Evolution of the Lower Manhattan Skyline

100 years of evolution of the Manhattan FiDi skyline. Read more here: 1. The Equitable Building – Year built: 1915 Its shadow blocked sunlight from so many properties, that the ensuing uproar resulted in the 1916 Building Zone Resolution, which dictated future towers be built with setbacks and stepped façades. 2. 39 Broadway – Year built: 1928 Built on the site formerly occupied by the Alexander Macomb House, which briefly served as the Second Presidential Mansion for the George Washington household in 1790. 3. The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street – Year built: 1930 Part of the three-story penthouse Trump residence was used as a filming location for the 1997 movie The Devil’s Advocate. 4. 70 Pine Street – Year built: 1932 One of the last Art Deco towers to be built in NYC, was the first to employ the innovative double-deck elevator system, of which there are still very few in the world. 5. 28 Liberty – Year built: 1963 Lower Manhattan’s first International Style skyscraper, envisioned by David Rockefeller as a striking contrast to the sea of 19th-century spires dotting the skyline. 6. 55 Water Street – Year built: 1973 The million-square-foot structure is the largest in New York City by floor area, with One World Trade Center as its closest contender. 7. AT&T Long Lines Building at 33 Thomas Street – Year built: 1974 The brutalist building was designed to withstand nuclear fallout, and to make it possible for 1,500 people to survive inside its walls for up to two weeks. 8. Brookfield Place (World Financial Center) – Year built: 1986 Built on landfill consisting mostly of dirt excavated for the construction of World Trade Center. The complex has its own zip code: 10281. 9. 60 Wall Street – Year built: 1989 Bears the world’s tallest roof-mounted solar array – 737 feet above street level – commissioned by Deutsche Bank in 2011. 10. 7 World Trade Center – Year built: 2006 Set the standard for the new World Trade Center master plan. Was the first commercial building in NYC to receive a LEED Certification (Gold). Head over to for more skyline features and all things commercial real estate.