- 20 Exchange Place
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20 Exchange Place 
General information Location New York, New York USA Coordinates 40°42′20″N 74°0′35″W / 40.70556°N 74.00972°WCoordinates: 40°42′20″N 74°0′35″W / 40.70556°N 74.00972°W Construction started 1930 Completed 1931 Height Antenna spire 741 ft (226 m) Technical details Floor count 59 Design and construction Main contractor George A. Fuller Company Architect Cross and Cross References [1][2] 20 Exchange Place is a 59-floor Art Deco building in New York City. Formerly known as the City Bank-Farmers Trust Building, it was built between 1930–1931, for the newly merged National City Bank of New York and the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company, predecessor firms of Citigroup. It remained the company's headquarters until 1956 and was ultimately sold in 1979.
The building was designed by the architectural firm of Cross and Cross. Although Cross and Cross described the building as having no particular architectural style, it was described at the time as being in the style then known as "modern classic", with minimal art deco ornamentation. Originally designed in 1929 to be the world's tallest building at 846.4 feet (258.0 m), with a pyramidal top and a budget of $9,500,000[3], Depression era realities resulted in a scaled back, 741-foot (226 m) tall building, New York City's fourth tallest building at the time. It remained among the top ten tallest buildings in New York until 1970. Today, as the sixth tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and the 27th tallest in New York City, it is still among the most prominent buildings in the city skyline.
In 1996, the building was designated a City Landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. [4] In 2006, the building served as a fictional branch location of the "Manhattan Trust Bank", in the movie, Inside Man, and, in 2009, it served as several different bank locations in the Fringe episode "Safe." The building also makes an appearance in the film Wall Street.
Currently, the 16th through 57th floors of the building are being converted from commercial to residential space by Manhattan developers and real estate managers Metro Loft Management. [5][6][7] As a part of this conversion, the building's exterior is being restored, including cleaning the building's bricks, which had turned black over the years, to their original white color.
Contents
Notable Residents
- Anna Chapman (alleged Russian spy)
See also
- List of tallest buildings in New York City
- Lower Manhattan
- American International Building
- 60 Wall Street
References
- ^ 20 Exchange Place at Emporis
- ^ 20 Exchange Place at SkyscraperPage
- ^ "New Bank Skyscraper Is to Cost $9,500,000". New York Times. 1929-10-03. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B14F73454167A93C1A9178BD95F4D8285F9. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ [1], NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Order
- ^ The Real Deal - New Residential Developments
- ^ MBA Commercial/Multifamily NewsLink - A Publication of the Mortgage Bankers Association
- ^ - Metro Loft Management
External links
Categories:- Skyscrapers in New York City
- Buildings and structures in Manhattan
- Art Deco buildings in New York City
- Buildings and structures completed in 1931
- Landmarks in New York City
- Skyscrapers between 200 and 249 meters
- Residential condominiums in New York City
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