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UNION SQUARE WEST,
NOS. 31-41 In 1938, Abbott returned to Union Square to photograph its northwest corner. The large open area between the north end of Union Square Park and East 17th Street gave Abbott an unobstructed view of an entire block of late-nineteenth-century commercial buildings. The three tallest buildings were the last built: no. 31 (far left) was the 1903 Metropolis Bank, no. 33 the 1893 Union Building, and no. 41 (far right) the 1895 Hartford Building. Despite the exotic Moorish details of no. 33, the three buildings typify early skyscraper design derived from the base, shaft, and capital of the classical column. The three lower buildings (center) predate 1880. The huge diagonal shadow cast by no. 31 over its lower neighbors unifies the motley row of ornate facades. Except for no. 39, which was replaced by a one-story McDonald's, the buildings stand today, and, like all of Union Square, show signs of renewal. Chic restaurants and a wine store occupy first-floor retail spaces, and no. 33, with its Moorish details, has been restored. Return to the Middle East Side |