Charles Scribner's Sons Building ARCHITECT: Ernest Flagg DATE: 1912-13 STYLE: Beaux-Arts

The interior of this building is a fine example of Beaux-Arts commercial space, which created an appropriate image for the sale of books. It represents Ernest Flagg’s ideas on the interrelationship of exterior and interior design and planning. The flamboyant ironwork which frames the first floor interior exemplifies some of the best design and craftsmanship of the early 20th century. The two-story vaulted space, organized as a basilica-like form, with its mezzanine, balconies, and clerestory is outstanding for its complex spatial elements and beauty of form, as articulated in the elegant mirrored end-wall, graceful central staircase, spiral staircase on the south side, and delicate cast-iron railings.