108 Leonard, formerly known as 346 Broadway, the New York Life Insurance Company Building, and the Clock Tower Building, is a residential structure in the

Tribeca Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stre ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, United States. Built from 1894 to 1898, the building was constructed for the

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...

Stephen Decatur Hatch Stephen Decatur Hatch (1839–1894) was a prominent late-19th century architect who was responsible for a number of historically or architecturally significant buildings in Manhattan, New York City and elsewhere. He primarily designed commer ...

created the original plans while

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

oversaw the building's completion. The building occupies a

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...

bounded by

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

to the west, Leonard Street to the north, Lafayette Street to the east, and Catherine Lane to the south. It is a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The exterior is largely made of marble, and each

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of the facade is divided vertically into multiple

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

. Although the main entrance is on Leonard Street, the western and eastern ends also contain entrances and are clad with rusticated stone blocks. On the upper stories,

band course A course is a layer of the same unit running horizontally in a wall. It can also be defined as a continuous row of any masonry unit such as bricks, concrete masonry units (CMU), stone, shingles, tiles, etc. Coursed masonry construction arranges u ...

s run horizontally across the facade, and there are arched and rectangular windows. Along Broadway, above the 12th story, is an ornate clock tower, with a mechanically wound clock. A two-story penthouse is placed above the original roof. Inside the building are 152

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

residences. The entrances lead to various lobbies, stairs, and hallways, some of which are elaborately decorated. In addition, there is a banquet hall within a former banking room near Lafayette Street; former executive offices on the lower floors; and residential amenities in the cellar and on the roof. The present building at 346 Broadway was constructed in two phases, replacing a previous structure built in 1870. The eastern section was completed in 1896 as an annex of the previous building, while the western section was built in 1898 to replace the older building entirely. New York Life occupied the rebuilt edifice for three decades, moving to

51 Madison Avenue The New York Life Building is the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company at 51 Madison Avenue in New York City. The building, designed by Cass Gilbert, abuts Madison Square Park in the Rose Hill, Manhattan, Rose Hill and NoMad, Ma ...

in 1928, although the firm continued to own the building until 1945. Clothing firms also rented space in the building during the early 20th century, and 346 Broadway hosted various U.S. federal and

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

government offices from the 1930s to the 1960s. After the

government of New York City The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the ...

acquired the building in 1967, the structure housed the Summons Court and other judicial functions, as well as an art gallery. The

Peebles Corporation Peebles Corporation is a privately held real estate investment and development company. The company was founded by Roy Donahue Peebles in 1983 specializing in residential, hospitality, retail, and mixed-use commercial properties. Developments ...

and

El-Ad Group The El-Ad Group is an Israel-based United States, American real estate development company. The group controls many subsidiaries including Elad Properties, which is based in New York City, Elad Florida and El-Ad Canada, which is based in Toronto, T ...

bought the building for $160 million in 2013 and renovated it for residential use. Following various legal issues, the first condominiums in the building were sold in March 2018.

Site

108 Leonard Street, originally known as the New York Life Building with the address 346 Broadway, is in the

neighborhood of

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

. It occupies a

bounded by

to the west, Leonard Street to the north, Lafayette Street to the east, and Catherine Lane to the south. The

land lot In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in ...

is trapezoidal and covers about . The site is long and narrow, measuring about wide on both Leonard Street to the north and Catherine Lane to the south. However, it only measures wide on Broadway and about wide on Lafayette Street. There are vaults under the sidewalk on Broadway, Catherine Lane, and Leonard Street. Nearby sites include

319 Broadway 319 Broadway, also known as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Home Office, is a five-story office building on the corner of Broadway and Thomas Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is a cast-iron building in ...

to the southwest;

33 Thomas Street 33 Thomas Street (formerly the AT&T Long Lines Building) is a windowless skyscraper in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. The building stands on the east side of Church Street, between Thomas Street and Worth S ...

to the west;

359 Broadway 359 Broadway is a building on the west side of Broadway between Leonard and Franklin Streets in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1852 and was designed by the firm of Field & Correja in the Italianate style. ...

and

361 Broadway Cast Iron House (361 Broadway) at the corner of Franklin Street and Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, formerly known as the James White Building, was built in 1881-82 and was designed by W. Wheeler Smith in the It ...

to the northwest; and the

Jacob K. Javits Federal Building The Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building at 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City houses many federal government agencies. At over 41 stories, it is the tallest federal building in the U ...

to the south. Prior to the development of the current building, the site had been occupied by the

Appleton Building The Appleton Building occupied the front of a small block which was bounded by Broadway, Leonard Street, and Catharine Alley in New York City. It stood on the site of what is now 346 Broadway, was four stories tall, and was constructed entirely o ...

, designed by Frederic Diaper and built from 1838 to 1840. The building housed the

New York Society Library The New York Society Library (NYSL) is the oldest cultural institution in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the New York Society as a subscription library. During the time when New York was the capital of the United States, it was the de ...

until 1856, when publishing firm D. Appleton & Company moved into the space. The D. Appleton structure had burned down in 1867 and was replaced with the first New York Life building on the site, designed by

Griffith Thomas Griffith Thomas (1820—1879) was an American architect. He partnered with his father, Thomas Thomas, at the architecture firm of T. Thomas and Son. Until 1894, the site had also contained a firehouse for Engine 31 of the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

, at 116 Leonard Street, as well as that of the Merchant's Club at 108 Leonard Street.

