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HISTORY Union Building For You AllAnd they partied into the night |
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| Mary Ann Hoffman | ||
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His main purpose was to have a professional society present at the International Electrical Exhibition planned for the fall of 1884 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In April, Keith distributed a letter to individuals who might be interested in such a society. A preliminary meeting was held on 15 April 1884, in New York City, for the purpose of establishing an organizing committee. A second meeting was held on 13 May 1884, at the office of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), which was formed in 1852. The name, organizational structure, and officers were selected, and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was born. The Institute's first president was Norvin Green, president of Western Union from 1878 until his death in 1893. Among the vice presidents elected were Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. Dr. Keith was elected secretary for 1884–1885. AIEE held its first technical meeting on 7–8 October 1884 during the Electrical Exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Figure 3 shows a poster for this international exhibition. The AIEE would share offices with the ASCE for many years. But as the meetings grew larger, the AIEE moved lectures to the Doremus Chemical Lecture Theater at the College of the City of New York. After it outgrew these accommodations, the AIEE was invited to share the offices of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which was founded in 1880, at 12 West 31st Street, New York City. Wheeler GiftIn 1901, Dr. Schuyler Skaats Wheeler (Figure 4), AIEE president in 1905–1906, learned of the impending sale of the J. Latimer Clark Library in London, England. J. Latimer Clark (1822–1898) was an electrical engineer who worked on wireless telegraphy and was also an avid bibliophile. This library contained every scientific publication in the English language prior to 1886, including many rare and valuable volumes. Wheeler arranged to personally purchase its 7,000 volumes, which at the time was the second most important electrical and scientific library in the world, containing some volumes that dated back to the 1600s. Wheeler presented the entire Clark Library to the AIEE. In addition, Wheeler made a number of additions to his gift. This library had a strong appeal to Andrew Carnegie, the multimillionaire industrialist. Over the years, Carnegie and his corporation would spend over US$56 million to establish more than 2,500 libraries around the English-speaking world. It would be this library that brought the AIEE to the UEB.In the Deed of Gift, dated 17 May 1901, Wheeler wrote: "My object in securing the collection was to present the books to our Institute and it the custodian of the most complete electrical Library in the world, as well as to stimulate such interest that the Institute may in time own a permanent home in New York." Carnegie provided funding for the cataloging of the Clark Library, in addition to bookshelves, in the amount of US$7,000. A two-volume hard-bound edition of the library "catalogue" was printed in 1909. The catalogue, edited by AIEE member William D. Weaver, lists publications by author, including a technical description and a shorter layman's narrative. Examples of a typical entry: 1382 Henry, J(oseph) (1797–1878) The electro-magnetic telegraph (Proc. Board of Regents, Smithsonian Instit., 1857) 39 pp, 8vo Carnegie also reimbursed Wheeler for the complete cost of the Library, US$6,880.28. In years to come, the Library would be known as the Wheeler Gift. According to an original deed from Wheeler (currently in the IEEE Archives), "The library to remain in New York City and to be a reference library, free to all, including nonmembers and available for consultation at least three days a week and some evenings and some Sundays, as soon as the Institute is in permanent quarters." Many years later in 1995, the IEEE disbanded its library and, in keeping with the original deed, donated the Wheeler Gift to the New York City Public Library. One of the stipulations of the Wheeler Gift was that a suitable "fireproof" building be provided within five years to hold the Clark Library. Members of AIEE had for several years endeavored to join forces with the other societies to construct one building that could house everyone, including their libraries. Library DinnerFor its Annual Dinner in 1903, the AIEE extended several invitations to Andrew Carnegie (Figure 5) to attend as the guest of honor. Carnegie had previously made small donations to the AIEE Library. After seven separate invitations, Carnegie finally accepted. This dinner became known as the Library Dinner and was held on 9 February 1903 at Sherry's Restaurant in New York City. During the dinner, the idea of a building to house engineering societies was proposed by AIEE President Charles F. Scott. That evening Carnegie spoke on the importance of cooperation among engineers.The following day Carnegie invited Scott, T. Commerford Martin (AIEE president, 1887–1888), and Calvin Rice (chair of the AIEE Building Committee) to his residence to present their plan for the building. They admitted to him that there was no plan but that they would gladly prepare one for him. Less than one week later, they returned to his residence along with several other engineers and a one-page typewritten plan, with a bottom line of US$1.2 million. It was noted that the date was 14 February 1903, and they received the sweetest Valentine's Day present from Carnegie, a check for US$1 million. In one account of that meeting, Scott wrote that during the discussion Carnegie, referring to the US$1 million, "moved his hand up and down adding 'more or less'." In 1904 Carnegie donated an additional