70 Pine Street
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70 Pine Street (formerly known as the 60 Wall Tower, Cities Service Building, and American International Building) is a 67-story, Template:Convert residential skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. Designed by the architectural firm of Clinton & Russell, Holton & George in the Art Deco style, 70 Pine Street was constructed between 1930 and 1932 as an office building. The structure was originally named for the energy conglomerate Cities Service Company (later Citgo), its first tenant. Upon its completion, it was Lower Manhattan's tallest building and, until 1969, the world's third-tallest building.
The building occupies a trapezoidal lot on Pearl Street between Pine and Cedar Streets. It features a brick, limestone, and gneiss facade with numerous setbacks. The building contains an extensive program of ornamentation, including depictions of the Cities Service Company's triangular logo and solar motifs. The interior has an Art Deco lobby and escalators at the lower stories, as well as double-deck elevators linking the floors. A three-story penthouse, intended for Cities Service's founder, Henry Latham Doherty, was instead used as a public observatory.
Construction was funded through a public offering of company shares, rather than a mortgage loan. Despite having been built during the Great Depression, the building was profitable enough to break even by 1936, and ninety percent of its space was occupied five years later. The American International Group (AIG) bought the building in 1976, and it was acquired by another firm in 2009 after AIG went bankrupt. The building and its first-floor interior were designated as official New York City landmarks in June 2011. The structure was converted to residential use in 2016.
Site
70 Pine Street is in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. It sits on a land lot bounded by Pine Street to the south, Pearl Street to the east, and Cedar Street to the north.<ref name="NYCityMap">Template:Cite web</ref> The roughly trapezoidal<ref name="Abramson p. 55">Template:Harvnb</ref> site covers Template:Convert, measuring Template:Convert on Pine and Cedar Streets by Template:Convert on Pearl Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 3">Template:Harvnb</ref> The terrain slopes downward to the east, toward Pearl Street, so that there is an upper lobby (accessed from Pine Street) and a lower lobby (accessed from Pearl Street).<ref name="Abramson p. 55" /><ref name="Gray">Template:Cite news</ref> Neighboring buildings include 56 Pine Street and the Down Town Association building to the northwest; 90–94 Maiden Lane to the north; 48 Wall Street to the southwest; and 60 Wall Street to the south.<ref name="NYCityMap" />
Architecture
70 Pine Street is a 67-story building rising Template:Convert.<ref name="The Skyscraper Center 2016"/><ref name="isbn0-9755654-2-7">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="isbn0-06-052341-7">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn The roof is Template:Convert above ground,<ref name="Stichweh2009">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="The Skyscraper Center 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> while the top story is Template:Convert high.<ref name="The Skyscraper Center 2016" /> The skyscraper has a Gothic-like, spire-topped appearance.<ref name="isbn0-07-141185-2">Template:Cite book</ref> The architectural firm Clinton & Russell, Holton & George designed 70 Pine Street in the Art Deco style;<ref name="Abramson pp. 3–4">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="aia">Template:Cite aia5</ref> the structure was the last large commission by these architects.<ref name="Abramson p. 36">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 4">Template:Harvnb</ref> Of that firm's principals, Thomas J. George was likely the most involved with the design.<ref name="Abramson pp. 3–4" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> James Stewart & Company was the general contractor,<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Taylor Fichter Steel Construction was the structural engineer,<ref name="The Skyscraper Center 2016" /> and John M. Parrish was the project's general superintendent.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The building was constructed as part of an ongoing skyscraper race in New York City,<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4">Template:Harvnb</ref> which resulted in the city having the world's tallest building from 1908 to 1974.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When completed, 70 Pine Street was the third-tallest building in the world, after the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in Midtown Manhattan,<ref name="isbn0-07-141185-2" /><ref name="NYHT-Height-1931" /><ref name="NYCL p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref> holding that rank until 1969.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building surpassed the Manhattan Company's building at 40 Wall Street by Template:Convert to be Lower Manhattan's tallest building.<ref name="NYHT-Height-1931" />
Form
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70 Pine Street features numerous setbacks on its exterior.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="NYHT-Height-1931">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602">Template:Cite book </ref> Though setbacks in New York City skyscrapers were mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution in order to allow light and air to reach the streets below, they later became a defining feature of the Art Deco style.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> To maximize rentable space while complying with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, the setbacks were placed at regular intervals, with the tops of each setback forming a diagonal line.<ref name="Abramson p. 55" /> The setbacks on the north–south and east–west elevations alternate.<ref name="Abramson p. 62">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The building's 11th through 31st floors gradually step back from the base.<ref name="Abramson pp. 55–56">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building's shaft begins above the 32nd floor and rises to the 54th or 56th floor, where the corners of the shaft taper off.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Abramson p. 56">Template:Harvnb</ref> The intermediate levels contain smaller setbacks, which were used as private terraces for the offices on the respective floors.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Abramson pp. 92–93">Template:Harvnb</ref> There were multiple setbacks on each side, so the upper floors contained up to 20 sides.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /> The top stories are one-fourth the size of the lowest stories.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" />
