The landmark Foundation Building of the Cooper Union, established by industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper, was the first to feature a structural system of rolled wrought iron. Together with a unique circular elevator shaft and ventilation system, the building's innovations were a harbinger of the technological advancements in skyscraper design.<a href="https://culturenow.org/people/the-skyscraper-museum?name=The_Skyscraper_Museum">[1]</a>&nbsp;“A forerunner of the skyscraper, the Italianate brownstone was the first building in New York to use rolled iron I-beams for structural support, which were designed by Peter Cooper himself. The Foundation Building houses the Great Hall, which has witnessed some of the most important political and social events of the past two centuries. Debates in the Great Hall gave birth to the NAACP and the women’s suffrage movement, and the space has hosted speeches by Presidents Lincoln, Roosevelt, Clinton and Obama.”

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Building, New York.

Cooper Union Foundation Building

The Old New York County Courthouse, better known as Tweed Courthouse, is the legacy of Tammany Hall boss William M. Tweed, who controlled the initial construction. Built over a period of twenty years, between 1861 and 1881, it is the product of two of New York`s most prominent nineteenth-century architects, John Kellum and Leopold Eidlitz. Grandly scaled and richly decorated, the courthouse retains its original spatial arrangement, including thirty monumental courtrooms and a five-story central rotunda. Construction was interrupted in 1871 when Kellum died and the corruption involved in the building's construction was exposed to the public. The project was completed by architect Leopold Eidlitz, who added the rear wing and finished the interior between 1877 and 1881.

Under an accelerated time schedule, John G. Waite Associates, Architects (JGWA) restored a neglected, deteriorated 177,500 square foot courthouse for use by the New York City Department of Education. Recognizing the significance of the historic Tweed Courthouse, JGWA lobbied for its restoration and the responsible use of its interior spaces. JGWA worked with multiple civic entities throughout the restoration process to insure the project ran smoothly. An on-site office was created to expedite the design and construction process. As the first step in the restoration process, JGWA prepared a comprehensive feasibility study for the exterior and interior spaces, documenting existing conditions and recommending procedures for restoration. Utilizing recommendations from the study, the firm applied their profound knowledge of materials conservation and restoration and of nineteenth-century mechanical and structural systems, installing new lighting, security, HVAC, and fire system with only minimal intrusions on the historic spaces.

Tweed Courthouse

Architectural historian Gail Cornell talks about the history of the Tweed Courthouse, including the exploits of William M. "Boss" Tweed and Tammany Hall.

In this podcast, Nancy A. Rankin provides an overview of the design process undertaken by the firm for restoring, preserving and reusing the historic Tweed Courthouse.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, describes the process of restoring the marble facade of the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, describes the restoration of the iconic stone staircase of the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, describes the process of restoring the octagonal central rotunda of the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, describes the materiality of the courtrooms in the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, &nbsp;talks about the late re-discovery and subsequent restoration of the metal corrugated roof of the Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, provides an overview of the design and construction of the historic Tweed Courthouse in New York City.

In this podcast, Nancy Rankin, architect, describes the major changes made to the Tweed Courthouse through the 20th century.

Iranistan was a Moorish Revival mansion in Bridgeport, Connecticut commissioned by P. T. Barnum in 1848. It was designed by Bohemian-American architect Leopold Eidlitz. At this "beautiful country seat" Barnum played host to such famous contemporaries as the Hutchinson Family Singers, Matthew Arnold, George Armstrong Custer, Horace Greeley, and Mark Twain. The grandiose structure survived only a decade before being destroyed by fire in 1857. It was one of five such fires in the showman's life that "burned to the ground all his accomplishments".

The landscaped surroundings featured a greenhouse, stables, a carriage house, and a building to pump water to the house, a remarkably early example of indoor plumbing.

Iranistan

Aaron Burr promised Latrobe he would win the competition to design NY City Hall in 1802. But, Joseph Francois Magnin &amp; John McComb Jr won the $350 prize, becoming the oldest continuously occupied City Hall in America since completed in 1811.French Renaissance plus Federal equals this massive administrative and legislative structure. It houses the City Council and the Mayor's Office, with New York's first and most beautiful (now former) subway station buried right beneath it.

Mullets Monstrosity, City Hall, Park Row and City Hall Park.&amp;nbsp;The structure on the right is the Manhattan station for the cable cars which ran across the Brooklyn Bridge.  

McComb Architectural Drawing Collection, Collection of the New-York Historical Society

New York City Hall

At the statue of Nathan Hale in City Hall Park, Kaplan discusses Hale's life and significance, and the history of City Hall.

An American architect best known for his work on the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York, as well as the completion of the Tweed Courthouse and PT Barnum's house in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Eidlitz was a founding member of the American Institute of Architects. Eidlitz has been called America's first Jewish architect.

Leopold Eidlitz

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