National Register of Historic Places

Germania Life Insurance Company Building

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
May 24, 2001
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
01000556

About this property

The W New York Union Square is a 270-room, 21-story boutique hotel operated by W Hotels at the northeast corner of Park Avenue South and 17th Street, across from Union Square in Manhattan, New York City. Originally known as the Germania Life Insurance Company Building, it was designed by Albert D'Oench and Joseph W. Yost and built in 1911 in the Beaux-Arts style. The W New York Union Square building was initially the headquarters of the Germania Life Insurance Company. In 1917, when the company became the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, the building was renamed the Guardian Life Insurance Company Building. A four-story annex to the east was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and was completed in 1961. Guardian Life moved its offices out of the building in 1999, and the W New York Union Square opened the following year. The main building, part of the hotel, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988. The Guardian Life annex, not part of the current hotel, was designated as a city landmark in 2007.

Location

50 Union Sq. E
New York, New York County, New York
40.73663, -73.98867

Categories

ARCHITECTUREEUROPEAN
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Century Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Union Square
Civil War
0.1 mi
Tilden, Samuel J., House
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0.1 mi
Decker Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
The Players
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Germania Life Insurance Company Building listed on the National Register?

Germania Life Insurance Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 2001.

What type of historic resource is Germania Life Insurance Company Building?

Germania Life Insurance Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Germania Life Insurance Company Building?

The period of significance for Germania Life Insurance Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Germania Life Insurance Company Building?

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