Little Singer Building ...

... Prince Street side.

Built to house offices and factory space for the Singer Manufacturing Company, this office building was the smaller relative of the company's 41-story headquarters located in the financial district. Both were designed by Flagg, and the latter was completed in 1908. In an innovative way, Flagg manipulated various building materials in favor at the time. The architect combined large glass panes, pigmented terra-cotta panels, wrought-iron balconies and cast-iron ornament to create an intricate cladding for the building's steel skeleton frame. Suspended from a structural frame, this highly ornamented facade is the forerunner of the glass curtain walls found in post-World War II skyscrapers.

© 2016 Arlequin Photographie