Above the 67th-floor observation deck is the building's spire, which rises Template:Convert and weighs Template:Convert.<ref name="NYT-Mast-1931">Template:Cite news</ref> It is composed of a glass lantern rising Template:Convert and topped by a stainless steel pinnacle extending another Template:Convert.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 111–113">Template:Harvnb</ref> The author Dirk Stichweh characterized the spire as giving the impression of a mountain peak covered with snow.<ref name="Stichweh2009" /> The spire had a beacon, which the publicist Edwin C. Hill described as being "visible for 200 miles at sea and inland",<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Hill p. 13">Template:Harvnb</ref> though the beacon could actually be seen only from Template:Convert away.<ref name="Robins p. 212">Template:Harvnb</ref> W. Parker Chase, writing in 1932, characterized the spire as being "almost sensational in its 'differentnessTemplate:' ".<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Facade
The entrance portals and lower-story windows are lavishly decorated.<ref name="Robins p. 212" /><ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /> The lower stories of the facade are covered with Indiana Limestone,<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /><ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p.">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Abramson p. 111">Template:Harvnb</ref> placed above a water table of Minnesota granite.<ref name="Abramson p. 111" /> Red-and-black Morton Gneiss wraps the ground floor.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The upper stories are clad with four shades of buff-colored brick, which darken toward the building's peak.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /><ref name="Abramson p. 111" /> A parapet with a limestone coping surrounds each coping.<ref name="Abramson p. 111" /> An extensive lighting system, consisting of 400-watt lamps, highlights the building's features at night.<ref name="Abramson p. 113">Template:Harvnb</ref> The presence of the lamps was influenced by Cities Service's role as an energy provider.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /><ref name="Abramson p. 113" /> An early publicist for 70 Pine Street said that Cities Service founder Henry Latham Doherty was personally involved in the structure's design and that "he insisted on dignity with beauty, to the absolute avoidance of the garish, the flamboyant, and the over colorful."<ref name="Hill p. 9">Template:Harvnb</ref> Doherty wanted the building to appear "exclusive, rich, yet simple and even a little severe".<ref name="Abramson p. 111" />
70 Pine Street was one of the first buildings to use aluminum extensively on its facade.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> Cliff Parkhurst<ref group="lower-alpha">Sometimes spelled "Clif"</ref> of the Parkhurst Organization designed the aluminum ornamentation of 70 Pine Street. These ornamental features include reliefs above each set of entrance doors, spandrels with sharp arrises above the lower-story windows, and a ventilation grille on Cedar Street.<ref name="Robins p. 212" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Parkhurst 1932">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The reliefs above the doors are designed with motifs of butterflies and sunflowers, which appear as an abstract pattern from a distance.<ref name="Robins p. 212" /> In addition, there were 6,000 windows, ten million bricks, Template:Convert of marble, and Template:Convert of steel used in 70 Pine Street's construction.<ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /><ref name="NYHT-stats-1932">Template:Cite news</ref> The black and pink marble in the building was transported from Minnesota and Tennessee.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." />
Entrances
70 Pine Street has five entrances.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="Abramson p. 138">Template:Harvnb</ref> Four primary entrances, two on Pine Street and two on Cedar Street, all lead to the main lobby. Another entrance on Pearl Street, which was formerly located under the Third Avenue elevated line, has a simpler design and leads to a lobby on the lower level.<ref name="NYHT-Height-1931" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> All of the streets adjoining the building are narrower than the typical street in Manhattan: Pine Street is Template:Convert wide, while Cedar Street is Template:Convert wide.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 3">Template:Harvnb</ref> Because of the slope of the terrain, the western entrances are at the same level as the street, and the eastern entrances are accessed by short flights of steps rising from the street.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> All four entrances are designed with Art Deco patterns.<ref name="Abramson p. 111" />
The eastern entrances on Pine and Cedar Streets are near the centers of these elevations; they consist of large four-story portals with stepped arches. Each arch is divided by a limestone pillar that contains a freestanding limestone relief of 70 Pine Street.<ref name="Abramson p. 111" /><ref name="Robins p. 22">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The design of these pillars, each Template:Convert tall, may have been influenced by Rene Paul Chambellan.<ref name="NYCL p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn Architectural critic Robert A. M. Stern wrote that 70 Pine Street's reliefs "surveyed the crowds of workers as a carved Madonna would bless the pilgrims of a Gothic cathedral."<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /> There were three metal doors on either side of the pillars.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> Above the doors are four tiers of sash windows; the lowest such tier was originally composed of glass louvers, which reduced wind pressure when the doors were being opened, but these were later replaced with glass panes.<ref name="NYCL p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref> Along the interior reveals of both portal arches are reliefs containing the triangular logo of Cities Service.<ref name="Robins p. 22" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> Inside each entrance were staircases leading to the upper and lower lobbies.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" />
The western entrances on Pine and Cedar Streets are near the western end of the building and are two stories tall. Each portal contains two sets of revolving doors.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" />
Interior
At the time of 70 Pine Street's construction, developers had to consider skyscrapers' profitability in relation to their height. 70 Pine Street was intended to accommodate between 7,000 and 8,000 employees, more than nearly every other skyscraper at the time. The interior spaces were therefore designed with high capacity in mind.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /><ref name="Abramson p. 1562">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Hill p. 17">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building contains Template:Convert of interior space.<ref name="great gridlock">The American International Building, Art Deco Era, part 3, New York Scrapers, greatgridlock.net.</ref> When it opened, there was Template:Convert of gross floor area, of which Template:Convert was available for lease.<ref name="NYHT-stats-1932" /><ref name="NYT-Rented-1932">Template:Cite news</ref> Offices were arranged in a "U" shape,<ref name="Abramson p. 68">Template:Harvnb</ref> wrapping around the mechanical core on the north, east, and south.<ref name="Abramson p. 58">Template:Harvnb</ref> The northern and southern elevations of the facade are staggered because of the setbacks, maximizing natural light in each office.<ref name="Abramson p. 58" />
