14 Wall Street
Encyclopedia
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It occupies the block along Nassau Street
Nassau Street (Manhattan)
Nassau Street is a street in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan, located near Pace University and New York City Hall. It starts at Wall Street and runs north to Frankfort Street at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, lying one block east of Broadway and east of Park Row...
from Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
to Pine Street and is across from the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
and Federal Hall
Federal Hall
Federal Hall, built in 1700 as New York's City Hall, later served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the Constitution, and was the site of George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States. It was also where the United States Bill of...
. The building was the headquarters of Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust was an historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.-History:A consortium of banks created Bankers Trust to perform trust company services for their clients....
.
History
The concept behind the building's design was to place the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus on top of St Mark's CampanileSt Mark's Campanile
St Mark's Campanile is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, located in the Piazza San Marco. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city....
in Venice. Many early skyscrapers took the Venetian bell-tower as a logical model for a modern office tower, but 14 Wall Street was the first to top it off with a temple in the sky, a seven-story stepped pyramid modeled on one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust was an historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.-History:A consortium of banks created Bankers Trust to perform trust company services for their clients....
, for whom the building was constructed, then adopted the pyramid as its trademark, and took as its slogan "A Tower of Strength".
The first stage of construction, 1910–1912, was marked by the demolition of a 20-storey Gillender Building
Gillender Building
The Gillender Building was an early 20-story skyscraper in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It stood on the northwest corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street, on a narrow strip of land along Nassau Street measuring only 26×73 feet...
, claimed to be the first skyscraper demolished to make way for a taller skyscraper. It was completed in 1912
1912 in architecture
The year 1912 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* December 26 - Manchester Opera House, in Manchester, England, opens as the New Theatre, designed by Richardson & Gill with Farquarson.-Awards:...
by Trowbridge & Livingston
Trowbridge & Livingston
Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston ....
and is 539 ft (164 m) tall and contains 37 floors. In its day the world's tallest bank building, the 539-foot-high skyscraper originally housed the headquarters of Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust
Bankers Trust was an historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1998.-History:A consortium of banks created Bankers Trust to perform trust company services for their clients....
, one of the country's wealthiest financial institutions. The bank occupied only the three lower floors; its main operations were housed elsewhere in less expensive offices.
The 31st floor was once an apartment belonging to J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
. The space was converted into an upscale French restaurant called "The 14 Wall Street." However, the restaurant closed in April 2006, following plans in 2004 to convert the entire building from offices into luxury condos. On January 21, 2007, the building's owners, having stalled in their residential conversion plan, agreed to sell the property to Cushman & Wakefield.
International IT services provider, FDM Group
FDM Group
FDM Group is an international IT services company, headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom with offices in London, Manchester, New York, Frankfurt, Zurich, Luxembourg and Hong Kong....
, celebrated the launch of their new residence on the 31st floor of the original Bankers Trust Building in April 2011. FDM has kept many of the original features in J.P. Morgan's former apartment, including the bar, fireplace and decadent wooden flooring.
Instantly a standard-bearer in the downtown skyline, 14 Wall Street went on to become a widely recognised symbol of Wall Street and American capitalism.
External links
- Emporis.com - Building ID 114527
- Designation of 14 Wall Street as a New York City landmarkNew York City Landmarks Preservation CommissionThe New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
, 1997 (detailed history and photographs)