Corbin Building

The Corbin Building is in the Financial District of Manhattan, at the northeast corner of Broadway and John Street. 195 Broadway is to the northwest, while the Fulton Building—the head house of the New York City Subway's Fulton Center station complex, served by the {{NYCS trains|Fulton Center}}{{NYCS const|map}}—is to the north.{{Cite web|title=NYCityMap|url=http://maps.nyc.gov/|access-date=March 20, 2020|website=NYC.gov|publisher=New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications|archive-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219214900/http://maps.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/|url-status=live}}{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=3}} The lot has an irregular trapezoidal shape{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015|ps=.|p=2}} and measures {{Convert|20|ft||abbr=}} on Broadway to the west, {{Convert|162.83|ft|0|abbr=}} on John Street to the south, {{Convert|49.08|ft|0|abbr=}} to the east, and {{Convert|161.33|ft|0|abbr=}} to the north.

Francis H. Kimball designed the Corbin Building.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015|ps=.|p=4}} Most of the building is eight stories high, but there are two single-story towers with pyramidal roofs on the extreme western and eastern ends.

The Corbin Building is considered to be a "transitional" building in the history of early skyscrapers: it was developed after the elevator had been introduced but before skeleton-framed skyscrapers were built. There are wrought iron horizontal beams and cast-iron columns in the internal structure, although the building was also supported by brick, concrete, terracotta, and tile, which also served to fireproof the structure. The internal structure was supported on masonry walls that were load-bearing.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=10}} The Corbin Building utilized "cage construction" in which the steel structure supported the floors, but not the outer walls. Guastavino tile was utilized on the ceilings, roof, and floors to provide extra fireproofing, and the Corbin Building was supposedly the city's first structure to use such technology.{{cite magazine|date=October 1889|title=The Corbin Building|journal=Architectural Era|volume=3|pages=224–225}} It also used architectural terracotta supplied by the New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company.{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|2005|p=30}}

The Corbin Building is {{Convert|135|ft||abbr=}} tall.{{cite web|title=Corbin Building|url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/185678/corbin-building-new-york-city-ny-usa|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Emporis|archive-date=March 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303001137/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/185678/corbin-building-new-york-city-ny-usa|url-status=usurped}} Because the internal structure was not completely made of steel, skyscrapers of the 1880s such as the Corbin Building were generally limited to ten stories. As such, it was significantly taller than others around at the time it was built. It was reported to be the tallest commercial building in New York City at the time of its completion,{{cite web|title=MTA Capital Construction – Fulton Street Transit Center|url=http://web.mta.info/capconstr/fstc/corbin.htm#selection-331.0-331.61|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140615103439/http://web.mta.info/capconstr/fstc/corbin.htm#selection-331.0-331.61|archive-date=June 15, 2014|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}} but both the New York Tribune and Western Union buildings of 1873 far exceeded the Corbin Building's height, at {{convert|260|and|230|ft}}, respectively.{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=November 24, 1991|title=Streetscapes: The 1881 Schepp Building; The Coconut King's Beheaded Factory|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/24/realestate/streetscapes-the-1881-schepp-building-the-coconut-king-s-beheaded-factory.html|access-date=August 2, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153821/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/24/realestate/streetscapes-the-1881-schepp-building-the-coconut-king-s-beheaded-factory.html|url-status=live}} Architectural writer Robert A. M. Stern stated that "smaller infill buildings" such as the Corbin Building had tended "to experiment with new forms and unusual compositions" since 1880.{{Cite New York 1880|page=413}}

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The building's facade contains one bay on Broadway and eight on John Street. The facades are horizontally divided into the ground story, two midsections of three stories each, and an attic. The lowest three stories on both sides are made of Long Meadow brownstone, while the upper stories are clad with light brick surrounded by red-brown terracotta trim. On both of the visible facades, there are belt courses above the first four stories, as well as above the seventh story. A terracotta cornice resembling an arcade runs above the eighth story, while a smaller terracotta cornice runs above the ninth story. The decorations of the Corbin Building resemble those used on other nearby structures like the Potter Building and Temple Court Building.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015|ps=.|p=6}}

