From Western Union News Vol. 29 No. 2, March, 1996.
Since its founding in 1851, our company has had six different headquarters locations. Each relocation was driven by the growth of the company, or social and economic trends of the time.
It all began when a small group of prominent businessmen in Rochester, New York, sensed
a business opportunity in the fact that 50 or more separate telegraph lines were operating
in the eastern United States. Each line had its own way of operating and limited
interconnection arrangements, leading to erratic and inefficient service. The
Rochester group, convinced that the telegraph would become one of the "wonders of the
world," organized The New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company with
the aim of combining all the lines into one great network.
When the NYMVPTC was organized in April 1851 in an office in the Reynolds Arcade building in Rochester, it was a small company with a big name. But it grew rapidly, and in 1856, Ezra Cornell, its largest stockholder, insisted that the name be changed to The Western Union Telegraph Company to indicate the unification of western lines with those in the east.
As the renamed company continued to grow, it developed a major business opportunity in the provision of stock quotation services emanating from the securities markets in New York City. To exploit this opportunity, the company moved in 1866 to a shared, five-story building at 145 Broadway in downtown Manhattan, which it soon outgrew.
In 1875, Western Union completed construction of a magnificent 10-story building at
195 Broadway, at the time one of the largest commercial buildings in the world. In
those days, women in business were regarded as a novelty and it was considered proper
to segregate them from the male employees. Accordingly, in the new headquarters
the ladies were hidden from view by a high canvas "fence" dividing the main operating
room. However, the more venturesome men would risk reprimands and stand on chairs
to peep over the fence, so it was removed.
The 195 Broadway building was eventually razed, after a larger headquarters building had been constructed adjacent to the original site and occupied in 1914. At that time Western Union's operations center was relocated to 24 Walker Street.
The company's annual message volume grew from 29 million in 1880 to 200 million in the
1920s, creating the need for still larger quarters. When completed in 1930, the new
24-story Western Union Building at 60 Hudson Street was dubbed the "Telegraph Capitol of
the World." It was then one of the largest buildings in New York, containing a
gymnasium, auditorium and employee cafeteria that could serve 5,000 meals a day.
Notable as an outstanding example of American Art Deco design, the building was
accorded landmark status in 1991. It continues to be a communications hub with
tenants like MCI, US Sprint, Cable and Wireless Communications, Associated Press and
AT&T.
In the 1970s, Western Union followed the trend of many companies to relocate their headquarters in the suburbs. A large new building was constructed in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, and ocupied in 1972-73. It was located a short distance from the company's new technology center in Mahwah.
Starting in the mid-1980s, Western Union went through a 10-year period of financial
difficulties, resulting in a downsized company that no longer required such a large
building. In late 1993, the company made its last headquarters move to Paramus,
New Jersey, where it now occupies leased quarters in a multi-tenant building much as it
did when it started 145 years ago in Rochester, New York.
Google satellite photo of the Upper Saddle River office.
From Western Union News Vol. 14 No. 1, January, 1981.
NEW YORK - Brick by brick, the building recognized as the Telegraph Capitol of the World when it opened in 1930 is being restored to its original glory.
The 24-story structure at 60 Hudson Street that served as Western Union's Headquarters for over four decades and is still the pivotal point for Western Union facilities in the New York area is showing the public a fresh new look. All roofing surfaces -- about 46,000 square feet -- have been replaced and a major masonry restoration is in its final phase. By next fall, the striking Art Deco building will be as handsome and as structurally sound was it was when it opened 50 years ago.
From the start, the building was famous for its intricate brickwork. On the exterior towers, 19 shades of brick range from reddish buff at the base to light salmon at the roof, creating a subtle play of color under changing sunlight. The graceful vaulted ceiling of the main lobby is still visited by architectural students who admire the complex masonry, the bronze doors and lighting fixtures, and even the unique Art Deco mailboxes.
When 60 Hudson Street was brand new, it was hailed by New York newspapers as one of the wonders of the city. The $13.5 million building, only four blocks from the earlier Western Union office on Walker Street, had its own private power plant and was linked by cables and 25 pneumatic tube lines to Western Union branches between the Battery and Times Square.
The structure housed an auditorium seating over 1,000, a gymnasium, where the 1,500 messengers based at 60 Hudson Street could exercise and shower, and a cafeteria that could serve 5,000 meals daily. The ventilating system was hailed as one of the most elaborate in New York. Finally, every window in the building was screened against the loss of a single message.
The current restoration project was undertaken in 1978, when leaks due to deterioration of masonry and roofing put some of the Company's vital communications facilities in jeopardy. Architects, consuting structural engineers and a contracting firm were called into action. At about that time, New York City passed a law requriing all similar buildings to be inspected regularly by a qualified architect. With the restoration under way, the Western Union building now complies with all city regulations. In addition, its value is greatly enhanced.
Neil Sailer, Project Engineer -- Design and Construction, explains that to accomplish this restoral, scaffolding and a hoist were erected and a staging area was established on the vacant 19th floor. There, mortar is mixed and delivered to each work area and bricks and stones are stored as they are brought up on the hoist. The restoral began at the top of the building and works toward the base.
Neil has supervised the work from every scaffold on the building. "You can't just walk off the street and onto a scaffold," he says. "You have to get used to it. But it's second nature to all of us now."
He points out that the restoral is extremely detailed. For example, as the coping stones -- the flat stones that top each papapet wall -- are removed, a cardboard pattern is made of each. New stones are cut at the factory, numbered and delivered. They are brought up on the hoist, transferred to work areas and fitted into place. If necessary, carving is done at the site.
"It's paintaking labor," Neil says. "But when it's done, the building will be restored to its original condition."