Lobby
The first-floor lobby is designed in the Art Deco style and is arranged into six hallways.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 139–141">Template:Harvnb</ref> Two of the hallways are Template:Convert long, traveling north to south between the pairs of entrances on Pine and Cedar Streets, while three other hallways are Template:Convert long and travel west to east; there is also a wide central hall. The passages are Template:Convert wide, with the widest section of the lobby near Pine Street, where there is an information booth. The lobby is oriented slightly west, away from the elevated lines that formerly overshadowed Pearl Street, so that the westerly entrances could be located at ground level and so that the skybridge to 60 Wall Street would be possible.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /> The layout of the lobby allowed visitors to pass from Pine to Cedar Street.<ref name="Abramson p. 141">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Inside each entrance are retail spaces that face the first-floor lobby.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="Abramson p. 141" /> Four storefronts were located on the southern portion of the lobby.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /> A 2015 New York Times article noted that, until the early 2000s, these retail spaces contained such stores as "a drugstore, a bookstore, a tobacconist and a telegraph office".<ref name="Higgins 2015">Template:Cite news</ref> There are stairs on the southern portion of the lobby near Pine Street, as well as at the eastern portion near Pearl Street; these stairs ascend to the second floor and descend to the basement lobby.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> There were also escalators between every level from the basement to the sixth floor, near the western entrance on Pine Street.<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /><ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" />
The basement lobby is a simpler version of the first-floor lobby, serving mainly as a boarding area for the lower decks of 70 Pine Street's former double-deck elevators.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /> The upper decks of these elevators were served from the main lobby;<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /><ref name="Robins p. 22" /> the elevators are arranged along the central hall and the northernmost east–west corridor.<ref name="Abramson pp. 139–141" /> The elevator doors are designed with Native American motifs, such as zigzags and sunbursts, along with the Cities Service logo. The elevator frames themselves contain stepped arches.<ref name="Abramson pp. 144–145">Template:Harvnb</ref> One critic said the use of separate elevator lobbies would "cut the possibility of elevator flirtations exactly in half".<ref name="Robins p. 22" />
The lobby is decorated with marble walls, plaster ceilings, and aluminum grilles.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /><ref name="Robins p. 22" /> Despite Doherty's desire for "dignity with beauty", the lobby is highly ornamented with multicolored marbles from Europe,<ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /><ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /><ref name="Hill p. 9" /> including Roman and golden travertine, Belgian Black, Belgian Grand Antique, Champville, Levanto, and Tinos marbles.<ref name="Abramson p. 143">Template:Harvnb</ref> The walls are mostly yellow marble, divided by vertical piers of dark-red marble, while the white and pink marble floor panels are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Large, jagged corbels surround the white plaster ceiling, which has colorful relief bands, which emanate from elements such as the lighting fixtures.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Abramson p. 145">Template:Harvnb</ref> Cliff Parkhurst furnished the elaborate metalwork in the lobby.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 6" /> A writer for The New York Times compared the building's lobby to "something Bernini would have designed if he'd lived to see the Jazz Age."<ref name="crownshyreview">Template:Cite news</ref>
Other interior spaces
The basement contained a bank vault with the most advanced security systems available at that time.<ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /> There was also a 400-seat eatery known as the Tower Restaurant, as well as other businesses such as a barbershop, beautician, chiropodist, florist, manicurist, hat cleaner–shoe shiner, sandwich shop, and photostat store.<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" /> On the fourth floor was a clinic for people who worked in the building.<ref name="Abramson pp. 156–157">Template:Harvnb</ref> One tenant, boxer Artie McGovern, operated an athletic club on the seventh floor, which was reportedly visited by over a thousand men daily and included a gymnasium, handball and squash courts, ping-pong tables, and golf facilities.<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> On the 29th floor, there was a library filled with law books and documents, which was made available only to tenants.<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" /><ref name="NYT-Rented-1932" /><ref name="p99785671">Template:Cite news</ref> This library had 16,000 volumes and was staffed by a librarian with a bar certification.<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" />
Just below the observatory was a conference room with leather paneling.<ref name="Nash 2005">Template:Cite book</ref> The 62nd through 64th floors contained Cities Service's executive offices, which also had exterior terraces.<ref name="Abramson p. 123">Template:Harvnb</ref> Doherty's office on the 61st floor was decorated in light colors and was designed to resemble a living room, with couches, chairs, small tables, and other furniture.<ref name="Abramson p. 124">Template:Harvnb</ref> Cities Service's oval-shaped boardroom occupied almost the entire 64th floor and had leather paneling and high ceilings.<ref name="Abramson p. 127">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Template:As of, the skyscraper has several amenities, including the Elite fitness center operated by New York Sports Club on the lower level, a food market, and several lounges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since its 2015–2016 conversion, 70 Pine Street includes 612 residential apartments.<ref name="extended">Template:Cite web</ref> The residences are arranged as studio apartments or one- or two-bedroom units and are generally outfitted with wooden floors.<ref name="Hylton 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> Another 132 units are run as hotel rooms by Lyric, a startup company funded by Airbnb.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Retail tenants include a gourmet market and a high-end restaurant in the lobby.<ref name="restaurants">Template:Cite news</ref> The building also contains a fitness and recreation center, including a screening room, bowling alley, indoor golf facility, and a game room in the former bank vault in the basement.<ref name="Hylton 2016" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Observation deck