US$500,000 to complete the building. Part of the original plan was to include a restaurant, of which Carnegie did not approve. He felt that it would give the building a "club-like" atmosphere. The restaurant was removed from the plan, but a separate Engineers' Club building was built shortly thereafter. The land, located at 29-33 West 39th Street, was purchased in 1903 for US$50,000 and initially paid for by Carnegie. It consisted of five contiguous lots and covered an area 125 ft wide and 100 ft deep. Its location was close to railroad terminals and Grand Central Station. The Engineers' Realty Company was formed solely for this purchase, and each of the four founder societies (electrical, civil, mechanical, and mining) was required to pay back its portion of the land cost. An adjacent tract of land was purchased for the Engineers' Club building. A joint committee comprised of the president and two other representatives of each of the four societies was established to oversee construction of both buildings. Of the total cost, US$1,050,000 (70%) was allocated for the UEB, and US$450,000 (30%) was allocated to the Engineers' Club building. United Engineering SocietyThe United Engineering Society (UES) was formed on 11 May 1904. It consisted of what were called the "Founder Societies": the AIEE; the American Institute of Mining Engineers, founded in 1871 (AIME); the ASCE; and the ASME. The UES owned the land and the UEB on 29-33 West 39th Street in the Borough of Manhattan. (UEB originally stood for Union Engineering Building.) ASCE decided not to join the UES in 1904 since it already owned its own building on 57th Street in New York City.Fearing they would lose the Carnegie funds because of ASCE dropping out, the three Founder Societies identified other small engineering and scientific societies who could take the place of ASCE. The Building PhaseThe design and selection of an architect was accomplished through a competition of 26 sets of drawings submitted to the Building Committee by 20 June 1904. Herbert Hale and associate Henry G. Morse were chosen as the architects. Throughout the spring and summer of 1904, old buildings on the purchased land were demolished. On 17 July 1905, the UES contracted with Wells Brothers & Co. as the construction contractor. In just under a year, on 8 May 1906, the cornerstone was laid (Figure 6). The Carnegies, including their daughter Margaret, arrived at the ceremony in a carriage. The honor of laying the cornerstone was conferred upon Mrs. Carnegie. A time capsule was also installed on that date. It contained donated items from the societies, the Annual Report of the members of the Engineers' Club in 1904, various newspapers dated 8 May 1906, and United States coins. These coins had been minted at the United States Mint in Philadelphia only days before the ceremony. It also contained a Bible and a gold plate that had the following engraved on it:To the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers:These are the exact words Carnegie wrote in the letter he presented to the Founder Societies back on 14 March 1904. Both Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie gave brief and impromptu speeches. In a 1906 New York Times article, it was noted that the only decoration on the "platform" was a large American flag. Carnegie brought the crowd's attention to a famous "ironmaster," John Fritz. Carnegie stated "There is John Fritz, whom we call Uncle John. He is in science what Uncle Joe Cannon (then speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) is in political life." On 22 November 1906, the UES met for the first time in the new building. The building consisted of 13 stories. Each Founder Society occupied several floors, while some smaller societies occupied the remainder of the floors. The three libraries were placed together on the 13th floor. The building contained offices, a large auditorium, smaller meeting rooms, a reading room and stacks for the library, as well as a basement, subbasement, and storage rooms. The total cost of the land and building was US$2 million, and the remainder of the costs were covered by the three societies and other donations, including contributions from Thomas Alva Edison and Michael Pupin, each in the amount of US$5,000. The AIEE occupied the tenth floor of the building. On the third and fourth floors, there was a large auditorium with a seating capacity of 875 (Figure 7). The stage had provisions for ac and dc power, compressed air, gas, water, and drainage to accommodate lectures and demonstrations. Up one floor were three smaller meeting rooms that could accommodate 90, 225, and 500 engineers. Dividers between these rooms could be moved away to allow seating for 800. All rooms had, by special arrangement, "moving picture machines." The acoustics were so good that Benny Goodman used to rehearse in the auditorium, and staff would sneak down to listen to him. The building was dedicated on 15–20 April 1907, with a few meetings already having been held in the auditorium. Andrew Carnegie was the guest of honor. In his comments introducing Carnegie, former AIEE President Scott stated "Mr. Carnegie it has been your great privilege to make this possible. You provided money. It has been transformed into bricks and mortar. But your letter gives more than money. In it is an ideal: a union building for you all." With that the crowd broke into applause for Carnegie, who responded that the crowd not applaud too long or he (Carnegie) might conclude that they didn't want to hear him speak. The first day of the dedication started with a succession of receptions in the main auditorium, followed by a series of smaller receptions hosted by each of the societies in their respective offices. These receptions lasted into the next morning. The date of 17 April was declared "Founder Societies Day." Distinguished Service gold medals were cast and presented to Dr. R.W. Reynolds, secretary of AIME, Mr. Roger