It is 555 feet (169 m) tall, with 38 stories and 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m2) of floor space. The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column, namely a base, shaft, and capital.
The Equitable Building replaced the Equitable Life Building, the previous headquarters of the Equitable Life Insurance Company, which burned down in 1912. Work on the Equitable Building started in 1913 and was completed in 1915. Upon opening, it was the largest office building in the world by floor area. The Equitable Building hosted a variety of tenants and, by the 1920s, was the most valuable building in New York City. The Equitable Life Insurance Company, the building's namesake, occupied a small portion of the building until it moved out during 1960. The owner as of 2022, Silverstein Properties, purchased the Equitable Building in 1980 and renovated it multiple times.
Upon its completion, the Equitable Building was controversial because of its lack of setbacks, which in turn does not allow sunlight to reach the surrounding ground. This contributed to the adoption of the first modern building and zoning restrictions on vertical structures in Manhattan, the 1916 Zoning Resolution. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1996. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district created in 2007.
Site
The building occupies the entire block bounded by Broadway to the west, Cedar Street to the north, Nassau Street to the east, and Pine Street to the south. The dimensions of the block are irregular. The building has a frontage measuring approximately 167 feet (51 m) on Broadway, 312 feet (95 m) on Cedar Street, 152 feet (46 m) on Nassau Street, and 304 feet (93 m) and on Pine Street. The plot is shaped like a trapezoid, with the Nassau Street and Broadway frontages being almost parallel. The plot covers about 48,000–49,000 square feet (4,500–4,600 m2); according to the New York City Department of City Planning, the building has a lot area of 49,614 square feet (4,609.3 m2). The building is assigned its own ZIP Code, 10271; it was one of 41 buildings in Manhattan that had their own ZIP Codes as of 2019.
There are numerous buildings and structures immediately adjacent to the Equitable Building. Zuccotti Park is located to the northwest, while 140 Broadway is to the north and 28 Liberty Street is to the northeast. Federal Hall National Memorial is to the southeast and 14 Wall Street and the American Surety Building are to the south. Across Broadway to the west and southwest are the Trinity and United States Realty Buildings.
Architecture
The Equitable Building, an early skyscraper, was designed by Ernest R. Graham of D. H. Burnham & Company (later Graham, Anderson, Probst & White), with Peirce Anderson as the architect-in-charge. In contrast to the contemporary Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, Singer Building, and Woolworth Building, the Equitable Building was designed as a bulky mass, rather than a "slender, romantic tower". This was affected by the fact that the other three buildings were corporate symbols from renowned architects, while the Equitable Building was a speculative development whose designer had little experience in New York City. The ultimate design was distinct from corporate structures such as the Met Life Tower or restrained office buildings such as the Flatiron Building,and raised substantial controversy upon its completion.
The articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column, namely a base, shaft, and capital. The exterior is inspired from Greek and Roman architecture. In total, it is 555 feet (169 m) tall when the penthouse's center tower is included; a separate measurement of 545 feet (166 m) is given when measured to the top of the other penthouses, and the height excluding any of the penthouses is 525 feet (160 m).
Form
Although the Equitable Building is 40 stories tall with 555 feet (169 m), this includes two stories in the building's penthouses as well as two "interior stories" that are not visible from the facade. The interior stories are located at the 3rd and 34th floors, and there are three basement levels. The exterior of the building thus consists of 36 stories with a total height of 525 feet (160 m). Originally, the structure was proposed as a 42-story skyscraper, but this was reduced to 36 effective stories to maximize elevator safety and speed, given the assumption that 50,000 people visited the building each day and that there were 48 elevators that could each serve 1,200 people an hour.
The Equitable Building has no setback from the street beyond the depth of the sidewalk. This is because Graham wanted the building to have the latest technological systems, such as elevators, heating, ventilation, and fireproofing, while also maximizing usable office space. Two light courts (recesses), one each to the east and west, bisect the facades above the seventh floor. As a result, the Equitable Building appears in the shape of the letter H when viewed from above. The design of the Equitable Building is similar to that of the now-demolished Hudson Terminal office buildings and the 49 Chambers building. The two-story penthouse is 30 feet (9.1 m) tall; the penthouse roof is 20 feet (6.1 m) tall, but the center tower rises another 10 feet (3.0 m).
Facade
The building's facade is made of brick, granite, and terracotta,and white Yule Marble and iron are also used in the building. The granite, brick, and marble were estimated to be 250,000 short tons (220,000 long tons; 230,000 t). Anderson designed the facade with a base, shaft, and capital, similar to the Broadway–Chambers Building by Cass Gilbert, but with facades on all sides. The building contains eighteen vertical window bays each on the Pine and Cedar Street facades, and seven bays each on the Broadway and Nassau Street facades, three on each wing of the "H". The window bays each consist of two windows on each floor, except the center bay on Broadway and Nassau Street, which includes three windows on the 5th through 7th floors.
The lowest four stories were made of granite, while the 5th through 7th stories have a facade of granite and terracotta. On Broadway and Nassau Street, there are Corinthian-style pilasters, which are 54 feet (16 m) tall and topped by ornamented capitals. Double-height arches with three revolving doors are located at the centers of these facades. Above this is a plaque reading equitable building on the third story, as well as an ornamented terracotta frieze at the fourth story, which is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. The entrances on Cedar Street and Pine Street are more plainly designed with narrower square arches; the doors are located below green marble panels. The remaining windows on the first floor are stainless-steel show windows, which illuminate the commercial spaces inside. Though most of the commercial space is accessed from the lobby, there is also a service entrance and a shop entrance from the Cedar Street side. The window openings on the second, third, fifth, and sixth floors are separated by vertical mullions and horizontal spandrel panels made of green terracotta. Flagpoles hang from the seventh story.
The 8th through 38th stories were made of light gray brick and matching terracotta trim. On the Broadway and Nassau Street facades, the light court divides the primary facades into two wings, each with three window bays. The portions of the facade facing these light courts are faced with brick. Medallions with cornices are located at the corners of the building at the 7th and 31st floors. There is no ornamentation on the 8th through 30th floors, while there are belt courses below the 31st and 32nd floors. The facade between the 32nd and 35th floors is composed of a colonnade with terracotta pilasters between each column of windows, topped by ornamented capitals. The colonnade terminates at the top of the 35th floor, where there is an elaborate cornice. Another belt course separates the 36th and 37th floors, and a cornice is located above the 38th floor.
The top of the building, composed of the penthouse, is faced with brick and terracotta. It contains pilasters similar to the lower sections of the building. The main penthouse, atop the center of the "H", has dimensions of 85 by 120 feet (26 by 37 m). Penthouses are located atop the wings as well.
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