The top three floors were originally slated to contain Doherty's private penthouse apartment.<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="Robins p. 212" /><ref name="Abramson p. 23">Template:Harvnb</ref> The suite included a gym and a squash court, and Doherty's bed was mounted on a motorized platform that could slide out onto the terrace.<ref name="Gray" /> He ultimately never lived in the space.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Abramson p. 23" /><ref name="Gray 2011">Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 1932, the private suite opened to the public as an observation deck,<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which comprised an open-air platform with a Template:Convert enclosed glass solarium on the 66th floor.<ref name="isbn0-06-052341-7" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 147–148">Template:Harvnb</ref> The deck operated from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and charged 50 centsTemplate:Efn-ur for admission, although tenants and Cities Service employees received a 50% discount.<ref name="Abramson p. 148">Template:Harvnb</ref> It was served by a five-passenger elevator that rose through the floor slab and then retracted.<ref name="Nash 2005" /><ref name="Abramson p. 148" /> The glass solarium contained doors at each of the corners, which were chamfered, as well as on the north and south sides; these doors led to one of six terraces with slate tiles.<ref name="Abramson p. 149">Template:Harvnb</ref> Decorations from France, Italy, and Spain adorned the observation deck.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> The deck charged 40 cents for admission in 1939; by comparison, the deck at the Empire State Building cost $1.10 to enter.Template:Efn-ur<ref name="fednyc">Template:Cite fednyc</ref>
During World War II, the attraction was closed to the public because it overlooked the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard, an active military installation.<ref name="Gray 2011" /> Until the 1973 construction of the World Trade Center, it was the highest observation deck of any building in Lower Manhattan.<ref name="isbn0-06-052341-7" /> The deck was permanently closed to the public before 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Afterward, it was used as a private office for AIG's employees.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> In 2019, as part of the building's 2010s conversion into residential apartments, James Kent and Jeff Katz turned the top four stories into the fine-dining restaurant Saga.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Crown Shy, a 120-seat restaurant, opened on the ground floor as well.<ref name="restaurants" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Mechanical features
Elevators
The building has 18 elevators,<ref name="The Skyscraper Center 2016" /> a decrease from the original 24 elevators.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /><ref name="p1114522551">Template:Cite news</ref> These were divided into six banks of four in the first-floor lobby.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" />Template:Efn These originally consisted of eight double-deck elevators, which served alternating floors; six express elevators, which ran nonstop from the lobby to serve the upper floors; eight "local" elevators, which served the lower floors; and two freight elevators, which served all floors.<ref name="NYHT-stats-1932" /> All of the elevators were able to serve approximately 10,000 people every hour.<ref name="NYHT-stats-1932" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 84–86">Template:Harvnb</ref> In an emergency, it was estimated that the elevators, along with the escalators serving the lower floors, could clear the building in 35 minutes.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" /> The elevator doors in the main lobby are ornately designed, resembling those at the Fred F. French Building, 608 Fifth Avenue, and the Chrysler Building. Each elevator has a double-leaf aluminum door with diamond and trefoil patterns cast in one piece.<ref name="Parkhurst 1932" /> The elevator doors in the lobbies contain octagonal relief panels sculpted by Chambellan. These reliefs alternately show a woman with an oil lamp and a man with an electric turbine.<ref name="Higgins 2015" /><ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref> In the 2015–16 renovation, several of the elevator shafts were converted to mailrooms on the lobby floor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="p2398615556">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The central elevator bank also includes a "fake" elevator door in the same art deco design, which leads to the building's fire control room.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Because of the limited lot size of 70 Pine Street and the setbacks that further restrict the size of the upper floors, it would have been unprofitable under normal building practices if the building were taller than 48 stories.<ref name="Abramson p. 55" /><ref name="Gray" /><ref name="Stichweh2009" /> Engineers from Otis Elevator Company told Doherty that double-deck elevators could solve the problem.<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="Stern (1987) p. 602" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As such, the company manufactured eight double-deck elevators,<ref name="HS-Elevators-1938">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="WP-Elevators-1931">Template:Cite news</ref> marking the first installation of Otis double-deck elevators.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /><ref name="p236557327">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The double-deck elevators operated as express elevators, serving the 29th through 60th floors;<ref name="Abramson p. 86">Template:Harvnb</ref> another separate, single-deck elevator served the top six floors.<ref name="Gray" /> The lower deck of each elevator served odd-numbered floors, while the upper deck served even-numbered floors.<ref name="WP-Elevators-1931" /><ref name="p236557327" /><ref name="p1114056041">Template:Cite news</ref> The Cedar Street portion of the first-floor lobby provided access to elevators that served only the building's lower floors, while the Pine Street portion had elevators that served higher floors.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" /> During off-peak hours, only the upper deck of each double-deck elevator was used.<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="Abramson p. 86" />