Architecture

108 Leonard was constructed in two phases. The eastern part of the building was built from 1894 to 1896 and was initially designed by

, who died midway during construction.

oversaw the completion of the eastern section. The western part of the building, including a three-story clock tower, was constructed from 1896 to 1898 and was designed solely by McKim, Mead & White. 108 Leonard occupies its entire block and has a narrow

massing Massing is a term in architecture which refers to the perception of the general shape and form as well as size of a building. Massing in architectural theory Massing refers to the structure in three dimensions (form), not just its outline from ...

. The site slopes downward from west to east, so the building is 12 stories tall at its western end and 13 stories tall at its eastern end.; Including the clock tower, the building has 15 physical above-ground stories; the top three stories are within the clock tower. There are also two below-ground levels: a basement is at the same height as the ground on Lafayette Street, as well as a cellar completely below ground. Mezzanines above the cellar and the 12th story are excluded from the floor count. A two-story

penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

structure was constructed above the 12th story (labeled as floor 14) in the 2010s. The penthouse contains setbacks at both its lower and upper levels. The top of the clock tower is physically equivalent to the 17th story, while the primary roof is above ground. The basement through 17th story are numbered as floors 1 through 19, respectively; floor number 13 is skipped.

Facade

108 Leonard's facade is largely made of white

Tuckahoe marble Tuckahoe marble (also known as Inwood and Westchester marble) is a type of marble found in southern New York state and western Connecticut. Part of the Inwood Formation of the Manhattan Prong, it dates from the Late Cambrian to the Early Ordovici ...

, except the southern elevation, which is made of brick and terracotta. The facade is divided vertically into 26

to the north and south, three bays to the west, and five bays to the east. The northern and southern elevations are flanked by end pavilions measuring three bays wide, and there is also a four-bay-wide entrance pavilion at the center of the northern elevation. There are three residential entrances, one each on Broadway, Leonard Street, and Lafayette Street. In addition, there is a retail entrance on Broadway; entrances to the community facility and banking hall on Lafayette Street; a garage door on Leonard Street; and three service entrances on Catherine Lane. The exterior walls are made of marble, granite, terracotta, and brick, while the windows are generally made of glass and aluminum. Surrounding the entire building at the 13th story (floor 15) are stone parapets, which are decorated with openwork motifs of interlocking circles. In addition, floors 16 and 17 are surrounded by glass-and-aluminum parapets. The roofs contain insulating membranes, which are covered with pavers. There are five skylights on the roof, above unit 14A; the original skylights above the building's emergency stair have been sealed. The primary roof above floor 16 contains dormer structures for elevators, stairs, and mechanical equipment.

Broadway pavilion

The western end of 108 Leonard comprises a pavilion measuring three bays wide on Broadway, Catherine Lane, and Leonard Street. All three elevations of this pavilion are clad with rusticated blocks of marble. The main entrance on Broadway is designed to resemble a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, with double-height pilasters and freestanding columns topped by an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

with a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

. The portico originally contained six freestanding columns that projected from the facade, but these were removed in 1912 at the request of the

. Each of the polished-granite pillars weighed over and measured long by across. The

capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of each column are decorated with rosettes and swags in a modified

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

. Recessed within this main entrance is a double-height curved vestibule, which includes two archways with acanthus and scallop decorations. The archways themselves contain cast-bronze window frames above the doors, while the vestibule's ceiling contains a

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also c ...

with an eagle motif at the center. On either side of the entrance are panels with acanthus motifs. The third story contains round-arched windows, separated by lions' heads and garlands; the corners are decorated with cartouches. A cornice with

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...

s runs above the 3rd story, above which is a bronze railing.

Band course A course is a layer of the same unit running horizontally in a wall. It can also be defined as a continuous row of any masonry unit such as bricks, concrete masonry units (CMU), stone, shingles, tiles, etc. Coursed masonry construction arranges u ...

s run horizontally across the facade above the 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th stories, thereby dividing the facade into alternating sections of one and two stories.; In addition, the windows on the 7th and 10th stories are flanked by panels with acanthus-leaf motifs. At the 11th and 12th stories, the window openings are composed of double-height arches. Above this is a deep cornice with

modillions A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a Cornice (architecture), cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translat ...

. The attic is surrounded by a

with stone eagles at each of its corners, which represent New York Life. This balustrade supports a clock tower that rises another two stories above the main roof (see ).

Lafayette Street pavilion

The eastern end of 108 Leonard comprises a pavilion measuring five bays wide on Lafayette Street and four bays wide on Catherine Lane and Leonard Street. On the eastern elevation, the center bay projects slightly from the facade. At ground level (actually the basement), there is a low archway with two columns on either side. The center windows on the 1st and 2nd stories contain

colonnette A colonnette is a small slender column, usually decorative, which supports a beam or lintel. Colonettes have also been used to refer to a feature of furnishings such as a dressing table and case clock, and even studied by archeologists in Roman ...

s, which divide the archways there into three segments. The other bays each contain one round-arched window on the 1st story and one square-headed window on the 2nd story. There are two windows per bay in the remaining stories; the windows on the 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 12th stories are round-arched, while the other windows are square-headed. Band courses and cornices run horizontally across this pavilion above each of the first four stories and above the 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th stories. As in the Broadway pavilion, there are relief panels between the windows on the 7th and 10th stories. The parapet above the 12th story contains a clock tower with one face, which measures across. The dome of this tower contains a copper roof.

Leonard Street and Catherine Lane

For the most part, the Leonard Street and Catherine Lane elevations are divided into bays with two windows per story.; At the center of the Leonard Street elevation, there is a three-bay-wide entrance pavilion that projects slightly from the facade. At ground level (actually the basement), the main entrance is through a double-height round arch. The doors in this arch are topped by spandrel panels with foliate patterns. The main entrance is flanked by two pairs of two single-story pilasters, one stacked above the other. The bays on each side of the doorways contain round-arched openings. Above the basement, the central bay of the entrance pavilion contains three windows per story, while the other bays contain two windows. The windows on the upper stories are largely similar in design to those on the rest of the facade. 346_Broadway_Aug_2022_56

The remainder of the Leonard Street elevation is divided by band courses at the same levels as on the Lafayette Street pavilion. There are nine bays to the west of the entrance pavilion, excluding the Broadway pavilion. In the western bays, the 1st and 2nd stories contain square-headed windows with composite columns between them. There are seven such bays to the east of the entrance pavilion, excluding the Lafayette Street pavilion. These bays contain double-height archways on the 1st and 2nd stories, since these originally overlooked the general office. The windows on the other stories are separated by flat pilasters; the windows on the 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 12th stories are round-arched, while the other windows are square-headed. Above the 12th story is a balustrade with a parapet. The Catherine Lane elevation is mostly clad in gray brick and terracotta, with the exception of the three westernmost and four easternmost bays, which are respectively part of the Broadway and Lafayette Street pavilions. There are two rectangular windows in each bay, except in the end pavilions. As with the Leonard Street elevation, the central three bays project from the facade. There are nine bays to the west and seven bays to the east, excluding the pavilions on either end. The 11th and 12th stories contain round-arched windows above a cornice with modillions.

Clock tower

Above the 12th story, on the Broadway side of the building, is a clock manufactured by the E. Howard Watch and Clock Company. The base of the clock tower is two stories tall, while the clock tower itself rises another three stories. The clock has four faces, each measuring in diameter and marked with

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

. Each corner of the clock tower was ornamented by a 20-foot-tall column. The clock tower was topped with by a , sculpture made by

Philip Martiny Philip H. Martiny (May 19, 1858 – June 26, 1927) was a French-American sculptor who worked in the Paris atelier of Eugene Dock, where he became foreman before emigrating to New York in 1878—to avoid conscription in the French army, he later ...

, who studied under

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

. The piece consisted of four crouching figures of Atlas, which supported a hollow globe measuring 15 feet wide. A solid sphere measuring wide was placed within the globe to give the impression of solidity. The globe was topped by a eagle. The gigantic statue was removed sometime after 1928 and has been lost ever since. Inside the clock tower, on the 13th story (labeled as floor 17), is a double-height rectangular room with brick walls, four windows, and exposed ceiling beams. A doorway leads from the room to an outdoor terrace. From the 1970s until 2013, this space was occupied by the

Clocktower Gallery Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildin ...

. A metal spiral staircase leads up to the clock's machine room, which is physically on the 15th floor. The machine room is surrounded by the clock's four faces. The machinery in the machine room includes a weight, which descends to strike a bell. The bell was made by the

McShane Bell Foundry The McShane Bell Foundry, located in St. Louis, Missouri, is a maker of church bells founded in 1856. Over the past 150 years, the firm has produced over 300,000 bells. In 2019, the company moved its headquarters from Glen Burnie, near Baltimor ...

. A hammer, powered by a pair of weights, strikes the bell at every hour. The clock was wound using a small hand crank, and it had to be re-wound every seven days. Until the 2010s, this was one of a few remaining mechanically wound clocks in New York City.

Interior

The original building's

structural frame A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

consists of steel beams, which are spanned by

flat arch A jack arch is a structural element in masonry construction that provides support at openings in the masonry. Alternate names are "flat arch" and "straight arch". Unlike regular arches, jack arches are not semicircular in form. Instead, they are ...

es made of terracotta and are covered with a layer of concrete. The western section of the original building is supported by built-up groups of columns, while the eastern section contains circular and rectangular

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

columns. The penthouse contains floor slabs and columns made of

cast-in-place concrete Cast-in-place concrete or Cast-in-situ concrete is a technology of construction of buildings where walls and slabs of the buildings are cast at the site in formwork. This differs from precast concrete technology where slabs are cast elsewhere a ...

. The basement could accommodate a live load of up to , while the upper stories could accommodate live loads of . In addition, the stairs, elevator lobbies, public areas, and mechanical areas of the penthouses can accommodate up to 100 pounds per square foot, while the apartments in the penthouses can hold up to . When the New York Life Building was constructed, each story was laid out around a passageway that ran from west to east, and the office (later residential) space was clustered north and south of this passageway. There are equipment rooms on the cellar, on floor 14, and on the roof above the penthouse (labeled as floor 16).

