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History |
National City Bank and the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company were both longstanding New York City institutions, with the former being founded in 1812 and the latter in 1822.[6][77] In subsequent years, other banks began moving to residential buildings on Wall Street and, by the 1820s, financial institutions made up the v... |
Development |
Planning |
In February 1929, Cross & Cross filed plans for a 25-story building for National City Bank at 22 William Street, which would replace the bank's existing building there. The plans called for a structure with setbacks and chamfered corners, but no tower.[81] National City Bank and the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company merg... |
When plans for 20 Exchange Place were announced, several skyscrapers in New York City were competing to be the world's tallest building, including the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and 40 Wall Street, none of which were yet under construction.[9][83][84] 20 Exchange Place was originally among those cont... |
In October 1929, City Bank Farmers Trust filed tentative plans for a structure of either 846.4 or 925 feet (258.0 or 281.9 m),[b] with 75 stories[47][81][c] and a budget of $9.5 million.[87][90][91] This building would have consisted of an 80-by-80-foot (24 by 24 m) tower rising above the 28th floor and tapering at the... |
Construction and opening |
Steel construction started in late February 1930,[48][67] with the first steel column being placed on February 25.[19] The building took twelve months to construct.[94] The Fuller Company, the building's contractor, employed an average of 2,000 workers simultaneously, with up to 3,000 workers on-site at a time.[31][95]... |
The bank had started moving into its quarters by February 20, 1931,[10] and the building opened for City Bank Farmers Trust workers on February 24.[100][101] On opening day, the building had 25,000 visitors;[102] The New York Times stated that about 3,851 people per hour visited the building.[100] The upper floors were... |
Office use |
When the building opened, it had an estimated 6,500 employees.[106] City Bank Farmers Trust occupied almost all of the space on the first through 12th floors, as well as the basement stories.[10][67] The Canadian Bank of Commerce also took some space on the Hanover Street side of the ground level.[38] Other tenants too... |
National City Bank merged with the First National Bank in 1955, becoming First National City Bank.[112][113] Shortly afterward, in March 1958, City Bank Farmers Trust took over the construction of a skyscraper on 399 Park Avenue, which was to contain most of the operations of First National City Bank.[114] City Bank Fa... |
Residential use |
In late 1997, the building was sold to a joint venture between the Witkoff Group and Kamran Hakim. Witkoff and Hakim considered plans to convert 20 Exchange Place into a hotel or a residential building, or retain office uses, before they ultimately decided to renovate the building for $25 million and convert the upper ... |
By 2004, developers Yaron (Ronny) Bruckner and Nathan Berman had bought 20 Exchange Place. They proposed converting the building to nearly entirely residential use, with 250 condominiums in the tower and commercial space at the building's base.[54][121] DTH Capital, a joint venture between the Bruckner family's Eastbri... |
Starting in November 2021, the building's elevators began to break down frequently, particularly eight elevators that served units above the 15th story. As a result, DTH Capital hired elevator mechanics to remain on site at all times and offered rent concessions and hotel rooms to 20 Exchange Place's residents.[43] DTH... |
Critical reception and landmark designations |
At the time of the building's completion, the Times characterized 20 Exchange Place as "magnificent", and other unnamed critics had called it "one of the handsomest buildings" in New York City.[67] In a book published in 1932, W. Parker Chase wrote, "Everything in connection with this monumental building expresses beau... |
In 2014, Christopher Gray of the Times said that "from a distance it appears a straightforward limestone skyscraper. But up close, it is rich with silver nickel moderne-style metalwork, and the interiors are a perplexing mix of staid banker and Art Deco classicism."[133] By contrast, architecture critic Robert A. M. St... |
The building was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as a city landmark in 1996.[3] In 2007, the building was designated as a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District,[135] a National Register of Historic Places district.[4] |
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External links |
21 West Street |
21 West Street, also known as Le Rivage Apartments, is a 33-story building located in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, on Morris Street between West Street and Washington Street. It was built in 1929–1931 as a speculative office tower development in anticipation of an increased demand for off... |
The building has an Art Deco design with many lavish architectural finishes and a series of setbacks which taper toward the top floors. It was designed by Starrett & van Vleck, who at the same time designed the adjacent Downtown Athletic Club. 21 West Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 199... |