The Real Estate Record and Guide stated that the double-deck elevators, long anticipated by developers, were "permitted by special provision in the new elevator code".<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Compared to 11 or 14 standard elevators, the double-deck elevators reportedly saved $200,000 in construction costsTemplate:Efn-ur and made available an additional Template:ConvertTemplate:Efn at a time when office space could be rented at an average rate of Template:Convert per year.Template:Efn-ur<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="HS-Elevators-1938" /><ref name="WP-Elevators-1931" /> Columnist Sam Love disagreed, saying that "the odds and the evens in the Cities Service Building will never see each other although they are the nearest neighbors", referring to the floor numbers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The double-deck elevators were removed in 1972 and replaced with single-story cabs.<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 4" /><ref name="Abramson p. 86" /> The double-deck elevators had reportedly been unpopular because the lower lobby entrance was not completed, and a proposed subway entrance was not opened.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Citigroup Center adopted the same idea in the 1970s, becoming possibly the first building in New York City after 70 Pine Street to have double-deck elevators.<ref name="Postal 2016">Template:Cite web</ref>
Other features
On the 16th floor, a sky bridge connected 70 Pine Street with 60 Wall Street.<ref name="NYHT-Height-1931" /><ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 27–28">Template:Harvnb</ref> There was another connection, a tunnel, between the two buildings.<ref name="fednyc" /> The connections enabled 70 Pine Street to initially claim a Wall Street address, which was perceived as more distinguished than a regular address in the Financial District.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /><ref name="Abramson pp. 27–28" /> The bridge was destroyed in 1975, along the original 60 Wall Street, to make way for a larger building on that site. At the time, it was one of a few sky bridges in the city.<ref name="NYTimes-Skywalk-1975">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn In 1979, a replacement bridge was built, connecting the sixth and seventh floors of 70 Pine Street to the seventh and eighth floors of 72 Wall Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 9">Template:Harvnb</ref> A permit to demolish that sky bridge was issued in 2014,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the demolition was completed the next year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
When it opened, 70 Pine Street featured escalators between its first through sixth floors; the escalators operated in the peak direction, running upstairs in the morning and downstairs in the afternoon. The escalators reportedly enabled everyone on the basement through the sixth floor to evacuate within 10 minutes.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="wsj193202252">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time of 70 Pine Street's completion, these stories housed Cities Service's clerical staff, and studies had shown that escalators occupied less space than elevators between these stories.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" /><ref name="Hartford Courant" /> This was one of the first uses of escalators in a major office building.<ref name="Abramson p. 86" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Though the Empire State Building had also included escalators between its lobby and mezzanine, 70 Pine Street was modeled on the layout of a department store, the first office building in New York City to be designed in this manner.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" /> These escalators were hidden behind a false marble wall.<ref name="NYCL (Interior) p. 5" />
The foundation is composed of 49 piers, which are arranged in four rows and descend Template:Convert to the underlying bedrock.<ref name="Abramson p. 75">Template:Harvnb</ref> 70 Pine Street also included a hot-water heating system, which replaced the standard boiler systems used in many contemporary skyscrapers.<ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /><ref name="wsj193202252" /> High-velocity pumps propelled water to radiators beneath the windows in each office. Each radiator contained movable louvers that could control the heat in each office.<ref name="Abramson p. 892">Template:Harvnb</ref> During the winter, a system of chilled water pipes cooled the lowest six stories.<ref name="Abramson p. 892" /> The building also had a "unit ventilating system", which occupied spaces over the radiators and inside the walls, providing ventilation without any dust or noise.<ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /><ref name="wsj193202252" /> Above each radiator were fans, which drew in air from either indoors or outdoors, filtered and warmed the air, and distributed the warm air throughout each office using ceiling ducts.<ref name="Abramson pp. 89–90">Template:Harvnb</ref> This eliminated the need for fan rooms, which typically occupied large amounts of space,<ref name="Abramson pp. 89–90" /> and also allowed tenants to close their windows during the summer, particularly before air conditioning became popular.<ref name="Abramson pp. 91–92">Template:Harvnb</ref> Cities Service installed the unit-ventilating system on the lower part of the building above the fifth floor, and tenants on the upper stories could also install the system in their own offices.<ref name="Abramson p. 90">Template:Harvnb</ref>
History
Henry Latham Doherty had gained his wealth by leading numerous companies in the manufactured gas and electric utility sectors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Abramson pp. 21–22">Template:Harvnb</ref> He formed the Cities Service Company as a utility firm in 1910,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Doherty's business interests grew extensively in subsequent years.<ref name="Hartford Courant">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Robins p. 20">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Abramson pp. 20–21">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the time, his main offices were located at 60 Wall Street (built 1905 and demolished 1975), just south of 70 Pine Street's site, which he had occupied since 1906.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> This structure measured 15 stories high at its front, on Wall Street, and 27 stories high at its rear, on Pine Street.<ref name="Abramson p. 55" />
Development
Planning
Doherty, who already owned several Lower Manhattan properties, purchased 60 Wall Street in December 1924 to expand the structure.<ref name="NYCL p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref> Thomas J. George of Clinton & Russell presented plans in March 1927 for a modern slab-like structure on Wall Street. That October, George modified the plans, which now called for a 60-story structure shaped like a turret.<ref name="Abramson p. 55" /> Doherty formed the Pine Street Realty Company in January 1929,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> having failed to develop "a great business centre" near Battery Park.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Clinton & Russell were hired as architects and proposed two plans for the site: a simple slab rising from the ground and a Gothic Revival design rising 60 floors.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> The New York City Department of Buildings rejected these plans.<ref name="Abramson p. 55" /><ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Robins p. 212" />