Lobby, elevators, and stairs

The Leonard Street entrance leads to a double-height lobby. The space contains a

terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bindi ...

floor and marble walls. The north wall of the lobby, on either side of the doorway, contains motifs of triple garlands. The lobby is surrounded by a band with a Greek key motif, placed about halfway up the wall. Above this band, on the eastern and western walls, are two Ionic pilasters, which in turn support a cornice that is decorated with rosettes. These pilasters divide the walls into three panels, each with a bronze frame and bronze centerpiece. The lobby is flanked by a pair of staircases, which rise to the first story (labeled as floor 2). These staircases contain marble balustrades, as well as

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar of a staircase. It can also refer to an upright post that supports and/or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post"). In stairs having str ...

posts with bronze globes at the top and bottom of each stair. There is also a bronze chandelier hanging from the center from the ceiling. In the 2010s, the floors were renovated with wooden planks laid in a

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...

pattern. The basement and first story of the lobby lead to two semicircular elevator banks of similar design. The lower level leads to a semicircular hall that connects with seven elevator cabs, as well as a doorway at the center, flanked by half-columns and pilasters. The coffered ceiling contains lanterns, which hang from rosettes and illuminate the space in front of each elevator door. The upper level is similar, except that the ceiling has a floral molding instead. Hatch's initial plan for a circular stairway, connecting each floor near the center of the elevator lobby, was scrapped when McKim, Mead & White took over the design. The elevators were removed in the 2010s, and the elevator doors were replaced with grilles. Three elevator cores (each with two passenger elevators), as well as a service elevator stopping at all stories, were installed during the 2010s renovation. 108 Leonard contains six emergency exit stairs, one of which is an official New York City landmark. The landmark-protected stairway is made of stone and cast-iron. It is to the west of the elevator hall, rising to the 14th story. The staircase contains marble steps, classical decorations, and a metal railing decorated with acanthus and Greek key designs. The walls of the stairway contain marble paneling on the lowest two stories, while those on the other stories are decorated with marble dadoes.

Banking room and hallway

New York Life MMW monograph 1915 pl 193 (banking room)

The former New York Life banking room, known as the general office, is on the east side of the building, occupying the first and second stories (floors 2 and 3) next to the lobby. The double-height space measures three bays from north-south and six bays from east to west. The general office contains double-height windows facing north and south, as well as freestanding

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

-style columns that are arranged into two groups. Tellers' cages, with screens at their tops, were arranged around the room. The ceiling is painted and contains gilded octagonal coffers, which in turn are separated by a grid of molded bands. The south wall contains a marble safe, which was originally freestanding. The west and east walls each contain three arches. The central arches on either side lead to the hallways on floor 3, and the two outer archways on the eastern wall contains bulls-eye windows. The balcony at floor 3 was part of Hatch's original plan but was removed from McKim, Mead & White's final design; it was added in a later renovation. In the 2010s, the banking room was converted into a banquet hall. An elevator connects both levels of the banking hall. East of the banking room, a narrow flight of stairs leads up from floor 2. The staircase contains a decorative metal railing and leads to floor 3 and the general office's balcony. The hallway on floor 3 contains plaster walls; rectangular doorways with

console bracket In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the st ...

s; a plaster ceiling with panels; and a classically inspired cornice. The ceiling of the hallway includes a plaster relief with New York Life's monogram, as well as

caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; la, cādūceus, from grc-gre, κηρύκειον "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also ...

motifs. There are similar hallways on the upper floors, which contain floors and

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

made of marble, as well as metal decorations.

Executive offices

New York Life MMW monograph 1915 pl 193 (directors room)

The hallway on floor 3 leads to a group of rooms that originally served as executive offices; Hatch may have designed these rooms. These offices were originally decorated with wooden moldings, a pair of

fireplace mantel The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ca ...

s with garlands, and neoclassical doorways, but these were subsequently modified with linoleum floors and fluorescent lights. The ceilings of these rooms contain caduceus motifs and monograms, similar to those in the hallway, while the windows are deeply recessed and rise from the floor. The south wall of the former committee room included an elliptical arch with a tripartite window. The space occupied by these rooms was converted to residential units 3N and 3P in the 2010s. Floor 3 originally had a room for New York Life's board of directors, which was decorated by

Maitland Armstrong David Maitland Armstrong (April 15, 1836Armstrong, Maitland. Margaret Armstrong (Ed.) (1920''Day before Yesterday: Reminiscences of a Varied Life''.New York: Scribner, p. 157.May 26, 1918) was ''Charge d'Affaires'' to the Papal States (1869), Ame ...

. The room was relocated to

in 1928. On the fourth story (floor 5), above the eastern end of the building, was a president's suite designed by McKim, Mead & White. The president's suite had an anteroom with marble paneling, as well as Ionic pilasters that flanked beige-and-black panels on the walls. The anteroom had six doorways, each of which had a marble floor and wooden doors with etched-glass panels. The paneled ceiling was decorated with rosettes and was surrounded by a molding with a doubled Greek-key motif. This room has also been modified with linoleum floors and fluorescent lights. The president's office itself was a rectangular space, with rectangular windows to the east and round-arched windows to the north. The walls were decorated with a dado, Ionic pilasters, and a cornice all made of mahogany. The plaster ceiling had three oval panels and was surrounded by garlands, a Greek key motif, and rosettes. As part of a 2010s renovation, these decorations were relocated to the first story, and the presidents' room was used as a private anteroom for residents. The space occupied by the president's office was converted to residential units 5N and 5P in the 2010s. On the eastern half of the 11th and 12th stories (floors 12 and 14) were the quarters of the Merchants' Club, also designed by Armstrong. The lower story of the club contained a hallway measuring across and high. It was decorated with Greek mosaic tiles; a marble

topped by a light-brown fresco; and a multicolored ceiling. At the far end of the hall was an archway trimmed in brown marble and mahogany, which led to a main dining room. On the right (south) side of the hallway was a reception room; a smoking and reading room; and an office and a cashier's room. All were decorated in leather and contained mahogany furnishings. On the left (north) side of the hallway was a main dining room, decorated in a similar style to the other club rooms. A kitchen and some offices were located on the upper story.

Residences

In the 2010s, the office space was converted to condominiums with between one and four bedrooms. The building has 152 condominiums, which span floors 2 through 16. Originally, the clock tower was supposed to have contained a single penthouse apartment with five bedrooms. Four of the units (PH West, 15A, PH North, and PH East) contain private elevators. Each unit's ceilings range from high; on the three highest stories, the apartments have ceilings measuring up to high. The apartments also have "gallery walls", which can display art, as well as kitchens and bathrooms with marble. The building's condominiums contain wooden floors with oak planks laid in a chevron pattern, and some of the condos contain exterior terraces. There are fireplaces in two of the apartments on floor 3 (within the former executive offices), as well as in 11 penthouse apartments. 108 Leonard also contains several amenities for residents, such as a swimming pool, fitness center, roof deck, and wine cellar. The swimming pool in the cellar measures across; next to it a hot tub, steam room, and men's and women's locker rooms. The cellar also includes a fitness center, a children's playroom, and a residents' a lounge with sitting and pantry areas. The building has two bicycle-storage rooms, with a combined capacity of 76 bikes, as well as two package rooms, one each at the residential lobbies on Leonard Street and Broadway. Underneath the Leonard Street sidewalk are vaults at cellar level, which contain 30 private storage bins for residents. There is also a parking lot within a portion of the basement. The parking lot includes 29 parking spaces (26 for residents and three for visitors), as well as an access driveway from Leonard Street. A private deck for residents is located at floors 16 and 17, above the lower and upper levels of the penthouse, respectively.

History

The

had been chartered in 1841 and was originally located in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...

of lower Manhattan. The firm was originally known as the Nautilus Insurance Company, but it assumed the New York Life name in 1849. Its previous structures in New York City had been clustered around lower Manhattan. By the late 19th century, life insurance companies generally had their own buildings for their offices and branch locations. According to architectural writer Kenneth Gibbs, these buildings allowed each individual company to instill "not only its name but also a favorable impression of its operations" in the general public. This had been a trend since 1870, when the

Equitable Life Insurance Company Equitable Holdings, Inc. (formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, and also known as The Equitable) is an American financial services and insurance company that was founded in 1 ...

completed the first Equitable Life Building in Manhattan's Financial District. Furthermore, life insurance companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries generally built massive buildings to fit their large clerical and records-keeping staff.

New York Life headquarters

Original building

After plans for the Equitable Life Building were announced, New York Life devised plans for its own headquarters in lower Manhattan. In 1868, the company selected a site at 346 Broadway, which had formerly contained publishing firm D. Appleton & Company's headquarters. Following an

architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel o ...

in late 1867, New York Life had hired architect

Griffith Thomas Griffith Thomas (1820—1879) was an American architect. He partnered with his father, Thomas Thomas, at the architecture firm of T. Thomas and Son. The structure was built in either the

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

or the Italianate style. New York Life and Equitable Life competed to develop their respective headquarters; the two firms' structures even opened on the same day, May 1, 1870. The two designs inspired those of other insurance buildings nearby, including the headquarters of Mutual Life,

Metropolitan Life MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

, and Germania Life. The building, with four stories and a raised basement, occupied the western half of the block. The site was irregularly shaped, with a frontage of about on Leonard Street and Catherine Lane. Its marble facade included heavy plate-glass windows and Ionic columns in a manner resembling the

Erechtheion The Erechtheion (latinized as Erechtheum /ɪˈrɛkθiəm, ˌɛrɪkˈθiːəm/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρέχθειον, Greek: Ερέχθειο) or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple-telesterion on the north side of the Acropoli ...

in Athens. The basement had brick-and-stone walls; the site sloped downward to the east, where the basement contained storefronts. The central portion of the building was three stories high (excluding the basement) and was flanked by four-story pavilions at either end. The main entrance on Broadway was through a

, topped by a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

with an eagle. Running west-east across the first floor was a hallway, which was flanked by two large rooms and connected to a stair with an elevator shaft. The old New York Life Building was one of the first buildings in New York City with an elevator. After the building opened,

Henry Fernbach Henry Fernbach (18291883) was an architect in New York City. Born in Breslau in Germany, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1848 or in 1855. Life Fernbach was a Prussian Jew,mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

, which was completed in 1879.

Annex and replacement

New York Life gradually purchased the lots on the eastern portion of the block, extending east to Lafayette Street (then known as Elm Street). By the early 1890s, New York Life had acquired all buildings on the eastern portion of the block. New York Life decided to host a closed design competition, hiring five architects and firms (

George B. Post George Browne Post (December 15, 1837 – November 28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He was recognized as a master of modern American architecture as well as being instrumental in the birth of the skyscra ...

Babb, Cook & Willard Babb, Cook & Willard was a New York City-based architectural firm established in 1884 that designed many important houses and commercial buildings. The principals of the firm were George Fletcher Babb (1836–1915), Walter Cook (1843–1916), ...

, and

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

) to design an annex to the existing building. This annex would be a 12-story structure faced with marble, except on Catherine Lane, where the facade would be made of brick. Each of the competitors would receive $500 for participating. New York Life had prioritized "the largest possible income...consistent with proper light and air" extending east to Lafayette Street (then known as Elm Street). Architects at the time were typically paid a 5 percent commission, but New York Life was reluctant to pay such a high commission. Four of the five competitors agreed not to receive less than a 5 percent commission, but Hatch was content with a 3.5 percent commission. 346_Broadway_Aug_2022_84

The company ultimately decided to hire Hatch to design the annex in August 1893, even though Hatch was less well-known than the other competitors. Plans for the annex were filed in April 1894. The project would also involve masonry contractor L. W. Armstrong, marble contractor Norcross Company, iron contractor Post and McCord, and carpenter E. Hilbrand. Construction commenced in May 1894, but Hatch died three months later, before construction was completed. After Hatch's death, McKim, Mead & White took over the project, designing an annex that extended about west from Elm Street. The annex ultimately cost $1.5 million to construct. The Merchant's Club moved into the top two stories of the annex, which opened in February 1896. The ''

New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

'' wrote that the structure would be "one of the most striking improvements in Broadway" south of Canal Street. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the New York Life Building as being in a "rivalry" with the Central National Bank Building to the south, at Pearl Street and Broadway. During construction of the annex, New York Life decided to replace the original building as well, since the company found that the design of the original structure was dissonant with that of the annex. McKim, Mead & White designed the replacement in the

Italian Renaissance Revival style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

. The replacement structure and its clock tower were designed by

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–1922), which was his final project. Education and early career Henr ...

of McKim, Mead & White, under the supervision of

William Rutherford Mead William Rutherford Mead (August 20, 1846 – June 19, 1928) was an American architect who was the "Center of the Office" of McKim, Mead, and White, a noted Gilded Age architectural firm.Baker, Paul R. ''Stanny'' The firm's other founding pa ...

. In December 1895, McKim, Mead & White filed plans for the structure at a projected cost of $1 million. During the building's construction, falling masonry injured two workers in 1896, and an elevator collapsed and injured six workers in 1897. As part of the project, New York Life wanted to take over Catherine Lane and build vaults underneath it; this was difficult because the alley was city-owned property. In addition, New York Life wanted to build an entrance portico on Broadway, but New York City's commissioner of public works had forbidden the portico's construction. The Merchants' Association moved into the ground floor of the structure in July 1897. McKim, Mead & White completed the replacement building in April 1898.

Early 20th century

New York Life occupied the rebuilt edifice for three decades after the expansions were completed, and the structure became known as the "Temple of Humanity". In the early 1900s, tenants included law firm Sullivan, Goldsmith & Engel; numbering-machine manufacturer Bates Machine Company; and bank Trust Company of the Republic. New York Life bought an adjacent site in 1904, intending to construct a quarters for the company's growing clerical staff. Afterward, the company rented out the newly vacated space at 346 Broadway. Ten people were hurt in 1911 when an elevator in the building fell down eight stories. The next year, the portico in front of the building's Broadway entrance was removed. By the late 1910s, the surrounding area had become a hub for fashion and textile companies. At the time, four stories in the New York Life Building were devoted exclusively to hosiery and underwear firms. ''The New York Times'' wrote in 1923 that knitted-goods firms occupied much of the 9th through 11th floors. By the 1920s, New York Life was undergoing another period of rapid growth, and the company's operations could no longer fit in the 346 Broadway building. As a result, New York Life decided to expand into the upper floors, which were occupied by knitted-goods firms. New York Life announced in late 1923 that many of the tenants' leases would expire over the next two years. All of the building's knitted-goods tenants decided to leave at the same time, erecting a new building directly across Broadway. Even this was not enough for New York Life, which in 1924 announced plans to build a skyscraper uptown at

, on the site of

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. A one-foot-square piece of masonry fell from the building in 1927, although no one was hurt. On November 15, 1928, New York Life transferred 75 million documents representing $6.85 billion in policies to the new building. An additional $675 million in securities was transported to the new structure, protected by 100 armored cars with

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

Private office building

New_York_Life_Insurance_Company_Building_from_east

After New York Life vacated 346 Broadway, the building started to attract clothing firms. Among these companies was A. A. Smith & Son, which had been one of the building's first tenants but had moved out during the 1910s. The building's tenants included three outerwear producers at the end of 1930, and Charles F. Noyes Company took over as the building's leasing agent the same year. Several city government agencies then leased space in the building, including the Department of Water Supply (which leased the basement, 11th, and 12th floors); the

Department of Public Welfare Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

; and the Department of Finance's Emergency Revenue division. Other tenants around this time included the Veterans Voters League. When the New York state government's Mortgage Commission Servicing Corporation leased four floors in 1935, the structure was renamed the Mortgage Commission Servicing Corporation Building. The corporation moved into the building that December and leased two more stories shortly afterward, occupying half of the structure. The building was fully occupied in the early 1940s. The New York branch of the federal government's

