2 Federal Reserve Plaza (New York City, New York)

 office building, bank, interesting place, postmodern (architecture)

375-foot, 27-story Postmodern office building completed in 1986. Designed by Philip Johnson, the fortress-like building is clad in brick and limestone. The 45-foot-high ground floor galleria is composed of brick and stone arches that are far recessed beneath the walls of the upper floors. These arches are laterally supported on either side of the lobby by steel columns that are part of the structural system. The main walls are marked by seven enormous rounded columns in the form of turrets around the building's three main facades, each clad in tan brick. Between these turrets are much thinner stone columns either supporting recessed areas or tall metal and glass storefronts that extend out to the outer edges of the turrets.

The corner turrets are lined with three or four small, rectangular, smoked-glass windows, while the turrets in the center of the facades have either three windows (on the south facade) or two windows (on the west facade). The spaces between the turrets are also clad in tan brick, with more rectangular windows, some divided into two panes by metal mullions. The spandrel panels have a more ruddy colored brick. Each turret rises above the roof line where it ends in a crenelated parapet; these turrets echo the castle-like roof line of the Federal Reserve Bank across the street, and provide corner offices on each floor.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which first leased space in the building, and later bought it, is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey, Fairfield County in Connecticut, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The ground floor retail spaces of 2 Federal Reserve Plaza are occupied by Godiva Chocolatier, Cohen's Fashion Optical, and American Greetings stationary/card store.