Manhattan is the oldest borough in New York City, and it’s where some of the city’s first skyscrapers were built. One such building, the Equitable Life Building, began construction in 1868. It served for a long time as the headquarters for a major American life insurance company. It was the first skyscraper in New York to house offices and was built using the latest fire safety technology of the mid-19th century. The building was also the very first in New York City to have an elevator.
Building Innovations of the Late 19th Century in New York
Construction on the Equitable Life Building started in 1868. The original plan called for two underground floors and seven floors above ground. The design didn’t account for the attic or mansard roof above the top floor, which was effectively an eighth story. The final building was also slightly shorter than planned. The blueprint called for a height of 43 meters (141 feet), but the finished building stood at 40 meters (131 feet).
The Equitable Life Building was constructed with terracotta brick, dark granite, and iron. The upper floors were clad in a lighter granite. The building also used innovative 19th-century fireproof technologies. In addition, it was equipped with elevators and full electric lighting. The 19th-century Equitable Life Building became the precursor to all the skyscrapers built in New York at the beginning of the 20th century.
What Was New York’s First Tall Office Building Like?
Construction of the Equitable Life Building was completed in 1870. The basement floors and the first floor were rented by American banks, and the floors in the lobby and banking halls were made of marble.
The top six floors housed various company offices. The main feature of this 19th-century office high-rise was that it had one of the largest meeting rooms in the world. The spacious, domed hall was designed for office meetings and measured 11 meters (36 feet) by 30 meters (98 feet). The meeting room featured beautiful marble Corinthian columns.
To let more daylight into the building, skylights were installed in the ceiling. The second floor was entirely covered with marble tables where up to 150 employees could work. This floor housed the office for the American life insurance company. The second and third floors were connected by a spiral staircase.
In 1885, the office skyscraper was expanded. Its height increased from 40 to 47 meters (131 to 154 feet), adding another floor. The building’s lobby was also significantly expanded to include an arcade measuring 30 meters (98 feet) long and 13 meters (42 feet) wide. The arcade housed various small shops, restaurants, barbershops, and post offices. It also featured mosaic art and skylight windows, a work of art that was considered a true marvel.
After the renovation, offices were located on the fourth through sixth floors. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the building had about 50 offices, all of which were legal firms.
The seventh floor had apartments for staff who maintained the building. Soon after, offices were added to the seventh and eighth floors as well. The high-rise also had three dining rooms.
The Equitable Life Building was New York’s first innovative office skyscraper. But it only lasted a little over 40 years. Despite the innovative fireproof technologies used in its construction, the Equitable Life Building burned down in 1912, taking the lives of six employees. The building was completely demolished and replaced with a new, more modern structure.