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

moved into 346 Broadway in 1942, leasing four floors with an option for four more. The VA expanded its space the next year, and it occupied the entirety of 346 Broadway and the neighboring 350 Broadway by 1944. New York Life sold the building in August 1945 to the City Investing Company, led by Robert Dowling. According to ''The New York Times'', this was the first major sale of a property in New York City after the end of World War II in the Pacific. The building was renovated around 1947, when steam pipes and electric elevators were installed. Charles F. Noyes and the City Investing Company each owned a 50 percent stake in the building until 1948, when Noyes gave his ownership stake to the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation to fund scholarships for college students. The East New York Savings Bank placed a $1 million mortgage loan on the building in 1951, and the VA office in the building was transferred to Philadelphia the same year. The City Investing Company sold 346 Broadway to New York Equities, a syndicate led by David Rapoport, at the beginning of 1952. At the time, the building was valued at $1 million, while the land was worth an additional $1.6 million. During this decade, tenants included the

Office of Price Stabilization An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duti ...

, as well as recruitment offices for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. In addition, the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

opened a recruitment office in the main lobby in 1967.

City government ownership

New_York_Life_Insurance_Company_Building_346_Broadway

In 1967, the New York City government acquired the building and moved several city agencies there. The city's Summons Court, which itself was nicknamed "346", moved into the building. 346 Broadway also hosted some Criminal Court cases during the early 1970s, as well as the Criminal Court's Summons Part office, where residents could file complaints about incidents where the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

declined to make an arrest. The first

alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...

center in New York City opened within the building in 1975. The Clocktower art gallery, operated by the Institute for Art and Urban Resources, had opened by 1973; it occupied an underused space on the 13th floor. The Summons Court was handling one hundred thousand cases annually by the late 1970s, and the building had become dilapidated. According to ''The New York Times'': "The rooms at 346 have not been painted in at least a dozen years, dirt on the windows blocks out the sun and more than half the light fixtures have broken bulbs." The Criminal Court Summons Part was relocated from the building in 1979, at which point between 2.5 million and 3 million summonses were stored in cabinets and drawers across the building. Marvin Schneider and Eric Reiner restored 346 Broadway's clock in 1980. The city government would not let Schneider and Reiner fix the clock without liability insurance, so New York Life donated an insurance policy for the two men. Schneider had never fixed a clock before, but he thought 346 Broadway's broken clock signified "a city that wasn't working". After fixing the clock, Schneider, Reiner, and George Whaley were asked to fix clocks in other city buildings, and they continued to wind 346 Broadway's clock every week. In addition, Schneider began petitioning the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

(LPC) to designate the former New York Life Building as a city landmark. The building was added to the

in 1982. In part due to Schneider's advocacy, the LPC designated the building's exterior and parts of the interior as a landmark on February 12, 1987; the interior-landmark designation covered ten separate parts of the building. City officials and former

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...

prisoners built five courtrooms in the building during the 1980s; the new courtrooms did not include prisoner holding cells, so they were used for

Civil Court Civil law may refer to: * Civil law (common law), the part of law that concerns private citizens and legal persons * Civil law (legal system), or continental law, a legal system originating in continental Europe and based on Roman law ** Private la ...

cases instead of criminal cases. By 1993, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services had restored the ninth floor for the probation department. The old New York Life Building continued to physically deteriorate through the 1990s, as many of the interior spaces had been covered with linoleum, divided by partitions, and marked by graffiti. The city's general services commissioner, William J. Diamond, said that 346 Broadway was one of the few city-owned buildings that could be feasibly converted into a private development. The interior spaces continued to be publicly accessible in the 2000s, although the clock tower was only accessible on Wednesdays. The probation department and summons court remained at the building until the early 2010s.

Residential use

The

, along with its partner

, bought the former New York Life Building from the city for $160 million in 2013; this was part of a $250 million deal that also involved the sale of

49 Chambers 49 Chambers, formerly known as the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building and 51 Chambers Street, is a residential building at 49–51 Chambers Street in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was built between 1909 ...

to the Chetrit Group. The New York City government sold the buildings in an attempt to reduce the amount of office space that it owned. Peebles finalized its acquisition in December 2013; it was the most expensive property to be sold by the New York City government. 346 Broadway was Peebles's first property in New York City. The Clocktower Gallery closed that year. Immediately after buying the building, Peebles and El-Ad announced they would convert the building into luxury residences. As part of the project, the building would contain either 130 or 140 residences.

Planning and legal issues

John H. Beyer of architectural firm

Beyer Blinder Belle Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP (BBB) is an international architecture firm. It is based in New York City and has an additional office in Washington, DC. The firm's name is derived from the three founding partners: John H. Beyer, Ri ...

proposed relocating the building's staircases, adding two penthouses, and removing fire escapes to make way for private balconies. The developers planned to convert the publicly accessible clock tower into a private residence, and they wished to replace the clock's mechanical workings with electric machinery; the developers shut off electricity to the clock in May 2014. The building was originally supposed to contain a hotel, plans for which had been scrapped by July 2014. The development also had to include a community space; by October 2014, local residents were expressing concerns that the developers were trying to downsize the community space. The LPC voted in December 2014 to grant a "certificate of appropriateness" to the clock tower's conversion, despite public opposition to that part of the project. Schneider continued to visit the building every week to wind the clock until March 2015, when the developers stopped granting him access to the clock tower. Negotiations over aspects of the design continued for several months. The city had temporarily leased back some space for the summons court and probation department, but the lease ran only until October 2015. Initially, the city government had intended to relocate the summons court to another building in Tribeca, prompting a lawsuit from local residents and organizations. The probation department relocated from 346 Broadway to the

in January 2014, despite local opposition to that move. The city eventually dropped its original plan to relocate the summons court within Tribeca, and the court remained at 346 Broadway for another year, delaying the residential conversion project. The summons court ultimately moved to the

