cathedral to commerce (2024)

Hi,

Victorian neogothic architecture enjoyed a flowering in Manchester too, most notably in the great spired almost fairy-tale Town Hall, a sort of cathedral to commerce that exudes confidence and prosperity yet is not without delight in agniloquence for its own sake.

(This comes from newsweek.com Howard Jacobson Reflects on Manchester, England by Howard Jacobson On 4/9/12.)

What does the blue part mean? What does 'to' here mean?

Thanks in advance!

True, but GWB's analysis is nevertheless correct. In addition, Manchester Town Hall is a neo-Gothic construction inspired (like much Victorian architecture) by the great cathedrals of the late Middle Ages. Thus:

pob14 said:

Last Christmas Eve, I attended services at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. As far as I could tell, no conceptions, immaculate or otherwise, took place inside.

Click to expand...

One would expect a certain degree of discreetness when such things are done in a cathedral, Pob, which should explain your failure to observe them.

I think Dale is right about this being similar in meaning to "monument to...", though a cathedral has the added suggestion of sanctity. I looked at some Google images of the Manchester Town Hall and I do think the building is reminiscent of a cathedral. (Oh, KB already said that and has even uploaded images )

GreenWhiteBlue said:

I disagree with Retired-teacher. A cathedral of commerce would be a building where commercial activities take place inside, such as a bank or a stock exchange, or the headquarters of a company. The term is most closely associated with the Woolworth Building in New York City because of its neo-Gothic detail and its commercial purpose. A cathedral to commerce, on the other hand, would be a building that honors or commemorates or celebrates commerce, in the same way you might say that Versailles is a monument to the pride of Louis XIV. Note also that the Town Hall is a government building, and not a building where commerce takes place -- but since Manchester is a leading commercial city, the Town Hall celebrates the success of the city's businessmen.

Click to expand...

I feel 'cathedral' here seems to lose the meaning 'the main church of a district, under the care of a bishop'. It can refer to a building that has a church style, like the neo-Gothic detail, doesn't it?

ironman2012 said:

I feel 'cathedral' here seems to lose the meaning 'the main church of a district, under the care of a bishop'. It can refer to a building that has a church style, like the neo-Gothic detail, doesn't it?

Click to expand...

Absolutely. As I noted above, the Woolworth Building in New York has had the nickname "the Cathedral of Commerce" almost from the time it was built. (It was completed in 1913, and S. Parkes Cadman published a booklet about it with that title in 1916.) Here are some pictures of the Woolworth Building, so you can see what is meant.
The exterior, taken back when it was the tallest building in the world:

Detail of the top:

The entrance lobby: