The Astor Building 5

More construction photos of the St. Regis Hotel, temporarily called “the Astor Building.” In late November 1901, the building was moving along, with the steel skeleton, what appear to be concrete floor slabs, and the heavy masonry facade all simultaneously in progress. First, the 55th Street (north) side: The stone veneer of the facade is complete to the top of the second floor, and is a good story and a half above the heavy-timber sidewalk shed. The riveted steel frame, with its built-up box columns, is fairly normal, although there’s one peculiarity discussed below. And the upper floors have wood planks laid temporarily over the steel floor beams, with the fourth floor (the lowest floor visible above the facade) looking complete. Also, that appears to be an automobile parked two doors down on the left. In that year, it could be any of dozens of small companies and could just as easily be electric- or steam-powered as have a gasoline engine. The Fifth Avenue (west) side: This view…