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The Equitable Building is a 36-storey office building built in 1915 at 120 Broadway, New York City, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. It is shaped as the letter H from above. It rises to 538 ft (163m).
With a total floor area of 1,206501 sq feet, it was the largest building by floor area in the world when it was completed. Its construction, while a milestone for architecture, was also not without controversy, and led to zoning restrictions on tall vertical buildings in New York City.
Equitable Building, New York City
Author: Yottabytedev (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Originally, the site of the Equitable Building was intended for a 62 storey tower. Then the Equitable Life Assurance Society bought over the site for its new headquarters. It had intended to put up a 40-storey building, but reduced it by four floors on the advise on its consulting engineers, to make it optimal for its elevators.
When it was being planned, many were opposed to the construction of the Equitable Building, as it would cast a 7-acre shadow on the surrounding streets. This resulted in the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which limited the height of buildings, and required setbacks for new buildings so that sunlight can reach street level.
Skyscrapers such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building have tiered architecture to conform to this requirement. By the 1960's, however, architects responded to this code by building plazas or podiums around the tower blocks, characterised by the World Trade Center.
The Equitable Building is today owned by Silverstein Properties, and houses the offices of the New York State Attorney, among others. It is designated a National Historic Landmark.
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