney General and Veteran West Villager. Poli. Bruce. March 10, 2018. Westview News. September 13, 2019.
  18. News: Buy a Former Today Show Host's Penthouse for 7m. Polsky. Sara. November 2, 2011. Curbed.com. September 13, 2019.
  19. Web site: Butterfield House, 37 West 12th Street, Apt. 8J . CityRealty.com. en. September 13, 2019.
  20. Web site: Poet Stanley Kunitz's Former Co-op Is for Sale. New York Magazine. en. September 13, 2019.
  21. Web site: Adam Lippes Presses Restart On His Approach to Fashion–and His Business. Elle. September 10, 2016 . September 11, 2019.
  22. Web site: History . Van Ameringen Foundation . September 23, 2019.
  23. Web site: Henry Van Ameringen . Influence Watch . September 23, 2019.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Butterfield House (New York City)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.