Park Row Building completed as world's tallest building

Background. The Park Row Building was developed by the Park Row Construction Company as a speculative office building between 1897 and 1899. William Mills Ivins Sr. purchased the lots in 1896, and Robertson created designs publicized in March 1896. The project was intended from the start to be the world's tallest office building, utilizing a steel frame and elevators to achieve this status.

Construction. Work began on October 20, 1896. The building was mortgaged for $2.25 million in mid-1897. A legal dispute occurred when the New York City Board of Examiners opposed concrete floors, but the builders won the right to install them in December 1897. The structure was completed on July 20, 1899, after two years and nine months of construction.

Height. At 391 feet, the Park Row Building was the city's tallest building upon completion, overtaking the previous record holder. Including formerly installed 56-foot flagpoles, the total height was 447 feet. It remained the world's tallest office building until 1908, when the 612-foot Singer Building surpassed it.

Reception. Critics in 1898 described the building as a "monster" with "inexpressive and vacuous" walls. Scientific American praised the design for clothing the skeleton with stone and glass. Architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler commented on its horizontal layers in 1897, while Engineering News noted it was influenced by no established style.