| Equitable Life Assurance Building | |
|---|---|
| Equitable Life Assurance Building 1870.jpg circa 1890 |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 120 Broadway New York City, New York United States |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1868 |
| Completed | 1870 |
| Destroyed | 1912 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Arthur Gilman Edward H. Kendall |
| Structural engineer | George B. Post |
| References | |
| [1] | |
The Equitable Life Assurance Building was completed in 1870 at 120 Broadway in New York City and was the first office building to feature passenger elevators. At a then-record 130 feet (40 m), it is considered by some the world's first skyscraper.[2][3] The architects were Arthur Gilman and Edward H. Kendall, with George B. Post as a consulting engineer and hydraulic elevators made by the Elisha Otis company. The building was destroyed by a fire on January 9, 1912.[4]
The present Equitable Building was completed in 1915 on the same plot, and was designed by Ernest R. Graham & Associates. The massive bulk of the newer building was a major impetus behind the city's 1916 Zoning Resolution.[5]