Beekman (Panhellenic) Tower
Encyclopedia
Beekman Tower is also the name taken by the former Panhellenic Tower, an Art Deco
skyscraper situated at the corner of First Avenue
and East 49th Street in Midtown
. It was designed by John Mead Howells
and built from 1927 to 1929. Originally named the Panhellenic Tower and used as a club and hotel for women who had belonged to national Greek-letter sororities, it provided affordable housing for many women entering the workforce during the period. The building features sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan
. The organizational meeting for Gamma Sigma Sigma
, National Service Sorority was held here on October 10–12, 1952.
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
skyscraper situated at the corner of First Avenue
First Avenue (Manhattan)
First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the...
and East 49th Street in Midtown
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. It was designed by John Mead Howells
John Mead Howells
John Mead Howells was an American architect. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the son of author William Dean Howells, he studied architecture at Harvard and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he met his future partners, I. N. Phelps Stokes and Raymond Hood...
and built from 1927 to 1929. Originally named the Panhellenic Tower and used as a club and hotel for women who had belonged to national Greek-letter sororities, it provided affordable housing for many women entering the workforce during the period. The building features sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan was an American sculptor, born in West Hoboken, New Jersey.Chambellan studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian in Paris and with Solon Borglum in New York City. Chambellan specialized in architectural sculpture...
. The organizational meeting for Gamma Sigma Sigma
Gamma Sigma Sigma
Gamma Sigma Sigma is a national service sorority founded in October 1952 at Beekman Tower in New York City by representatives of Boston University, Brooklyn College, Drexel Institute of Technology, Los Angeles City College, New York University, Queens College, and the University of Houston. ...
, National Service Sorority was held here on October 10–12, 1952.