8 Spruce Street: The Dancing Tower in New York
If you love iconic buildings, don't miss 8 Spruce Street in New York. A masterpiece designed by renowned Canadian architect Frank Gehry.
8 Spruce Street: A Frank Gehry Masterpiece
- Cross the Brooklyn Bridge and look toward the Financial District skyline. You’ll spot an extraordinary building that seems to ripple and sway among its neighbors. This is 8 Spruce Street, formerly known as Beekman Tower.
- This 265 m (869 ft) tower was designed by renowned Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry, who passed away on December 5, 2025, at age 96. Gehry also created the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, and the Luma Tower in Arles. He also designed the playful Dancing House in Prague. The two buildings share a striking visual kinship.
- In New York, you can see another Frank Gehry creation: the Iceberg Building. This striking structure appears suddenly as you walk along the High Line, New York’s elevated park.
Striking Architecture
- 8 Spruce Street was completed in 2010. When it opened in 2011, it was the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. That record has since been surpassed, notably by 432 Park Avenue.
- But height isn’t what makes this tower turn heads. What gives 8 Spruce Street its distinctive appeal is the undulating facade that creates the illusion of waves. The effect is enhanced by reflections that shift depending on where you stand and the sky above.
