Western Wall
Renaissance Revival flatiron building, former steamship and cocoa exchange headquarters.
via Wikipedia: 1 Wall Street Court · see source
The Western Wall, known in Ashkenazi Hebrew as HaKosel HaMa'arovi, is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill referred to by Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Its most famous section, often shortened by Jews to the Kotel or Kosel, is called the Wailing Wall in the West and the Buraq Wall in the Arab and Islamic worlds. In a Jewish religious context, the term narrowly refers to the section used for prayer, while broadly it encompasses the entire western retaining wall of the Temple Mount. At the prayer section, just over half the wall’s total height, including seventeen courses below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period and is believed to have been begun by Herod the Great. The large stone blocks of the lower courses are Herodian, medium-sized stones above were added during the Umayyad period, and the small stones of the uppermost courses are from more recent times, especially the Ottoman period. The wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray outside the Temple Mount platform, as the presumed site of the Holy of Holies lies just above and behind it. The earliest source possibly mentioning this site as a place of Jewish worship is from the tenth century. During Christian Roman rule, Jews were barred from Jerusalem except on Tisha B'Av. The term "Wailing Wall" stems from the practice of Jews weeping there and has historically been used mainly by Christians. The section used for prayer faces a large plaza in the Jewish Quarter, while a smaller exposed segment, the Little Western Wall, is considered even closer to the Holy of Holies. The entire wall forms the western border of al-Haram al-Sharif, believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad tied his steed, Burāq, on his Night Journey. Under Muslim rule, the wall was waqf property, but a right of Jewish prayer existed as part of the Status Quo, confirmed by a 1930 international commission. With the rise of Zionism, the wall became a source of friction, leading to deadly riots in 1929. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Jordan occupied eastern Jerusalem, banning Jewish prayer at the wall for nineteen years. This ended on June 10, 1967, when Israel gained control, and three days later the Moroccan Quarter was bulldozed to create the current plaza.
- Stone courses total
- 45 (28 above ground, 17 underground)
- Herodian courses
- 7 above ground
- Period of lower courses
- End of Second Temple period, begun by Herod the Great
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Beaver Building was constructed between 1903 and 1904 as a speculative development by the Century Realty Company, who hired Clinton and Russell to design it. The Remington Construction Company was the contractor, and the project was planned to cost $600,000. Work began in June 1903, and ownership was transferred the next month to the Beaver and Wall Street Corporation. During construction, some workers went on strike, prompting the contractor to hire longshoremen. The building served as the headquarters of the Munson Steamship Line from 1904 until 1921, and the company owned 1 Wall Street Court from 1919 to 1937. The building was foreclosed upon in 1937, and ownership subsequently passed to several other entities, including the Bowery Savings Bank. The New York Cocoa Exchange was another large tenant, occupying the building between 1931 and 1972. The building was converted into a residential condominium building in 2006.
Reader's Guide
The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column: a base, shaft, and capital. The three-story base is faced with ashlar of granite and Indiana limestone. The nine-story shaft is composed of alternating bands of buff and tan brick, with windows surrounded by glazed green terracotta tiles. The three-story capital is ornamented with multicolored glazed terracotta tiles in green, cream, and russet hues. There are carved beavers over the main entrance facing Pearl and Beaver Streets, signifying the building's original name. The superstructure is of steel frame construction. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1995 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district created in 2007.
Did You Know?
- The Western Wall is the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, an artificially expanded hilltop.
- Its lower 17 courses, including those below street level, date from the end of the Second Temple period and are believed to have been begun by Herod the Great.
- A small 8-meter section, the Little Western Wall, displays much original Herodian stonework and is considered even closer to the Holy of Holies.
- In Islam, the wall is known as the Buraq Wall, believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad tied his winged steed on his Night Journey.
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