The Gilded Armory: Company Rooms F – K

10/18/24 32 Comments

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

This week, we will continue exploring more of the Company rooms located on the second floor of the building. In 1885, a booklet was compiled, providing descriptions of many of these rooms along with engravings.

A copy of the booklet, preserved by the New York Historical Society, is available here. Direct quotes from the original text are incorporated into the photo study below in italics, exactly as they appeared, without any alterations.

The Company F Room
THE wood or cabinet work in this room is oak, the ceiling being richly paneled in the same, the panels small, but no less appropriate and handsome… Like the Fifth Company, this room has an apartment opening from it overlooking Park Avenue, making a second delightful retiring place, and where in summer the breezes that stir in this portion of the city seem to center and make it comfortably cool. Over the window leading to this small room is a memorial tablet, chaste in design, unique and massive ; it bears the names of those former members killed in our Rebellion. Surmounting the other window is an unusually large open-work mahogany screen or transom, in a phase of the Moorish style, a particularly neat idea. Between the windows stands the trophy of the “Team of Five,” held by this Company. Upon the shield is engraved the record of the contest for the season of 1883-84, showing that the points scored by Company F were 614 against the 611 of Company B and the 610 of Company H. On the mantel is a fine bronze Pan, presented by J. H. Abeel, Jr., as a perpetual challenge emblem for ten-men teams, and on the Captain’s table, a magnificent COVELL DUPLEX LAMP shed a light that is hardly rivaled by electricity itself.

This room was designed in a Renaissance Revival style, though the designer remains unknown today.

This room houses a massive and heavy chandelier, artistic in every way, making a bold statement. Like many of the rooms, the central light can easily be pulled down to bring it closer to the table—an uncommon feature even in middle-class homes. The wall shows a very elaborate frieze in a Renaissance scroll, while the space beneath it is finished quite dark.

The rope-twisted chairs and table enhance the Renaissance feel of this room overall.

A close-up view of the heavily carved overmantel and the clock positioned at the top.

The Company G Room
OAK has been selected and very properly for several of the companies’ rooms ; its appearance is rich and it conveys the idea of staunchness and permanency that seem eminently the thing for such a purpose as this. No where has the use of this material been more judicious and more effective than in the present instance, where all the other details of arrangement have been brought in harmony with the requirements of the oak. The wood is finished so as to give it a richness even greater than that which nature bestowed upon it… Over the shelf a large trophy is conspicuous, and the top of the over-mantel shows a panel of leaves, with a center of the Union shield. Two bronzes of spear bearers stand on pedestals before the fire opening. The ceiling has a ground color of a cream shade, paneled in oak, and a delicate floral figure upon it… The doors bear large mirrors, the windows are protected by portieres, plush seats abound, and in every way this room is one of the most inviting of its entire number. The elaborate head piece on the wardrobe is particularly noticeable.

Another room designed by Pottier & Stymus is said to still feature its original Mitchel Vance & Co. polished steel gas lights.

This beautiful mantel is described as a piece of furniture worthy of notice, a heavy German Renaissance period of carved work supporting the shelf and held in place itself by elaborate end columns.

There appears to be a metallic finish on the wall that makes the upper portion lighter or more prominent than the lower section. This wall pattern is quite spectacular. The Decorator & Furnisher explained that the wall space is dull blue, with a running vine over it in more or less natural colors.

Take note of the weapons at the top of the chandelier, also known as halberds. (Thanks Grant) They also appear to have a mace hanging from them. Designed by Mitchell, Vance & Co. —we have another custom design for the company. While there isn’t much visibility of the ceiling, you can catch a glimpse of the ornamentation. It was said that the cove is oak, the frieze quite dark… Although it didn’t photograph very clearly, it appears to be centered in a shield with patterns. This repeating pattern around the shield was very popular with Pottier & Stymus.

The Company H Room
THE last three rooms as we approach the northern end of this long hallway have the reputation of being unusually neat and original in their arrangement. The trio begins with the eighth (H) company, that shown on our opposite page. (As shown above) The ceiling is paneled and the wood laid in divers forms with very good effect… The decoration of the ceilings of the various rooms has received very excellent attention, and they all show some peculiarly distinctive characteristic to match the purpose of the building. The cabinet work is plain and rich, the only ornamentation being a row of brass-headed nails extending along the top of the lockers. A recess is formed upon both sides of the room and contain the oil portraits of Captain George W. Smith and Captain H. C. Sumway, both ex-officers of this company, and both of the portraits accompanied by a small tablet bearing a transcript of the acceptance of their resignations from the then Colonel of the regiment… A mantel between the windows bears a handsome bronze lion clock and a suggestive howitzer whose murderous avocation is transformed into the peaceful one of supporting a thermometer.