W. Pope, AIEE secretary, and Prof. F.W. Hutton, secretary of ASME (Figure 8). The medals were designed by artist Victor Brennan and represented the spirit of invention and research. Congratulations were received from U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the Governor General of Canada, and numerous learned societies worldwide. Congratulations were also received from the Engineers' Club, presented by its president T. Commerford Martin. In his comments, Martin extended congratulations "from the Little House nearby." Alexander Graham Bell received the John Fritz Medal for "the invention and introduction of the telephone" during the dedication proceedings. Among the other activities were the presentation of technical papers, speeches, and an informal "smoker" and vaudeville at Madison Square Garden. On the final day, engineers participated in tours of tunnels that were under construction at the time. A bust of Carnegie was dedicated in the library. In a 1907 New York Times article about the dedication, it was noted that not only did Carnegie fund the building, but he also provided monies to help establish an endowment fund. From the 13th floor, one could view the Astoria Hotel, now the site of the Empire State Building, and the Times Tower, constructed in 1905, with a height of 25 stories. Like the Flatiron Building, this tower occupied a triangular slice of land, but did so with much less grace than the Flatiron. The Tower is the original location of the ball drop on New Years Eve. In 1914 the United Engineering Foundation was established by the board of the UES. The main objective of this foundation was the "furtherance of research in science and technology, [and] the advancement in any other manner of the profession of engineering and the good of mankind."
The ASCE joined the UES on In 1908, the American Society of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) was formed. It became the fifth Founder Society on 1 May 1958 with a down payment of US$50,000 and assumption of financial responsibilities proportionate to the investment of the other four Founder Societies. The Societies Outgrow the UEBIn the mid-1950s, the Founder Societies, acknowledging the need for a new building, considered relocating to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But that idea was voted down, and they decided to find land in New York City. In 1957, they identified a tract of land across from the United Nations. It was purchased for US$2.7 million, and committees were formed to raise funds from the membership and industry for the construction of a new building. The campaign commenced on 21 November 1957 with a dinner in New York City. The overall honorary chair of the member-giving campaign was Mr. Charles F. Kettering, retired director of research at General Motors Corporation. Kettering was awarded the 1958 AIEE Edison Medal. (Later on, additional funds would have to be raised for providing the building with furniture and equipment.)The Founder Societies would remain in the original UEB until 5 September 1961 when the new United Engineering Center (UEC) was completed (Figure 10). A dedication ceremony was held on 9 November 1961. The original UEB was sold to Develop Realty Corporation for US$1.4 million on 15 February 1963 and still stands today, though it has since been converted into commercial space. The Engineers' Club building (Figure 11), located directly behind the United Engineering Building, is now a residential building. In 1963, when the AIEE and IRE merged to form the IEEE, the IRE moved into the new UEC and sold the Brokaw Mansion, the building the IRE had occupied for over 30 years. The Brokaw Mansion was subsequently torn down by a developer, and a 25-story cooperative apartment building was constructed on the site. In 1998, the UEC was sold to developer Donald Trump, who subsequently tore it down and erected a 90-story luxury condominium high rise. Today, offices for IEEE Spectrum and the IEEE Communications Society, the AIChE, and the ASME are headquartered at Three Park Avenue in New York City. The IEEE maintains the IEEE Operations Center in Piscataway, New Jersey, which houses about 550 of the IEEE's approximately 850 employees. The ASCE has since relocated to Reston, Virginia, and has approximately 240 employees. The AIME is now located in Littleton, Colorado, where 250 employees are located. The United Engineering Foundation is well known today for its Research Initiation Grants, which date from the mid-1970s and are awarded to new university faculty members in areas of technical interest to the Founder Societies. EpilogueOn 17 May 2006, the author and Melvin Olken, editor in chief of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, met in Manhattan to visit the sites of the UEB and the Engineers' Club. Today, the UEB looks as grand as ever. The main entrance has been relocated to the left side of the building, and the building is now occupied by various commercial tenants. After talking with a representative of the building's management company, an invitation was extended to tour part of the building. The old Cutler Mailing System is still in place as are the ornate casements and moldings.The former Engineers' Club building is located around the block behind the UEB. It is now a residential property, and only the lobby was available to visit. A grand marble staircase (Figure 12) is still in place and in use. The Engineers' Club building sits across the street from Bryant Park and the New York Public Library, which now houses the Wheeler Gift. |
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The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and, since the 1963 merger of the AIEE and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), the IEEE have had a number of homes. None of these homes have had as interesting a history as that of the United Engineering Building (UEB), located at 29–33 West 39th Street in New York City (