Description
Designed by Trowbridge & Livingston and built in 1913, the building was so well known as the headquarters of J.P. Morgan & Co. – the "House of Morgan" – that it was deemed unnecessary to mark the exterior with the Morgan name. The building is known for its classical architecture and formerly for its well-appointed interior, including a massive crystal chandelier and English oak paneling, but, overall, is more notable for its history than its architecture.
Even though property prices in the area were very high, the Morgan building was purposely designed to be only four stories tall; the contrast to the surrounding high-rises is reinforced by the astylar exterior, rendered as a single high piano nobile over a low basement, with a mezzanine above, and an attic storey above the main cornice. The plain limestone walls are pierced by unadorned windows in deep reveals. The foundations were constructed deep and strong enough in order to support a forty-story tower should the need arise in the future.
Across Broad Street from this building is the New York Stock Exchange, and across Wall Street is Federal Hall. Directly outside are entrances to the Broad Street station (J Z trains) on the BMT Nassau Street Line of the New York City Subway.
Read more about this topic: 23 Wall Street
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