An identical fenestration pattern is used on the Broadway facade and on either of the outermost bays on John Street, collectively known as the end bays. These bays form the facades of the "end pavilions", the only parts of the building that are nine stories high. The ground floor of the Broadway facade and the westernmost bay on John Street has stone arches supported by stone piers, while in the easternmost bay on John Street, the ground floor has a service entrance. The cornice above the first story of the end bays is supported by brackets and doubles as the second-story window sill. The second to fourth floors of the end bays are located within triple-story round arches.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|pp=3–4}} The fifth and sixth floors of the end bays consist of a pair of double arches with ornate terracotta surrounds and spandrels. The fifth story has four sash windows on each bay, while the sixth story has four sash windows under a transom bar with two arched windows. The seventh story of each end bay is composed of two pairs of single-height arched windows in each bay, with terracotta surrounds. On each end bay, the eighth story has three segmental arch windows with four terracotta pilasters, while the ninth story has five narrow round arches, two of which are filled with brick.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=4}}

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The six center bays on John Street also use an identical fenestration pattern to each other.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=5}} At ground level, the main entrance to the building is on the second bay from the east, and is recessed within a decorative round arch. The interior of the arch contains ornate details, while the exterior is supported by heavy stone piers and is topped by a keystone, a Gothic molding, and a small blind arcade of four pairs of arches.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|pp=4–5}} The other bays contain a steel-and-glass enclosure with doors leading inside to a set of escalators, which in turn connect to the Fulton Center.{{cite web|date=November 10, 2014|title=Welcome to the New Fulton Center|url=http://www.mta.info/news-fulton-center/2014/11/10/welcome-new-fulton-center|access-date=August 5, 2020|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128190119/https://www.mta.info/news-fulton-center/2014/11/10/welcome-new-fulton-center|url-status=live}} On the second through fourth floors, the six center bays contain 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, and 2 windows per floor from west to east. The second- and third-story windows are rectangular, with sills projecting from the third-story windows, while the fourth-story windows are arched with terracotta surrounds. The fifth through seventh stories of the center bays contain triple-story round arches. On the eighth story, each of the center bays has three segmental arch windows with terracotta pilasters, similar to in the end bays.

The windows in the triple-height arches (the second through fourth floors on the end bays, and the fifth through seventh floors on the center bays) have cast-iron surrounds with Gothic foliate decorative elements. Each floor of the triple arches is separated by decorative spandrels. The lower two stories of each triple arches contain a grid of three panes by three panes on each floor. Decorative vertical mullions separate the panes in each bay, which are angled slightly outward, while the horizontal transoms are not decorated. The uppermost story of each triple arch has five window panes: two below the sides of the triple-height arch and three underneath the center with horizontal transoms.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|pp=3–5}}

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The interior space is relatively narrow compared to other Financial District buildings, being {{Convert|46|ft||abbr=}} wide at its widest point.{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=161}} There was a light court within the Corbin Building that illuminated the second through eighth stories, and has a large open staircase with wooden handrails, metal as well as railing panels and corner posts. An elevator bank is near the staircase. The ground floor was used as a bank and had an open floor plan. Girders were attached to metal columns between the first-floor ceiling and the building's roof, forming the light court.

Since its early-21st-century renovation, the ground floor has contained commercial space and escalators to the underground Fulton Street station, with a direct entrance to the uptown platform of the Lexington Avenue Line station (served by the {{NYCS trains|Lexington Brooklyn}}). A total of {{convert|31000|sqft}} of commercial office space in the above-ground levels of the building is leased out.{{Cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=June 2, 2013|title=Spared Demolition, an 1889 Building Gets a Second Life|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/spared-the-wreckers-an-ornate-1889-building-gets-a-second-life-downtown/|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=City Room|language=en-US|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126161425/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/spared-the-wreckers-an-ornate-1889-building-gets-a-second-life-downtown/|url-status=live}}

An interstitial structure has been built between the Corbin Building and the Fulton Center with a freight elevator and two passenger elevators. The addition brings the Corbin Building into compliance with modern building regulations, and gives added support to the Corbin Building.{{cite web|title=Restoring the Landmark Corbin Building|url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/restoring_the_landmark_corbin_34837.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107194248/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/restoring_the_landmark_corbin_34837.aspx|work=Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center|archive-date=November 7, 2013|access-date=October 2, 2016}} However, the interstitial building is considered to be a part of the Fulton Center's main building to the north.{{cite web|title=Request for Proposals. Fulton Center Master Lease|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/realestate/Fulton_Center_Master_Lease_RFP.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408211926/http://web.mta.info/mta/realestate/Fulton_Center_Master_Lease_RFP.pdf|archive-date=April 8, 2014|access-date=January 3, 2015|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority}}

The Corbin Building's site was owned by the Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church through the 19th century, though records do not show when the church acquired the site.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=7}} The site may have been part of a 1724 bequest to the church by landowner John Haberdinck.{{cite book|last=Stokes|first=Isaac Newton Phelps|url=https://archive.org/details/iconographyofman_a04stok|title=The iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498–1909|year=1915|volume=4|page=501|access-date=August 3, 2020|publisher=Robert H. Dodd|via=Internet Archive}} The lot was leased in 1869 to the North American Fire Insurance Company, which defaulted on the site three years later. Austin Corbin, president of the Long Island Rail Road, acquired the site in 1881, when there were four buildings on the site. In 1886, he signed a 21-year lease with the church in which he was to pay $18,000 in annual rent.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015|ps=.|p=3}} The property records show that, as part of the agreement, Corbin would not build a church, school, hospital, charitable building, theater, museum, gambling house, liquor venue, or "a building for noxious uses" on what would become the Corbin Building's site.

