Image via Complex Original
Topping the building on the corner or 14th Street and Irving Place is New York’s original “Tower of Light.” Built in 1929, the lantern atop the 26-story structure marks the presence of the city’s largest utility company: Con Edison. Originally the Consolidated Gas Company, a conglomeration of smaller local gas light industries, the company slowly bought out local electrical companies (including New York Edison) when it became apparent that electricity had a brighter future than gas for lighting homes.
Revival
The firm began construction of their headquarters in 1910, hiring the prominent architect Henry Hardenbergh, known for buildings such as the Dakota, the Schermerhorn, and the original Waldorf hotel. The building was built around the previous offices of the former Manhattan Gas Light Company in a Renaissance Revival style.
Continued Growth
As the company grew, the plans for the headquarters grew as well, and the building was expanded in 1914 into an 18-story building covering the entire block site. Since the structure of the original building could not handle the extra weight, the mass of the additional stories is bridged above the smaller central core.
The Dominant Form
By the 1920s it became clear that electricity was the dominant form of energy. Merging into Consolidated Edison, the company thought a new expansion was in order. The firm of Warren & Wetmore (Grand Central) was hired to design a new tower that would serve as a beacon of light. Much of the design was decided to match Hardenbergh’s original base; however, the tower’s base would also include a three-story Doric colonnade before rising up 21 stories to a modest cornice.
Clock Faces
Located above the last story are four clock faces, one in each direction, each corner capped with an urn. The tower then steps back slightly and is capped by a pyramidal roof crowned with a bronze and glass lantern.
Memorial
From this lantern, the company’s lighting display could be seen for blocks. It was originally dedicated as a memorial to the Con Ed employees who died in the World War I. Lit at nighttime, it soon became the symbol of the electric company’s prowess.
Improved Lighting
Over the years, the lighting display has been updated from the original five colored lamps to a series of high-intensity discharge bulbs. In 2008, the lamps were again changed, this time to more efficient LED lights powered by Philips Color Kinetics. In February 2009, the building was finally designated a historic landmark by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.