Chase Headquarters Building
Encyclopedia
The Chase Headquarters Building is a building in Waterbury, Connecticut
on Grand Street across from the city hall. It is now occupied by the city of Waterbury’s offices.
commissioned well-known architect Cass Gilbert
to design its corporate headquarters in 1916 across from his recently completed Waterbury city hall. Henry Sabin Chase, the company president, specifically requested that the headquarters be designed to contrast with the style of the city hall, resulting in a design which shunned colonial marble and brick. The Renaissance inspired building relies heavily on Adamesque designs and detailing and evokes the Tower of the Winds
in the capitals on the central pavilion’s columns. The excellent iron and bronze work for the building was entrusted to Philadelphian Samuel Yellin
.
The building is notable for its excellent curved staircase, elaborate Adamesque plaster ceilings, careful detailing, and high quality materials. The stained-glass window in the staircase quotes Abraham Lincoln "Go forward without fear and with manly heart." Interior designer Geoffrey Webster considers the Chase Building to be one of Gilbert’s finest works. Construction lasted from 1917-19. The company sold its building in 1963 to preservationists for one dollar, who in turn sold it to the city of Waterbury to be used as city offices, a function it still serves today. It is now known as the Chase Municipal Building and is part of Waterbury's Cass Gilbert Historical District.
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
on Grand Street across from the city hall. It is now occupied by the city of Waterbury’s offices.
Architecture
The Chase Brass and Copper CompanyChase Brass and Copper Company
Chase Brass is a leading manufacturer of brass rods in the U.S. Located in Montpelier, Ohio, Chase employs nearly 200 hourly employees who are represented by the United Steelworkers Union Local 7248, and 85 salaried employees....
commissioned well-known architect Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
to design its corporate headquarters in 1916 across from his recently completed Waterbury city hall. Henry Sabin Chase, the company president, specifically requested that the headquarters be designed to contrast with the style of the city hall, resulting in a design which shunned colonial marble and brick. The Renaissance inspired building relies heavily on Adamesque designs and detailing and evokes the Tower of the Winds
Tower of the Winds
The Tower of the Winds, also called horologion , is an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower on the Roman agora in Athens. The structure features a combination of sundials, a water clock and a wind vane...
in the capitals on the central pavilion’s columns. The excellent iron and bronze work for the building was entrusted to Philadelphian Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin , American master blacksmith, was born in Galicia Poland where at the age of eleven he was apprenticed to an iron master. By the age of sixteen he had completed his apprenticeship. During that period he gained the nickname of "Devil," both for his work habits and his sense of humor...
.
The building is notable for its excellent curved staircase, elaborate Adamesque plaster ceilings, careful detailing, and high quality materials. The stained-glass window in the staircase quotes Abraham Lincoln "Go forward without fear and with manly heart." Interior designer Geoffrey Webster considers the Chase Building to be one of Gilbert’s finest works. Construction lasted from 1917-19. The company sold its building in 1963 to preservationists for one dollar, who in turn sold it to the city of Waterbury to be used as city offices, a function it still serves today. It is now known as the Chase Municipal Building and is part of Waterbury's Cass Gilbert Historical District.