The Pine Street Realty Company then started buying land across Pine Street,<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Hill p. 10" /> acquiring twelve buildings in January 1929 to form a plot with Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1111639462">Template:Cite news</ref> The site was in the core of the Financial District, near the Third Avenue elevated line, and was surrounded by shorter buildings.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="Hill p. 10">Template:Harvnb</ref> Another five plots were acquired via lease in November 1929, and the Cities Service Company was in negotiations to acquire the Down Town Association building as well. At the time, the company planned to build between 25 and 50 stories.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two more lots were leased in July 1930.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In total, the Pine Street Realty Company acquired 23 lots, which all contained low-rise three- to five-story masonry buildings, at a total cost of $2 million,Template:Efn-ur relatively cheap for the time.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Abramson p. 25">Template:Harvnb</ref> The economist W. C. Clark investigated the planned Cities Service Building's design and, in October 1929, shared his findings at the Engineers' Club. He found that taller buildings on small lots could be profitable, provided that these included double-deck elevators due to the lot's small size.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result, the proposed Cities Service Building was most economically viable as a 63-story building.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" />
Clinton & Russell, under the leadership of Thomas George, designed the new building in the Art Deco style. This contrasted with the firm's earlier works, which were largely designed in the classical style; the original partners died before 70 Pine Street was constructed.<ref name="Robins p. 212" /> Doherty submitted the building's architectural plans to the Department of Buildings in May 1930. The structure was slated to have 63 stories and cost $7 million.Template:Efn-ur<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYHT-Plans-1930">Template:Cite news</ref> It was one of several buildings that Doherty planned to erect in Lower Manhattan,<ref name="NYHT-Plans-1930" /> though none of the other projects were realized because of a lack of funding following the Great Depression.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> After the building plans were submitted, the height was increased to 66 stories, and a spire was added, increasing the total height to Template:Convert<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> or Template:Convert.<ref name="Robins p. 20" /> The Cities Service Building thus beat the Template:Convert 40 Wall Street to become the tallest building in Manhattan south of 34th Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> August H. Fromm oversaw the building's planning and construction.<ref name="p1282857149">Template:Cite news</ref>
Construction
Construction started in May 1930 and continued for 24 months.<ref name="Abramson p. 74">Template:Harvnb</ref> Demolition of existing buildings and site excavation began almost immediately after the building plans were submitted.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> The western portion of the site was the first to be cleared.<ref name="NYT-Open-date-1932" /> Some Template:Convert of soil were removed from the site, which was excavated to as deep as Template:Convert.<ref name="NYT-Open-date-1932">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p1115124426">Template:Cite news</ref> The foundation took 245,000 worker-hours to complete.<ref name="NYHT-stats-1932" /> Work was complicated by the presence of a holdout tenant, Nik Coutroulas, a cafeteria operator who held a lease on one of the existing buildings and also operated a Lindy's franchise.<ref name="The New York Times 1930" /><ref name="Abramson pp. 25–26">Template:Harvnb</ref> Doherty's company could not reach a lease agreement with Coutroulas prior to the start of work.<ref name="The New York Times 1930">Template:Cite news</ref> After Coutroulas's building was demolished, he sued Doherty for damages, eventually receiving $5,000 in compensation.Template:Efn-ur<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Construction was funded using a then-unconventional method: a public offering of stock. Henry L. Doherty & Co. sold $15.7 millionTemplate:Efn-ur of interest-free shares, which Cities Service described at the time as "financially unique among large New York office buildings".<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Abramson p. 29">Template:Harvnb</ref> The company operated local branch offices in several cities, each of which had to raise a certain amount of money before October 1930. Each office had to meet a different quota: the Spokane, Washington, office had to raise $91,500, while the New York City office was required to raise $3 million.Template:Efn-ur<ref name="Abramson p. 29" /> This avoided the need for the building's owners to obtain a mortgage loan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The project involved large amounts of materials, including 10 million bricks, Template:Convert of cement, and Template:Convert of steel.<ref name="p1115124426" /><ref name="Abramson p. 81">Template:Harvnb</ref> The steel structure was built at an average rate of three floors per week.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="wsj193202252" /> The New York Times reported in April 1931 that the steel had been erected to the 27th floor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By mid-1931, steel frame construction had reached the 59th floor, while the facade had been built up to the 50th floor. At the time, 70 Pine Street's construction employed 600 workers, and the structure had no official name.<ref name="NYHT-Height-1931" /><ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /> Workers had been on the project for 119,000 hours without any major accidents.<ref name="NYT-Terrace-1931" /><ref name="NYHT-stats-1932" /> The spire was installed in October 1931.<ref name="NYT-Mast-1931" /> The sky bridge between 70 Pine Street and 60 Wall Street was completed in February 1932, at which point the building at 70 Pine Street became known as the 60 Wall Tower.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" />
Cities Service ownership