Site |
21 West Street is located near the southernmost point of Manhattan Island, closest to its western shore. The building faces West Street to the west, Morris Street to the north, and Washington Street and the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel portal to the east. It is adjacent to the Downtown Athletic Club building at 18–20 West S... |
The building stands on filled land along the shore of the North River (an archaic name for the southernmost portion of the Hudson River). The surrounding neighborhood, the Financial District, was the first part of Manhattan to be developed as part of New Netherland and later New York City; its population growth led cit... |
Architecture |
21 West Street is 31 stories tall.[b] It was designed in the Art Deco style by Starrett & van Vleck, who simultaneously designed the adjacent Downtown Athletic Club building in the same style.[5][6] The two buildings were constructed for different purposes and accordingly have different appearances; namely, the facade ... |
Form and facade |
As mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution, the design of 21 West Street features six setbacks.[15][16] The setbacks create the impression that the building tapers off as it ascends.[14][11] The setbacks are placed on the Washington Street elevation above the 10th and 16th floors; at the northwest and northeast corners ... |
The facade of 21 West Street was designed with molded and oversized brick "to emphasize the structural lines and to enrich the texture of the materials".[4] Red, orange, yellow, and purple brick and terracotta were used.[16][18] The polychrome design was influenced by Harvey Wiley Corbett's plan for the Master Apartmen... |
Arcade |
The building has a ground-story arcade which overhangs much of the Morris Street sidewalk, giving the impression that pedestrians have been transported inside the building.[15][21] The arcade is ten bays wide on Morris Street. Despite its address, 21 West Street's primary entrance is at the center of the Morris Street ... |
The arches of the arcade are mostly laid in stepped brickwork. On the Morris Street elevation, the fifth bay from the east is a square marble-framed arch that leads to the main entrance. The spandrels above the arcade are textured in a chevron (V-shaped) design with tan and purple brick.[11][12] There are numerous sto... |
Upper stories |
21 West Street contains a uniform fenestration pattern in contrast to the Downtown Athletic Club, which has several windowless floors.[14] Above the ground floor, each floor of 21 West Street generally contains two rolled steel windows per bay, with wrap-around windows at the corners, each of these windows having four ... |
The corners of the building were outfitted with windows wrapping around the edge at a 90-degree angle.[4][18] This was a contrast to previous buildings with structural columns at their corners. 21 West Street possibly the first commercial building in the U.S. to have wrap-around corner windows.[4][15][23][d] Prior to t... |
Features |
Having constructed 21 West Street as a speculative development in anticipation of growing demand for office space in lower Manhattan,[6][25] the building's developers aimed to attract potential tenants through the unique design of the structure.[15] When built, 21 West Street included high-speed elevators and other inn... |
Since its conversion to an apartment building, the interior of 21 West Street has included a terrace on the 34th floor, a play area for children, and a fitness room.[27] The rooms were created from former office spaces; for instance, the play area was previously a locker room.[28] |
History |
The construction of 21 West Street occurred when the Financial District was being expanded as a commercial area. The construction of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's elevated railroad lines, and later the New York City Subway, had spurred the relocation of the area's residential population uptown in the late 19... |
The building was owned by the 21 West Street Corporation, which had close ties with the maritime industry along the Hudson River.[25] It was developed by civil engineer Alfred Rheinstein.[27][29] Work began on the structure in 1929,[25] the foundations had been laid by April 1930,[4] and building work was completed in ... |
In 1997, the residential development and management firm, Rose Associates, announced plans to convert 21 West Street into a 293-unit apartment building called Le Rivage. It was to be the firm's first project in 10 years and its first Manhattan project below 8th Street.[35] The building was designated a city landmark by... |
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240 Central Park South |
240 Central Park South is a residential building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Albert Mayer and Julian Whittlesey, it was built between 1939 and 1940 by the J.H. Taylor Construction Company, an enterprise of the Mayer family. 240 Central Park South is designed in a combination of the Art Deco, Mode... |
240 Central Park South faces Central Park to the north, Columbus Circle and Broadway to the west, and 58th Street to the south. The building occupies half of its 1-acre (0.40 ha) land lot, and is largely C-shaped in form. It consists of a 20-story section along Central Park South topped by an 8-story tower, as well as ... |
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