Equitable Building

[g@tor]

Tried to search a topic of Equitable Building here but got loss. I know it is one of the most blamed buildings in NYC, the reason of 1916 Zonning Law (Code) [BTW how to say more correct: 'Law' or 'Code'?] and so on but I still love it. Guess it is one of the most important landmarks at lower Manhattan, so I'd like to get some info and pics from the insiders ;)

[g@tor]

additional question:
is it clad just in a light brick?

[thomasjfletcher]

Here you'll find some info-
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/LM059.htm

Built between 1912 and 1915 for the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
The building was in fact made to the second plans for a skyscraper to the site: in 1908 Daniel H. Burnham (designer of the Flatiron Building) had designed a 62-storey tower of 323 m, but the project was postponed, and after the old company headquarters had burned down in 1912 -- and steps behind the scenes taken -- eventually, the 166 m tall design by Ernest R. Graham was built.

The neo-Renaissance building occupies the whole block, and rising in two masses above the base and connected by a wing for the building's whole height, forms a giant letter "H" when viewed from above.

The height of the building was decided upon after consulting with elevator engineer Charles Knox, who determined the optimum number of floors for effective elevator service in the building. This resulted in reducing the number of floors from the originally planned over 40 to 36. This was one of the first buildings where the number of floors in a skyscraper was determined by such calculations.

At the time of its completion, the building caused resentment due to its massive scale (housing over 111,000 m² of office space, a FAR equivalent of 30!), and for blocking sunlight from the street. The outrage subsequently led to the restriction of continuous vertical growth of tall buildings by the introduction of the 1916 zoning regulations by city authorities. An indication of the bulk of the building was the fact that it remained the largest office building (by internal volume) in the world until the Empire State Building of 1931.

The through-block entrance lobby has a pink marble floor, sandy-coloured marble walls and a vaulted, coffered ceiling. The building with its 5,000 windows once housed the exclusive Bankers Club on its top three floors.

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/059-equitabl2.jpg

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/059-120bway.jpg

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/059-equitable.jpg

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/059A.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

It's also known as 120 Broadway. (A Silverstein Property).

[g@tor]

2 thomasjfletcher Thanks! Picture #3 is way interesting! I most like old pictures like that one. It's strange, but in different sources the building has different numbers of storeys, from 38 to 41. Which number is actual?

[thomasjfletcher]

g@tor---
in reply to the earlier question, I'm guessing this building is clad in limestone. And as to the number of floors, I found this quote-

"The Equitable Building is most important for the zoning law that resulted from its construction. Built for Equitable Life Insurance, the building is forty-one stories high with no setbacks. As a result, the building has 1,200,000 square feet of space, or 30 times its plot size! "
source unknown unfortunately

It's a big one!
cheers
Tom

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/Pict0202.jpg

[g@tor]

Wow! Unusual view. Thanks, Tom!
I guess, misleads with number of floors can be because of a penthouse on the roof, yes?

[Bob]

Always liked this building. Question, though: is it still used by "Equitable"? I recall there is a skyscraper uptown that was built in the early 80s and labeled, "Equitable."

[Derek2k3]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4680712139_146201a826_b.jpg
newhannibal112 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanbudhu/4680712139/sizes/l/)

[Bob]

This building is fantastic. Superior to that other "Equitable" building in midtown.