By early 1932, the 60 Wall Tower was completed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The city's Department of Buildings gave the building a temporary occupancy certificate in March 1932, followed by a permanent certificate that August.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The building was dedicated on May 13, 1932, Doherty's 62nd birthday.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The event celebrated Doherty's reinstatement as executive of Cities Service after he took a six-year hiatus from the position due to health problems.<ref name="NYTimes-Moonbeam-1932">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It included a luncheon attended by 200 businessmen; the dedication of Doherty's bronze bust; the spire's floodlighting; and a radio announcement that Doherty made from the spire.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="NYTimes-Moonbeam-1932" /><ref name="Hill p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> Cities Service also issued a pamphlet to advertise its new building.<ref name="Abramson p. 26">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Tenants had started moving into 70 Pine Street before its official dedication.<ref name="NYT-Open-date-1932" /> Upon opening, the second through seventeenth floors were occupied by about 3,000 employees of Cities Service.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The remaining floors were leased to a large range of tenants, including manufacturers, lawyers, accountants, and the Western Union Telegraph Company.<ref name="wsj193202252" /> At the time of the building's opening, its tenants included 31 law firms, 21 investment firms, eight insurance companies, and 18 companies in other industries.<ref name="p1237330042">Template:Cite news</ref> Most tenants on the upper floors were lawyers, who took advantage of the 29th-floor law library.<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" /><ref name="NYT-Rented-1932" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The second and third floors were also occupied by the Emergency Unemployment Relief Committee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, more than 200 people worked for the building itself under the supervision of building manager Edgar J. Smith.<ref name="Abramson pp. 157–158">Template:Harvnb</ref> These included an all-female staff of elevator operators, most of whom were redheads "recruited largely from the ranks of unemployed showgirls".<ref name="Abramson p. 163">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The building was reportedly two-thirds rented by 1933, but it did not reach 90 percent occupancy until 1941.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Later tenants included the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which took space in 70 Pine Street in 1941.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The radio station WGYN also established its studios and transmitter at 70 Pine Street when it was founded in December 1941,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it continued to broadcast from there until May 1950.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cities Service refinanced the building with a $5.3 million,Template:Efn-ur 20-year mortgage loan in March 1950.<ref name="p1327169974">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1950-03-19">Template:Cite news</ref>
One portion of 70 Pine Street was under separate ownership from the rest of the building and could be physically separated if necessary. The estate of aviator Cortlandt F. Bishop, which owned a Template:Convert section of the structure, leased it to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cities Service Company, Sixty Wall Tower Inc. In June 1950, the land under the building was placed for auction by the New York Trust Company on behalf of Bishop's estate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After World War II, Cities Service downsized its Manhattan staff and leased out several lower floors.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Merrill was one such tenant, leasing ten floors in a 1957 transaction<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ultimately moving 3,400 of its 8,600 employees to 70 Pine Street by 1965.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though Cities Service became known as Citgo in 1965, the building retained the "Cities Service Building" name.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
AIG ownership
Citgo announced in November 1973 that it would move its executive headquarters to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and sell off 70 Pine Street and several other buildings in Manhattan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p133735983">Template:Cite news</ref> The move would affect about 250 personnel at 70 Pine Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Citgo subsequently moved to Tulsa in 1975.<ref name="NYTimes-Skywalk-1975" /> The following year, the building was purchased for $15 million by the American International Group (AIG),Template:Efn-ur<ref name="p134071914">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n118217592">Template:Cite news</ref> which wanted to double the amount of space available for its 500 New York City employees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 70 Pine Street was renamed the American International Building, and AIG workers moved into the structure over the next two years. AIG occupied the lowest 26 stories and leased out Template:Convert to other companies, such as law firms, securities firms, and brokerages.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Under AIG's ownership, the lobby was renovated,<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Abramson p. 185">Template:Harvnb</ref> as was the observation deck, which became a private office.<ref name="Abramson p. 185" /> The sky bridge to Wall Street was demolished in 1975 when the previous building at 60 Wall Street was razed.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="NYTimes-Skywalk-1975" /> By the 1990s, the building's tenants also included the Starr Foundation, which had been established by AIG founder Cornelius Vander Starr and paid no rent for its offices.<ref name="nyt-1990-11-25">Template:Cite news</ref> AIG bought the nearby 175 Water Street in 1995 but kept its headquarters at 70 Pine Street.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> AIG refurbished the building's elevators in the late 1990s.<ref name="Gray" /><ref name="p219147198">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Restoration architect HLW International used blueprints from Otis, the original elevators' manufacturer, to redesign the single-deck elevator cabs in the style of the original double-deck cabs.<ref name="p219147198" />
70 Pine Street continued as AIG's world headquarters until the 2008 financial crisis, when the company went bankrupt and received a bailout from the U.S. government.<ref name="ft-2009-06-09">Template:Cite web</ref> To repay the federal government, AIG decided to sell off its assets in March 2009.<ref name="DealBook 2017">Template:Cite web</ref> AIG announced in June 2009 that it had reached an agreement to sell the building<ref name="p410303361">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DealBook 20172">Template:Cite web</ref> and to relocate.<ref name="ft-2009-06-09" /><ref name="U.S. 2009" /> The building was acquired by developer Youngwoo & Associates and the Kumho Investment Bank,<ref name="Rubinstein 2009">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which spent a combined $150 million on 70 Pine Street and 72 Wall Street.<ref name="U.S. 2009">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Grant 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> This amounted to Template:Convert, about 80 percent less than what AIG could have received for the building before the 2008 financial crisis, according to Crain's New York Business.<ref name="p219176015">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Residential and hotel conversion
