What is the oldest building in New York?
We often talk about New York's newest buildings, but what about the oldest? The answer is more complex than you might think...
New York’s oldest building dates from 1889
- You know the famous New York skyscrapers: the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and One World Trade Center, the city’s tallest tower. But do you know the name of New York’s oldest building?
- The answer: New York’s first building was called The Tower Building. It opened in 1889, the same year as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and stood at 50 Broadway, steps away from the Charging Bull. I speak of it in the past tense because The Tower Building was demolished in 1913.
- Though gone, historians consider it New York’s first building because it was the city’s first structure supported by a steel frame. Yet it was modest by today’s standards: The Tower Building had only 11 stories, compared to the 104 stories of One World Trade Center.
- Another curiosity: the building’s entrance occupied less than 7 m (23 ft) of Broadway frontage. This narrow footprint would have pleased the architects of today’s giant Midtown towers, including 432 Park.
What is the oldest building still standing?
- Since The Tower Building was demolished, what is New York’s oldest building still standing today? It’s the famous Flatiron Building, located at the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, facing Madison Square Park.
- The Flatiron Building opened in 1902 and, despite the massive glass towers that have risen around it, it remains New York’s oldest standing building. For more details about this remarkable structure, read my full article on the Flatiron Building.
The Flatiron Building, shaped like a flat iron! (Photo DR)