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Corbin wished to design a building on the property, which would house his banking firm, with extra space left over for him to rent out.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=9}} Stephen Decatur Hatch was listed as the original designer, but he is not known to have any connection with the final design.{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=155}} Francis H. Kimball was ultimately responsible for the final design. Kimball's design for the Corbin Building was influenced by his previous experience in the usage of terracotta decorative elements, such as at the Casino Theatre.{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|ps=.|p=156}} Intended as a speculative development, the Corbin Building was erected within 11 months between 1888 and 1889.{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|2003|p=12}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015|ps=.|p=1}}

The Corbin Banking Company leased space in the building until it went bankrupt in 1907.{{Cite news|date=March 29, 1907|title=Corbin Banking Co. Forced to Close; Assignee Promises That All Depositors Will Be Paid in Full|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/03/29/archives/corbin-banking-co-forced-to-close-assignee-promises-that-all.html|access-date=August 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806134257/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/03/29/archives/corbin-banking-co-forced-to-close-assignee-promises-that-all.html|url-status=live}} The Corbin Building Company subsequently sold the building in 1908 to the Chatham National Bank of New York; at the time, the land was still held by the Dutch Reformed Church.{{Cite news|date=May 16, 1908|title=City Can't Borrow Above $1,443,724; Controller Tells Board of Estimate the Debt Limit on May 1 Was $624,048,060|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/05/16/archives/city-cant-borrow-above-1443724-controller-tells-board-of-estimate.html|access-date=August 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130143215/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/05/16/archives/city-cant-borrow-above-1443724-controller-tells-board-of-estimate.html|url-status=live}} Chatham National was a long-term lessee of the ground-floor space. The Corbin Building Company apparently became a Chatham National subsidiary, and in 1925, the Schulte Cigar Stores Company bought the building and land lease from the Corbin Building Company.{{cite news|date=January 15, 1925|title=Real Estate News: Business Realty ln Down; Town Section Sold Twelve-Story Structure on Wall Street Corner and Corbin Building on Broadly Figure in Deals|page=21|work=New-York Tribune|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1113100701/C9AEC07380104B81PQ|url-access=subscription|access-date=August 4, 2020|via=ProQuest|archive-date=April 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424183958/https://www.proquest.com/docview/1113100701/C9AEC07380104B81PQ|url-status=live}} In 1937, jeweler Herman A. Groen leased the corner space from the Dutch Reformed Church.{{Cite news|date=May 7, 1937|title=Broadway Corner Taken by Jeweler; Herman A. Groen Leases for 21 Years 9-Story Building at John Street|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/07/archives/broadway-corner-taken-by-jeweler-herman-a-groen-leases-for-21-years.html|access-date=August 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806134255/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/07/archives/broadway-corner-taken-by-jeweler-herman-a-groen-leases-for-21-years.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=May 7, 1937|title=Real Estate News and Projects: Financial Zone Corner Leased By H. A. Groen Jewelry Dealer Takes Nine Story Corbin Building at Broadway, John St|page=46|work=New-York Tribune|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1246995004/C9AEC07380104B81PQ|url-access=subscription|access-date=August 4, 2020|via=ProQuest|archive-date=April 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424183946/https://www.proquest.com/docview/1246995004/C9AEC07380104B81PQ|url-status=live}}

