2 Broadway
Coordinates: 40°42′17″N 74°00′48″W / 40.7046°N 74.0133°W
2 Broadway | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Office |
Architectural style | International |
Address | 2-8 Broadway |
Town or city | Financial District, Manhattan, New York City, New York |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 40°42′17″N 74°00′48″W / 40.7046°N 74.0133°W |
Construction started | 1958 |
Completed | 1959 |
Renovated | 1999 |
Height | 421 feet (128 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 32 |
Design and construction | |
Architecture firm | Emery Roth & Sons |
Renovating team | |
Renovating firm | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
References | |
[1] |
2 Broadway is an office building at the south end of Broadway, near Bowling Green Park in New York City. 2 Broadway was built on the site of the Produce Exchange Building, and now houses the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Description and history[edit]
The Produce Exchange was a representative structure of brick with terracotta decorations. Its grand skylighted hall, based on French retail structures, cast daylight into the lower floors. Its architect was George B. Post, who built it from 1881–84.
The Produce Exchange Building was demolished in 1957 and replaced by a 32-story tower constructed in 1958-1959. The developer, Uris Buildings Corporation, first preferred a design by William Lescaze with Kahn & Jacobs, which featured a tower slab set at right angles to Broadway. However, ultimately Emery Roth & Sons was given the contract, which saw a radically different design which would fill most of the lot, with the building rising in triple setbacks. The facade is now covered in blue-green tinted glass.[2]
In the 1990s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was vacating its headquarters at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The MTA rented space in 2 Broadway where it moved some of its operations.[3][4] In 1995, Tamir Sapir, a Russian immigrant and cab driver turned real-estate investor, bought 2 Broadway for $20 million, with the MTA as the only tenant in the building. The MTA signed a 49-year lease in July 1998, shortly after selling its New York Coliseum. Shortly after, Sapir and the MTA agreed to conduct $39 million worth of renovations to 2 Broadway. However, the renovations had become delayed and over budget, and Sapir and the MTA became involved in numerous lawsuits and countersuits. By 2000, the renovations were expected to cost $135 million.[5] By 2003, the cost of the renovations had risen to $435 million. Part of the budget increase was attributed to corruption by contractors who were renovating the buildings.[6] One such contractor was later ordered to pay restitution to the MTA for corruption.[7]
In popular culture[edit]
- 2 Broadway features prominently throughout the American comedy-drama film The Apartment (1960), produced and directed by Billy Wilder, as the building in which the characters played by stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray work.
- The building was a filming location in the thriller Mirage (1965), with Gregory Peck and Diane Baker.
- The Produce Exchange Building can be briefly seen in the silent movie Speedy (1928), with Harold Lloyd.
References[edit]
- ^ "2 Broadway". Emporis. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ "2 Broadway". Nyc-architecture.com.
- ^ "Saying Farewell to an Old Friend". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 26, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ Spellen, Suzanne (January 16, 2013). "Building of the Day: 370 Jay Street". Brownstoner. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ Bagli, Charles V. (2000-08-09). "Brass Knuckles Over 2 Broadway; M.T.A. and Landlord Are Fighting It Out Over Rent and Renovations". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- ^ "BUILDING BLOCKHEADS – MTA'S HQ RENOVATION $300M OVER BUDGET". New York Post. 2003-05-05. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- ^ "MTA Gets $6.5 M. for 2 Broadway Mess". Observer. March 13, 2007. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
External links[edit]
- Media related to 2 Broadway at Wikimedia Commons
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