Equitable Life Building

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The Equitable Life Assurance Building in New York City, built in 1870, and 130 feet high, was the first office building with passenger elevators. The hydraulic elevators were made by Elisha Otis. The building was destroyed by fire in 1912.

The current Equitable Life Assurance Building, designed by Ernest R. Graham & Associates was built on the same plot (120 Broadway) and completed in 1915. Built before the era of zoning restrictions, the 40-story building has a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 30, which made it the largest office building in the world by volume until the construction of the Empire State Building. The massive bulk of the building, and the 7-acre shadow cast by it led to widespread concern and protest, and was a major impetus behind the city's first zoning ordinance in 1916.

[edit] External links

• Equitable Building at New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
• Early Century Buildings
• A View on Cities
• NYC Architecture

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