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Philipsburgh Building

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Built in 1904 following a wave of construction in the Yonkers area, the Philipsburgh building known as the Philipsburgh Performing Arts Center stands as a reflection of the commercial development in Getty Square, downtown Yonkers. Designed with a simplified Beaux-Arts structure it stands with a concrete exterior. An extension in the back of the building is what sets it apart from others. With its glamorous Roman ornament design, the ballroom inside of the Philipsburgh building adds to the significance of this building.

Images

Phlipsburgh Building Front

Window, Road, Neighbourhood, Infrastructure

Phlipsburgh Building Front

Facade, Door, Monochrome, Column

Phlipsburgh Building Ballroom

Property, Floor, Flooring, Interior design

Phlipsburgh Building

Window, Land vehicle, Architecture, Neighbourhood

Phlipsburgh Building Front

Window, Town, Facade, Mixed-use

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Completed in 1905, the Philipsburgh building was designed by the architect G. Howard Chamberlin, who served as an architect for the City Board of Education. The building is in the Beaux-Arts structure which is an architectural style popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Beaux-Arts style combines elements of Roman and Greek Neoclassical architecture.

Yonkers experienced population growth in the 1840s with the opening of the Hudson River Railroad station. In the 1890s, industries in Yonkers were shifting from being heavily based on water to steam. Along with this the millponds that covered Yonkers were being drained and filled to provide space for new development. 

Initially, the Philipsburgh building was meant to be an office building with a ballroom space that would be available for rent. Since the building was meant to be used for two separate purposes, it was divided into two sections with different entries. The exterior of the building is more restrained while the interiors of the ballroom display rich Roman ornamental plaster decoration. 

During the Great Depression, the building began to lose money which led to the offices not being profitable, as a result, they were converted into small studio apartments. In the 1980s an organization called The Sharing Company used the building as a homeless shelter. A fire in 1997 led to its complete closure. The building was restored in 1999 by the Greyston Foundation. The building was reopened in 2002, the apartments were improved and the ballroom was returned to public use as an arts space.

Sources

1.National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, Philipsburgh Building, Westchester County Historical Society Archives, Accessed December 16, 2020

2.Rebic, Michael. Landmarks Lost & Found: An Introduction to the Architecture and History of Yonkers (Yonkers, 1986), p. 113

3.Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Elmsford, New York. Westchester Historical County Historical Society, 2003.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

Picturing Our Past, Gray Williams

Additional Information