Designed by Herter Bros., this room features a unique application with distinct lighting and Japanese wallpaper. Although alterations were made to the room at the turn of the century, the original ceiling still remains.

The wood cornice features bright metallic gold carvings in the panels, providing a pleasant contrast to the heavy wood design. A cove decorated with relief leaves and the Union shield leads to a cornice or border that in its turn tops a wall of chocolate color with leaves in gold.

A new feature (to these rooms) is the use of brass and stained glass lanterns for the gas. What makes it fascinating, too, is the presence of three open flame lights on each side along the top of the lamp.

The Company I Room
THIS room is architecturally different to all its companions —its double story, its balcony distinguishes it readily from the others… Mahogany is the wood employed throughout, finished with a dead or dull surface… It is noticeable that while the diversity in furniture is great, the disposition appears to have been to use oak or mahogany for cabinet wood, almost to the exclusion of all others. Between the windows stands a bronze of “War,” and on the mantel is the cup awarded the company raising the largest sum for the army building. This company succeeded to the extent of $15,041.23. Hardwood floors naturally enough are generally used throughout the building, though the presence of a handsome rug almost conceals the glassiness of wood. The floor here is in capital condition, with a neat border and an exceedingly high polish.

We have two views of this room besides the one from the etching. Originally decorated by Pottier & Stymus in 1880, the room was redecorated by the same company in the early 1890s. Much of the original design has been lost over time. The room features an Art Nouveau-style balcony, and the ceiling has been replaced. However, some of the original wall stenciling has been uncovered.

This earlier view highlights more of the ironwork balcony. The gallery affords means of reaching the upper row of lockers and gives a certain picturesqueness to the apartment that is by no means bad.

The ironwork was adorned with stenciled floral patterns.

Typical aesthetic movement andirons featuring stylized sunflowers.

This view of the chandelier and ceiling provides a closer look at the wall and ceiling patterns.

Here is a different view taken later, but prior to 1896, when the electric lights were installed.

The chandelier is described as being a showy brass affair, artistic and presentable but it is by no means as dramatic as those in the other rooms.

A beautifully carved table is surrounded by leather couches and chairs, all featuring a unique pattern along the lower portions.

By studying closely, you can see the wall pattern along with a frieze. This serves as an excellent example of attempting to understand original applications through black and white photography. Here, a slight variation is evident between the repeated patterns. Each row of design features alternating bands of color: a light row followed by a dark row, and then it repeats.

They uncovered this original stencil design, confirming our suspicions about the paint application after studying the old photo. Below the frieze, the fan pattern alternates between lighter shades of orange or terracotta and darker shades of red.

The valance features an interesting fringe along the edges, resembling wooden or metal spears.

This is a very interesting ceiling pattern. The ceiling inside of two long panels extending its entire length, being bordered by a floral pattern and supported by a mahogany cornice. With the chandelier at the center, it’s intriguing how they chose to fill in the patterns and framework. To the right, they opted for a different pattern to fill the additional space, accommodating the irregular size of the room—a pattern that is nonexistent on the left side.

The Company K Room
OUR last view is of the most elaborate and costly of all the rooms, and its decoration, while made after designs by one of the members of the company, bears unmistakable signs of the influence of Louis C. Tiffany & Co. Its many unique features and its richness make it unusually noticeable. The ceiling is paneled in wood, a form so popular with all the architects or decorators who labored upon the armory, and so entirely suited to harmonize with the general arrangement and finish of such a building. This company room may be said to have excited the admiration and to some extent the envy of the members of the other companies on account of the beautiful and tasteful decorations. Two small rooms at the further end of the apartment look down upon the parade or battalion drill-room, and are quite marvels of cabinet work in their way… There is a judicious use of drapery, portieres and curtains, and a tasteful variety generally of these hangings. Bronze statuettes of martial figures stand about upon prominent places, and oil portraits of former officers of the company hang at convenient and conspicuous points…

This fascinating room, with its two smaller rooms at the far end, is described as a Queen Anne interior of 1880 by Company member Sidney Stratton, a partner at McKim, Mead & White.

The chandelier and side lights have deep red globes giving a light that is soft and warm.

The frieze and wall space are handsomely decorated in eight shades of several colors and concealed in some part by the presence of trophies hanging over them.

If you look closely at the frieze, you can spot the letter “K” enclosed within a wreath.

This is a portion of wall that was uncovered.

The table is surrounded by tall-backed chairs upholstered in leather, adding an interesting touch.

This window overlooks the drill hall and opens onto one of the balconies.

This small balcony is accessed through the floor-length window. At the time, the drill hall featured playful stenciling across the walls, ceiling, and ironwork.

Previous Chapter:
The Gilded Armory: Exploring the First Floor
The Gilded Armory: Company Rooms A – E

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