Municipal Building Municipal Building may refer to the following places: United States Arkansas *Crossett Municipal Building, Crossett, AR, List of RHPs in AR, listed on the NRHP in Arkansas *Municipal Building (El Dorado, Arkansas), El Dorado, AR, List of RHPs in A ...

in early 2015. The developers also faced several legal challenges. In late 2015, political operative Dan Hoeg sued Peebles, claiming that the firm had refused to give him 25 percent of the project's profit. Peebles denied that Hoeg had any equity stake in the building, and he countersued the next year, claiming that Hoeg had lied on his resume. former Peebles executive Daniel Newhouse had also sued Peebles for a stake in 346 Broadway's profits, but Newhouse had withdrawn his suit in 2015. Preservationists sued in the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

, the trial-level court of New York state, to prevent the conversion of the clock tower into a private residence. The Supreme Court revoked the certificate of appropriateness in March 2016, despite the city government's own assertion that the building's owners did not have to maintain the clock. A panel of state judges upheld the Supreme Court's ruling in November 2017. Peebles and El-Ad developers also sued each other the same year, accusing each other of trying to derail the project. If the developers did not sell at least 35 apartments by August 2018, the city could take back ownership of the building. By November 2017, Peebles and El-Ad had resolved their legal disputes.

Renovation and completion

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

gave the owners a $334 million construction loan in January 2016, and Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance placed a $77 million

mezzanine loan In finance, mezzanine capital is any subordinated debt or preferred equity instrument that represents a claim on a company's assets which is senior only to that of the common shares. Mezzanine financings can be structured either as debt (typicall ...

on the project the next month. Architectural firm Howard L. Zimmerman Architects restored the building's facade. The work included cleaning the marble, replacing damaged portions of the roof parapet, and restoring the 7,000-pound sculptural eagles perched on the roof. Afterward, Jeffrey Beers International renovated the building's interior. A residential entrance was built on Leonard Street, and the building was rebranded as 108 Leonard. The building's owners started selling apartments in March 2018, with the cheapest apartments being marketed at $1.5 million. The

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

, the highest court in New York state, reversed the New York Supreme Court's ruling on the clock-tower lawsuit in early 2019, finding that the owners could close the clock tower and convert it into an apartment. The Court of Appeals' ruling effectively ended the legal dispute, prompting several preservationists to express disappointment at the ruling. Later the same year, Peebles and El-Ad refinanced the building with $450 million from Mack Real Estate Credit Strategies. Among the building's early residents were producer Zoe Jackson; music executive

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

; and singer

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

and actress

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

. In early 2022,

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...

and Lionheart Management provided a $229.4 million mortgage loan for the project.

Reception

Architectural critic Francis Swales said that, although the building's facade was composed similarly to nearby loft buildings because of the use of repeating motifs. According to Swales, "The objections are, however, unsatisfactory ..Externally—and internally as far as least as the splendid banking-room and vestibules are concerned—it is the perfection of detail that captures one."

Christopher Gray Christopher Stewart Gray (April 24, 1950 – March 10, 2017) was an American journalist and architectural historian,Schneider, Daniel B (August 27, 2000)"F.Y.I. Hell's Kitchen in the Raw" ''The New York Times''. March 4, 2010. noted for his week ...

of ''The New York Times'' wrote that the general office was "rich and Roman, on a scale of interiors like those at the University and Metropolitan Clubs". When the western part of the building was completed, the ''New-York Tribune'' wrote: "It is a pity that the clock tower which surmounts the building ..should be so high above he range of vision of passers-by in the street." The ''

AIA Guide to New York City The ''AIA Guide to New York City'' by Norval White, Elliot Willensky, and Fran Leadon is an extensive catalogue with descriptions, critique and photographs of significant and noteworthy architecture throughout the five boroughs of New York City. ...

'' characterized the structure's clock as a "wonderful Classical clock overlooking Broadway." There was also some criticism of the building. The writer Eliot Gregory did not like the decorations atop the clock tower, writing that the decorations resembled "a monument in Greenwood (Cemetery), surmounted by a rat trap". When Gray described the rundown building in a ''Times'' article in 1993, he said that the Leonard Street lobby contained "the tackiest fake-veneer candy stand left in the city, complete with Beirut-style rolldown steel gates". Although general services commissioner Kenneth J. Knuckles complained about Gray's article, Knuckles also did not dispute any of the details mentioned in the article.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

* * {{National Register of Historic Places in New York, state=collapsed 1898 establishments in New York City Broadway (Manhattan) Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Commercial buildings completed in 1898 Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States McKim, Mead & White buildings New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan New York City interior landmarks New York Life Insurance Company Office buildings in Manhattan Residential buildings completed in 1898 Residential buildings in Manhattan Tribeca Bank buildings in Manhattan Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City