Downtown by Philippe Starck (New York City, New York)

 skyscraper, condominiums, Neoclassical (architecture), 1927_construction

551-foot, 43-story neo-Classical residential building completed in 1927 as an office building. Originally designed by Trowbridge & Livingston for the Equitable Trust Company, it was renovated in 2005 into a residential condominium building by Philippe Starck that also includes the adjacent 23 Wall Street building, and renamed Downtown by Philippe Starck.

Thanks to an agreement with J.P. Morgan, who granted a leasehold on the site to the Equitable Trust Company, the building was designed by the same architects as 23 Wall Street, in a complementary style. Although it is 43 stories tall, as compared to 4 stories, it appears to have been designed almost as an extension of 23 Wall Street. The first three floors continue the design of the basement, main section and attic of 23 Wall; the major difference is that this facade is arranged in seven bays - with the central bay occupied by an entrance and a window somewhat wider than the others. - and the "attic" windows are single, rather than paired, except for the windows at either end which are set in a group of three.

Above the base, the pale grey brick facade is arranged as vertical rows of square-headed windows, an effect created by recessing the windows behind the intervening piers. The windows at either end continue the triple-windows of the lower floors, creating a pavilion effect. There is a series of cornices and setbacks at the uppermost floors. The elevation on Exchange Place is similar to Broad Street, but has eight bays of equal width and no entrance. The building wraps around 23 Wall and has a narrow, 3-bay wide frontage on Wall Street, adjoining 23 Wall on the east, similar to but simpler than the Broad Street and Exchange Place elevations. The top of the building has a tall, black mechanical equipment penthouse.

The structure was later bought and remodeled as the headquarters of the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, a forerunner of J. P. Morgan Chase & Company. In 1957 the building was linked to neighboring 23 Wall Street. With the 2005 renovation and conversion, the building is now fitted with many amenities such as a gym, swimming pool, dance and yoga studio, squash court, bowling alley, business center, movie theater, lounge and an in-house dry cleaning service amongst other things.

starckdowntown.com/