Tall and slender, finials are employed in architecture to add drama to the edges or tops of buildings. Imagine a spear sticking straight up out of the ground, or an uncarved totem pole, or even a periscope without a twist at the top. They are the exclamation points of architecture!
An architectural finial can also function as a lightning rod and was once believed to act as a deterrent to witches on broomsticks. Author Robinne Weiss explains, "Folklore in suggests that finial posts were not just attractive, but also prevented witches from landing their broomsticks on the roof."
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Witches beware, the Woolworth Building is among the most dangerous for broomstick landings
While they proliferate on many churches, finials are less common on commercial and residential buildings.
Perhaps the most visible finials in the city are at the base of the pyramidal crown of the great Woolworth Building at 2 Park Place/233 Broadway, which was designed by Cass Gilbert.
Equally prominent are the ones near the top of The Plaza on Central Park South, which positively bristles with pointy finials, especially atop its many small dormer windows and other facade elements.
The twin towers of The Eldorado apartment building at 300 Central Park West, designed by Margon & Holder and Emery Roth, were originally intended to be painted gold, with their jagged stepped form conjuring the jolting shocks of lightning bolts.
Another fabled Central Park West apartment building, The Dakota at 1 W. 72nd St., has some finials, but they are less prominent.
Not all finials are slim. The corners of the roof of 14 East 75th Street, an apartment building on the southwest corner of Madison Avenue, have large, thick finials. The 12-story structure was designed in 1929 with neo-medieval flourishes by Schwartz & Gross, one of the city's most active designers of prewar apartment buildings.
Finials, of course, have not been limited to building exteriors, and can be found as decorative elements atop bedposts, lampshades, the ends of curtain rods, and even antique secretaries and highboys.
In more modern times, a new flurry of finials has been spotted in the form of spires atop such new constructions as One World Trade Center, One Vanderbilt, the New York Times Headquarters, Brooklyn Tower. Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building, once planned an enormous finial above its 1,550-foot roofline—but reportedly couldn’t get FAA approval. To the relief of broomstick riders, its roof remains safe and finial-free for smooth landings.
Witch-Proof Properties for Sale
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The Sherry Netherland, #2001
$3,495,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 1,650 ft2
The Sherry Netherland, #2001 (Corcoran Group)
Windsor Tower, #PH7 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Eldorado, #56 (Coldwell Banker Warburg)
The Dakota, #84 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Woolworth Tower Residences, #41A
$7,995,000 (-3.6%)
Tribeca | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 3,282 ft2
The Woolworth Tower Residences, #41A (Serhant LLC)
Fred Leighton Building, #4E (Compass)
75 Livingston Street, #30A
$2,600,000
Brooklyn Heights | Cooperative | 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths | 1,600 ft2
75 Livingston Street, #30A (Compass)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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Or call us at (212) 755-5544
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