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After several pieces of transit infrastructure in Lower Manhattan were destroyed or severely damaged during the September 11 attacks in 2001, government officials proposed a $7 billion redesign of transit in the neighborhood, one of which was the Fulton Center.{{Cite book|last=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|author-link=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSY3AQAAMAAJ&pg=SL19-PA5|title=Permanent WTC PATH Terminal: Environmental Impact Statement|date=2007|publisher=United States Department of Transportation; Federal Transit Administration|pages=S.5|language=en|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-date=October 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007234044/https://books.google.com/books?id=RSY3AQAAMAAJ&pg=SL19-PA5|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last1=Wyatt|first1=Edward|last2=Kennedy|first2=Randy|date=April 20, 2002|title=$7.3 Billion Vision To Rebuild Transit Near Ground Zero|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/nyregion/7.3-billion-vision-to-rebuild-transit-near-ground-zero.html|access-date=February 3, 2018|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204124039/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/nyregion/7.3-billion-vision-to-rebuild-transit-near-ground-zero.html|url-status=live}} After the Fulton Center project was announced, the World Monuments Fund listed the Corbin Building as one of the 100 most endangered historic sites globally, and one of about 300 historical sites in Lower Manhattan. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which was developing the Fulton Center, considered several options that would either demolish the Corbin Building, leave it alone, or integrate it into the Fulton Center.{{Cite web|date=October 2004|title=Chapter 3: Alternatives|url=http://web.mta.info/capital/fc_docs/feis/chapters/ch03.pdf|access-date=August 5, 2020|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|pages=5–6|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121020654/http://web.mta.info/capital/fc_docs/feis/chapters/ch03.pdf|url-status=live}} The MTA conducted a report on the Corbin Building and found that it held historical significance.{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=October 3, 2003|title=M.T.A. to Include 19th Century Building in Downtown Transit Hub|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/nyregion/mta-to-include-19th-century-building-in-downtown-transit-hub.html|access-date=August 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124235740/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/nyregion/mta-to-include-19th-century-building-in-downtown-transit-hub.html|url-status=live}} Other buildings, such as the adjoining Childs Restaurants location and the Girard Building on Broadway, were demolished.{{Cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=July 31, 2007|title=Fade From White: Memories of Pancakes at Childs|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/fade-from-white-memories-of-pancakes-at-childs/|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=City Room|language=en-US|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804070821/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/fade-from-white-memories-of-pancakes-at-childs/|url-status=live}} The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2003.{{cite web|date=2003|title=National Register of Historic Places 2003 Weekly Lists|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2003-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf|access-date=July 20, 2020|publisher=National Park Service|page=145|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228214615/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2003-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf|url-status=live}} The same year, the end bays and main entrance were cleaned and renovated.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=14}} In 2005, the Corbin Building was designated as a contributing property to the Fulton–Nassau Historic District,{{harvnb|National Park Service|2005|ps=.|p=10}} a NRHP district.{{cite web|date=2005|title=National Register of Historic Places 2005 Weekly Lists|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2005-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf|access-date=July 20, 2020|publisher=National Park Service|page=242|archive-date=September 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901115418/https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2005-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf|url-status=live}}

The building was rehabilitated as part of the Fulton Center project, with Judlau Contracting as main contractors, Page Ayres Cowley Architects as sub-consultants, and Arup Group as designer. The project cost $59 million.{{cite web|last=Dailey|first=Jessica|date=March 13, 2013|title=Inside the New Fulton Center And Restored Corbin Building|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2013/3/13/10264698/inside-the-new-fulton-center-and-restored-corbin-building|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=Curbed NY|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128180123/https://ny.curbed.com/2013/3/13/10264698/inside-the-new-fulton-center-and-restored-corbin-building|url-status=live}} The ground and basement levels of the building were incorporated into the Fulton Center, serving as an entrance to the subway station below.{{cite web | last=Shapiro | first=Julie | title=A peek inside Corbin as subway construction proceeds | website=amNewYork | date=March 11, 2010 | url=https://www.amny.com/news/a-peek-inside-corbin-as-subway-construction-proceeds/ | access-date=August 5, 2020 | archive-date=January 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128042345/https://www.amny.com/news/a-peek-inside-corbin-as-subway-construction-proceeds/ | url-status=live }} During construction, the Corbin Building was underpinned by mini-piles that were placed manually due to the small lot area. Sensors and other devices were used to ensure building safety. Foundation work uncovered a well lined with stone, which contained artifacts dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as newspapers from 1889, an invoice for a jewelry company, and handwritten accounts of stock trades. The underpinning was required due to the rehabilitation of the {{NYCS trains|Lexington Brooklyn|time=nolink|apos=y}} platforms and the transit building construction. The building as a whole is integrated into the Fulton Center project, with escalators at John Street descending to the {{NYCS trains|Lexington Brooklyn|time=nolink|apos=y}} platforms and the Fulton Building.{{cite web|date=May 2009|title=Project Updates: Fulton Center|url=http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fulton_street_transit_center_17608.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060816030815/http://www.lowermanhattan.info/construction/project_updates/fulton_street_transit_center_17608.aspx|archive-date=August 16, 2006|publisher=Lower Manhattan Development Corporation|access-date=August 6, 2020}}

