A
PASS FOR THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING
F. W. WOOLWORTH. Partly Printed Document Signed,
no place [probably New York, NY], 1914. On a 2½" x 4"
card.
The American merchant, Frank W. Woolworth, transformed the retail industry
by developing five-and-ten-cent stores in the late nineteenth century,
using innovative techniques in pricing, display, and purchasing to reduce
costs. In 1912, he formed the F. W. Woolworth Company which merged his
many stores with those of several rivals, creating a network of nearly
600 stores.
By the early 1900's, Woolworth was living on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan,
and his business was headquartered in New York. In 1910, he commissioned
a new company building at 233 Broadway in lower Manhattan, and the resulting
skyscraper, the Woolworth Building, designed by architect Cass Gilbert,
was the tallest structure in the world when it opened in April 1913.
It is now a National Historic Landmark.
This attractively printed card is a pass “to visit the Observation
Gallery of the Woolworth Building during regular visiting hours...subject
to the conditions on back hereof.” Along the left side of
the card is an image of the top tower of the building, with its Gothic
detailing. Woolworth has signed at the bottom, “F. W. Woolworth
Pres.” The pass is issued in the name of the Broadway Park
Place Company, the official owner of the building, and the conditions
printed on the back of the card essentially release the company from
any liability in case of accident or injury. The pass has a printed
date of 1914, a year after the building's opening, and is designated
number 41.
The card is in fine condition and is most attractive.
Woolworth’s autograph is scarce, and here it is on a fine piece
of ephemera relating to his landmark Woolworth Building. $1250.00
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