History and architecture
The Bush Tower, designed by the prominent architectural firm of Helmle & Corbett and built in 1916-18 (added to in 1921) was an influential prototype for set-back skyscrapers, even though it was designed prior to the adoption of the 1916 law mandating the set-back form; the setbacks of the Bush Tower were described by Corbett as a purely architectural and aesthetic solution.
Combining historical neo-Gothic detailing with a modern, pronounced vertical emphasis, the building represents an important intermediate stage in the development of the skyscraper. Secondary elevations finished with an innovative treatment of trompe l'oeil colored brick piers, and the engineering solutions for the tower-like steel-frame building erected on a very narrow plot were features of interest.
Built for the Bush Terminal Company, the Bush Terminal International Exhibit Building and Buyers Club, as the building was originally named, housed merchandise showrooms located for the convenience of out-of-town buyers in midtown Manhattan. Two ten-story wings facing 41st Street, also designed by Helmle & Corbett, continue the simplified neo-Gothic style of the thirty-story tower.
The Bush Tower was predicted, at the time of its construction, to be the last of the skyscrapers due to the adoption of the 1916 zoning ordinance. In fact, Corbett's design soon came to be regarded as a prototype of set-back design, a building of the future rather than of the past.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.