The Corbin Building reopened in December 2012, with retail space returning to the ground floor.{{Cite web|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=November 9, 2012|title=A 19th-Century Dividend at a 21st-Century Station|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/a-19th-century-dividend-at-a-21st-century-station/|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=City Room|language=en-US|archive-date=April 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422024915/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/a-19th-century-dividend-at-a-21st-century-station/|url-status=live}} In 2015, the Corbin Building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.{{Cite web|date=September 30, 2015|title=Resolution affirming the designation by the Landmarks Preservation Commission of the Corbin Building located at 11 John Street a.k.a. 1–13 John Street, 192 Broadway (Tax Map Block 79, Lot 15 in part, consisting of the land on which the building is situated), Borough of Manhattan, Designation List No. 483, LP-2569; L.U. No. 284; 20155773 HKM (N 150459 HKM).|url=http://legislation.nyc/id/2471405|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=legislation.nyc|publisher=New York City Council|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128200802/http://legislation.nyc/id/2471405|url-status=live}} The coworking firm WeWork leased space in the Corbin Building in 2016.{{Cite web|last=Hartmans|first=Avery|date=December 1, 2016|title=Take a look inside WeWork's newest location, which straddles historic New York City and the brand-new Fulton Center|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-new-york-landmark-building-photos-2016-12|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=Business Insider|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201160201/https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-new-york-landmark-building-photos-2016-12|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=December 7, 2016|title=WeWork Fulton Center offices open next to Sky Reflector-Net|url=https://www.archpaper.com/2016/12/wework-fulton-center-offices/|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=The Architect's Newspaper|language=en-US|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809202033/https://www.archpaper.com/2016/12/wework-fulton-center-offices/|url-status=live}}

The Real Estate Record and Guide described the Corbin Building in 1898 as "another example of profuse decoration of surfaces" by Kimball, besides his previous Our Saviour New York building. The Guide said that the surfaces, "together with the color of the terra cotta, produces effects at once agreeable and varied, and almost unattainable in any other material".{{cite book|last=Portnoy|first=Lawrence|url=https://archive.org/details/5147521.0001.001.umich.edu|title=A History of real estate, building, and architecture in New York City during the last quarter of a century|date=1898|publisher=Real Estate Record and Guide|pages=520, 522|access-date=August 5, 2020|via=Internet Archive}} Another critic in the Guide said that the building was "in many points highly successful, and at all points extremely interesting", although the unnamed critic disapproved of the facade's division into two horizontal sections, rather than into three such sections.{{cite magazine|date=March 30, 1889|title=The Corbin Building|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_003_13.pdf|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=43|pages=423|via=columbia.edu|number=1098|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128092152/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_003_13.pdf|url-status=live}} Architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler also negatively viewed Kimball's division of the Corbin Building's facade into two sections. However, Schuyler said that the contrast between the brownstone base and the brick-and-terracotta upper stories helped unite the two sections, and also praised the Broadway pavilion "work[ing] out naturally and effectively into a tower".{{cite magazine|last=Schuyler|first=Montgomery|date=June 1898|title=The Works of Francis H. Kimball|url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/backissues/1898-04-06.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=7|pages=501–502|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806134303/https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/backissues/1898-04-06.pdf|url-status=live}}

Modern critics have also praised the Corbin Building.{{harvnb|National Park Service|2003|ps=.|p=13}} Architectural writers Sarah Landau and Carl Condit wrote in 1996 that the building exhibited "fine detail and slablike proportions". David W. Dunlap of The New York Times wrote in 2003 that "the Corbin Building looks something like a Roman aqueduct with French Renaissance flourishes, arches over arches over arches". Dunlap stated at the time that most of the upper floors were intact while the ground floor had been significantly revised. After the demolition of other structures nearby in the early 20th century, the fifth edition of the AIA Guide to New York City (2010) called the Corbin Building "a slender book-end at the corner, with no books to hold up".{{harvnb|ps=.|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|page=43}} The book described the upper-story arches as "asserting strong individuality above a tawdry commercial corner".{{harvnb|ps=.|White|Willensky|Leadon|2010|page=40}}

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite report|date=September 7, 2005|title=Fulton–Nassau Historic District|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05000988.pdf|publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|2005}}}}
• {{cite report|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/03001302.pdf|title=Historic Structures Report: Corbin Building|date=December 18, 2003|publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|2003}}}}
• {{cite report|first=Virginia|last=Kurshan|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2569.pdf|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|title=Corbin Building|date=June 23, 2015|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2015}}}}
• {{Cite nysky}}
• {{Cite aia5}}

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