Youngwoo initially planned to renovate 70 Pine Street's upper stories into condominiums, which would be sold for Template:Convert.<ref name="Arak 200910">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=trd-2009-10-07>Template:Cite web</ref> The lower floors were to be rented to office tenants for Template:Convert, a 25 to 30 percent decline from asking rates before the late-2000s recession.<ref name="Grant 2010" /> Because of an oversupply of office space in Lower Manhattan, few companies were willing to lease the Template:Convert of vacant office space at 70 Pine Street.<ref name="Troianovski 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> Furthermore, a decline in demand for luxury condominiums in Manhattan, spurred by the 2008 recession, prompted Youngwoo to cancel its condo-conversion plan. Kumho Investment Bank then hired Sciame Development to take over the project in 2011.<ref name=trd-2011-12-22>Template:Cite web</ref> That June, Kumho agreed to sell the building to MetroLoft Management.<ref name="Bloomberg 2011">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="p873489043">Template:Cite news</ref> This prompted Sciame to sue Kumho for breach of contract.<ref name=trd-2011-12-22 />
MetroLoft finalized its acquisition in January 2012,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with plans to turn 70 Pine Street into an apartment building or a combined hotel/apartment complex with about 1,000 total units.<ref name="Dailey 201208">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> MetroLoft sold 70 Pine Street to Rose Associates later that year.<ref name=rose_takeover>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Dailey 2012">Template:Cite web</ref> Rose and DTH Capital transformed 70 Pine Street into a mixed-use building featuring luxury rental apartments and a variety of retail and restaurants starting in 2015.<ref name="newplans">Template:Cite web</ref> Leasing of the residential units started in December 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The renovation was completed the next year,<ref name="Warerkar 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> with leasing beginning in February 2016.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> DTH and Rose obtained $375 million in financing from a syndicate led by Brookfield Properties in May 2017.<ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2017">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Voien 2017">Template:Cite web</ref> This was replaced in 2019 with a $386 million mortgage loan from Goldman Sachs.<ref name=trd-2019-09-24>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2019">Template:Cite news</ref>
Unlike the top floors of other converted residential buildings, which were generally turned into penthouse apartments, Rose decided to convert the top floors of 70 Pine Street to amenity areas instead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The ground story and upper floors were originally slated to house restaurants by April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, who withdrew from the project in mid-2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ultimately, James Kent and Jeff Katz's restaurant Crown Shy opened on the ground floor in 2019.<ref name="restaurants" /> Mint House opened a 132-unit hotel for business travelers inside the building in November 2020.<ref name="Net 2021">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Overstory bar opened on the 64th floor in August 2021,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Saga restaurant opened atop the building that month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In early 2024, DTH and Rose refinanced the building with $395 million from Goldman Sachs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Impact
The completed building received an award from the Downtown League in 1932, recognizing it as the best structure completed in the Financial District in the preceding twelve months.<ref name="p1114522551" /><ref name="p131009815">Template:Cite news</ref> It attracted attention from figures such as the photographer Weegee, who, in 1946, took many photographs of the building's tenants and services. According to author Daniel Abramson, Weegee "was fascinated by this city within a city, its swift transportation, its towering height and subterranean depth, its busy thousands of tenants and visitors, and the unobtrusive, night-and-day efficiency of its service staff".<ref name="Abramson p. 1562" /> The skyscraper was featured in pictures of Lower Manhattan, such as A New York Canyon, a 1932 image by W. K. Oltar-Jevsky.<ref name="Abramson p. 172">Template:Harvnb</ref> Other photographs, depicting seaplanes and blimps flying over 70 Pine Street, reinforced the building's association with the Jazz Age.<ref name="Abramson p. 174">Template:Harvnb</ref>
In 1981, architectural critic Paul Goldberger described 70 Pine Street, 1 Wall Street, and several buildings on nearby John Street as "an echo of the jazz age life".<ref name="Goldberger 1981 p.">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Abramson p. 173">Template:Harvnb</ref> Goldberger wrote of the building's spire in 1983: "[T]he lighting is simple and elegant. A lovely translucent glass crown forms the top of the Art Deco setback spire, and at night it glows softly in the midst of the somber financial district."<ref name="nyt-1983-03-04">Template:Cite news</ref> Another New York Times critic, James Vescovi, wrote in 2005 that the lobby was "a paradigm of Art Deco style: sunburst ceilings, filigreed radiator grilles, marble floors in black and earth tones, and elevator doors emblazoned with zigzags and Aztec-like figures."<ref name="nyt-2005-10-23">Template:Cite news</ref> The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered designating 70 Pine Street's exterior and its first-floor interior as city landmarks in March 2011,<ref name="trd-2011-03-28">Template:Cite web</ref> and the building was designated as such on June 21, 2011.<ref name="Newman 2011">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When 70 Pine Street became a New York City landmark, The New York Times wrote: "With its tiered glass lantern and stainless steel spire, it is an icon of the Lower Manhattan skyline."<ref name="Newman 2011" />
See also
- Art Deco architecture of New York City
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
- List of tallest buildings in New York City
- List of tallest buildings in the United States
- List of tallest buildings in the world
References
Notes
Explanatory notes
Inflation figures
Citations
Sources
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite report
- Template:Cite report
- Template:Cite New York Art Deco
External links
Template:American International Group Template:Financial District, Manhattan Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1930s architecture in the United States
- 1932 establishments in New York City
- Art Deco architecture in Manhattan
- Art Deco skyscrapers
- Citgo
- Financial District, Manhattan
- Insurance company headquarters in the United States
- New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
- New York City interior landmarks
- Office buildings completed in 1932
- Residential buildings completed in 1932
- Residential skyscrapers in Manhattan
- Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan