NYC Sanitation Department building
Talin Kraft
Couple days ago, I was walking by a Department of Sanitation building in Civic Center area of New York. The building was recently cleaned up and I noticed (probably for the first time) the wonderful bas-reliefs emphasizing the importance of clean water in all areas of life! I especially like the Fisherman, check him out. And the Scientist (I’m guessing here) with his lab rat is kind of funny.
The artist is Oscar Bach, a prominent metalwork artist of the first half of the twentieth century. In New York City, his architectural projects include the Woolworth Building, Riverside Church, Temple Emanu-El, Bank of New York, the Chrysler Building, and Radio City Music Hall (together with Hildreth Meière). His small scale works could be found in the Metropolitan Museum and in many private and public collections.
In addition, it has handsome eagles guarding the entrance on Worth Street, decorative bas-reliefs, and very nice bronze grillwork. On the other side (facing Centre Street) there are two impressive torcheres. All in all, this typical government building is not as boring as it appears at first sight.
