Architecture
The Hall of Fame for Great
Americans and Gould Memorial Library are both NYC landmarks and listed
on the Nation Register of Historic Places. They were designed by renowned
New York City architect Stanford White. The architectural firm of McKim,
Mead, & White achieved legendary status for their beautifully grand
Beaux Arts buildings constructed in turn of the century New York. Stanford
White was considered the premier Gilded Age architect, whose lofty monumental
structures included the original Madison Square Garden, the Metropolitan
Club at 60th street and Fifth Avenue, constructed for J.P. Morgan, and
the Washington Square Arch.
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©
2003 Ethan Robey & Michael Oswaldo Castaneda,
Visual Media Center, Columbia University |
For the Gould Memorial Library
White chose as his inspiration the Pantheon in Rome. A fitting model
considering the Hall of Fame that would soon be built as an ornamental
colonnade curving behind the library was destined to become the quintessential
American Pantheon. The library is laid out as a Greek cross with a circular
reading room crowned by a soaring coffered dome. The rotunda is lined
with 16 Corinthian columns made of rare Connemara Irish green marble.
Statues of the Greek Muses line the lofty balcony while the floor is
covered with marble mosaic tiles from Italy. Tiffany stained glass windows
brighten the vestibule and encircle the rotunda’s mezzanine level.
The exterior of the library is made of yellow Roman brick
and limestone pilasters. Six Indiana sandstone columns line the portico
and beckon you to explore further. As a tribute to the murdered Stanford
White his artist colleagues chose to honor him with the memorial bronze
doors that now grace the entrance to the Gould Memorial Library. They
were designed by his son Lawrence White and feature eight symbolic reliefs
done by Stanford White’s friends as a tribute to someone who had
“opened doors” for other artists.
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©
2003 Ethan Robey & Michael Oswaldo Castaneda,
Visual Media Center, Columbia University |
The Hall of Fame colonnade was also designed by Mr. White
as a neo-classical promenade built atop the library’s foundations
on the crest of the highest point in New York City. It is made of limestone
and granite and has a vaulted ceiling of Guastovino tiles. The original
29 bronze tablets honoring the first Hall of Fame inductees were designed
by the Tiffany Studios.
The Hall of Fame complex on the Bronx Community College
campus is considered one of Stanford White’s finest achievements
and one of the most beautifully sited urban campuses in the nation.
The Hall of Fame and Gould Memorial Library are featured
in the following NYC guide books:
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©
2003 Ethan Robey & Michael Oswaldo Castaneda,
Visual Media Center, Columbia University |
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New York’s 50 Best Architectural Treasures
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City Secrets-New York City
The neo-classical splendor of Stanford White’s campus design
has lent itself to use in many feature films. These include:
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