elevations (orthographic projections)

Ink, wash, and graphite. John McComb, in consultation with Joseph F. Mangin, made 105 drawings of a proposed new City Hall building, all of which are preserved in New-York Historical's library. The city fathers accepted his plans. As soon as the building was completed in 1811 it was recognized as one of the finest public buildings in America and it has remained one of the nation's architectural treasures.

This digital collection highlights 41 presentation drawings from the Cass Gilbert Architectural Collection at the New-York Historical Society. A list of Gilbert's best-known structures indicates the national scope and large scale of his commissions: the Minnesota State Capitol; United States Custom House, New York; St. Louis Art Museum; West Street Building, New York; his masterpiece, the Woolworth Building, New York; New York Life Insurance Building; and the United States Supreme Court, Washington, D.C.