Tower 270
Encyclopedia
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
that developed the atomic bomb during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
During World War II it was a federal office building. The most prominent tenant was the North Atlantic Division
North Atlantic Division
The North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of nine division offices within the Corps. Made up of roughly 3,900 employees in six districts and a Division headquarters, the North Atlantic Division is a major subordinate command and serves to integrate the capabilities of...
of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which had offices on the 18th floor. The office was to coordinate all United States military construction on the Northeast as well as all of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The 370 foot/113 meter tall building was built in 1930 on the site of the former headquarters of Chemical Bank (built in 1907 which in turn had replaced a building built in 1848) by developer Robert E. Dowling at a cost of $2.5 million and was designed by the E.H. Faile & Company.
It has 350785 square feet (32,589 m²) of floor space on a plot with 50 feet (15.2 m) facing Broadway and 242 feet (73.8 m) on Chambers.
Manhattan Project
The building's location gives its name to the Manhattan Project.The initial proposed name for the development of the atomic bomb was "Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials." Fearing the name would draw undue attention General Leslie Groves
Leslie Groves
Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves, Jr. was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. As the son of a United States Army chaplain, Groves lived at a...
changed it to the "Manhattan Engineer District" which was eventually shortened to the Manhattan Project. The name was based on the Corps practice of naming its districts on the basis of it headquarters.
Coordination for the project moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
in 1943, but the name stuck.
Post-War
After the war, the building at the corner of ChambersChambers
Chambers may refer to:Places*In Canada:**Chambers Township, Ontario*In the United States:**Chambers County, Alabama**Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County**Chambers, Nebraska**Chambers Township, Holt County, Nebraska...
and Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
northwest of New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
was acquired by the State of New York for $3.7 million for a state office building.
It became the Arthur Levitt
Arthur Levitt
Arthur Levitt, Jr. was the twenty-fifth and longest-serving Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission from 1993 to 2001. Widely hailed as a champion of the individual investor, he has been criticized for not pushing for tougher accounting rules. Since May 2001 he has been...
State Office Building providing New York City offices for members of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
and New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
. In 2000 it was sold for $33.6 million in a sealed bid transaction that at the time was the highest-valued property sale ever consummated by the State of New York.
It is owned by RAL Companies of Hempstead, New York
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
, of which Robert A. Levine is the principal owner.
Mark Groblewski of RAL was the only civilian given direct access to 270 Broadway, 86 Chambers Street, and 80 Chambers Street to continue construction on this facility, inside fenced in "Ground Zero", in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. 400 union employees worked for the full duration of the 9/11 Disaster Clean-up. Mr. Groblewski also assisted as a "civilian volunteer" assisting and directing heavy duty industrial earth moving equipment to climb the 10 story pile of steel and concrete debris. This facilitated removal of materials during the earliest "rescue", and "recovery" plan at "Ground Zero". See NYPD/FEMA Greenwich Street Log Book Page 17 - Permission given by the OEM Commissioner Odermatt for Mr. Groblewski's unobstructed access to all of "Ground Zero".
Floors 15 to 28 were converted to 39 condominium apartments in 2003 ranging in size from 1,998 to 8117 square feet (754.1 m²). Floors 2 through 7 make up office space and 48 rental apartments are between 8 through 15. The office space has a separate entrance on Chambers Street and is identified as 86 Chambers, there are two residential entrances: one is on Broadway for floors 15 through 28 and the other on Chambers for floors 8 through 15.