Continental Bank Building

Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

40°42′21.99″N 74°0′41.56″W / 40.7061083°N 74.0115444°W / 40.7061083; -74.0115444Construction started1931OpenedAugust 27, 1932Cost$20 millionHeight564 feet (172 m)Technical detailsFloor count48Floor area300,000 square feet (28,000 m²)Design and constructionArchitect(s)Morris, O’Connor; Cross and Cross

The Continental Bank Building is a 50-story skyscraper at 30 Broad Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It was completed in 1932 in the Art Deco style.^[1] It is next to the New York Stock Exchange Building.^[2]

History

Origins

In 1929, a new 50-story building was announced at 30 Broad Street (location of the former 15-story Johnston Building) to house the Continental Bank and Trust Company and various brokers.^[2] The site extends along Broad Street at 87 feet 7 inches (26.70 m), the length of Exchange Place runs 149 feet 8.5 inches (45.631 m) from New Street, and runs 88 feet (27 m) along New Street. The building site was once owned by the Dutch Reformed Church which had erected the city's second almshouse on the site before 1659.^{[citation needed]}

Architecture and construction

The estimated cost of the new building was $20 million. The project was the largest single cooperative building venture undertaken to that time. Cross and Cross were announced as the building's planners. An "unusual" feature of the building was a sub-basement clearing house where owner-tenants each have floor space and can transact business with other owner-tenants in the building by a system of pneumatic tubes to exchange receipts. Architects Morris and O’Connor completed drawings for the building in 1931.

The demolition of the Johnston building was planned from May 5 to July 13. The 15-story structure had exterior masonry that bore walls composed of granite (some pieces weighing as much as 10 tons) that were up to three feet thick at the lower walls. The exterior was ashlar granite while the interior was common brick backup laid in cement mortar. Its steel internal skeleton was only designed to carry the floor loads, because the exterior was self-supporting.

Opening and owners

The building opened for occupancy on April 27, 1932. The commercial real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield established a branch office here in 1932.^[3] The City Investing Company bought the building in 1943.^[2]

Architecture

The building was designed as a skyscraper rising 48 stories, 564 feet (172 m) above street level with a "simple" architecture. According to the architects, the structure is designed to express straightforward business of the highest class without excessive ornamentation. The first three stories of the façade are clad in limestone with the remainder made up of light-colored brick and dark brick at the spandrels. The building footprint rises from street level to the 20th floor, where the first setback is made; another setback exists at the 23rd floor. The building tower then rises from the 24th to 48th floors. The top of the building is flat (having no ornament).

The building's lobby runs through from Broad Street to New Street with two elevator banks which serve the building, one set from the lobby to the 20th floor and the other from the lobby to floors 21 through 47. The 48th floor is accessed by stairs from floor 47. Total rentable space is announced as 300,000 square feet (28,000 m²).

The building columns sit on new footings which rest upon rocks. The average depth of the new foundations is 46 feet (14 m) below Broad Street. However, the Broad Street side of the building rests on existing caissons. An adjoining structure along the southern property line required triple cantilever plate girders to provide headroom for the elevator doors. There are three floors below ground. The total building weight is estimated at 55,000 tons (7,000 tons of steel).

In popular culture

30 Broad Street appears as the "Larrabee Building" in the original 1954 version of the movie Sabrina, as the headquarters of the family business empire. Its address is prominent in a scene late in the movie with Audrey Hepburn standing on the sidewalk outside its entrance.^[4] The building and Broad Street are also seen in an early scene when William Holden parks his car out front.

The building is also used as a location in the opening scene of the 1954 film Executive Suite, also starring William Holden.^{[citation needed]} A businessman walks out of the building, looks up and down Broad Street for a taxi, then succumbs to a heart attack, setting the movie's plot into motion.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Continental Bank Building.

^ "Old Realty Records on Broad Street; Continental Bank Site Once Owned by Dutch Church – Almshouse There in 1659". The New York Times. October 25, 1931.
^ ^a ^b ^c "City Investing Co. Buys Skyscraper in Broad St". The New York Times. May 20, 1943.
^ "Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.". International Directory of Company Histories. 2007. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ "Sabrina 1954 film locations". The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.

Financial District

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

West of Broadway/ State Street	1 Broadway 21 West Street 65 Broadway 90 West Street 88 Greenwich Street 94 Greenwich Street 125 Greenwich Street 130 Cedar Street 195 Broadway American Stock Exchange Building Barclay–Vesey Building Bowling Green Offices Building Castle Clinton City Pier A Cunard Building Downtown Athletic Club Empire Building James Watson House New York County Lawyers' Association Building Old New York Evening Post Building Robert and Anne Dickey House St. George's Syrian Catholic Church St. Paul's Chapel St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church Transportation Building Trinity and United States Realty Buildings Trinity Church Trinity Court Building Whitehall Building World Trade Center One 2 3 4 7 Perelman Performing Arts Center St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Vehicular Security Center Westfield Mall
East of Broadway/ State Street	1 Hanover Square 1 New York Plaza 1 Wall Street 1 Wall Street Court 1 William Street 2 Broadway 2 New York Plaza 5 Beekman Street 14 Wall Street 15 Broad Street 15 William 17 State Street 20 Exchange Place 23 Wall Street 25 Water Street 26 Broadway 28 Liberty Street 32 Old Slip 37 Wall Street 40 Wall Street 45 Broad Street 48 Wall Street 52 Broadway 55 Wall Street 55 Water Street 56 Beaver Street (Delmonico's) 56 Pine Street 60 Wall Street 63 Wall Street 63 Nassau Street 70 Pine Street 75 Wall Street 90–94 Maiden Lane 116 John Street 120 Wall Street 130 William 140 Broadway 150 Nassau Street 161 Maiden Lane 170–176 John Street 250 Water Street Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House American Bank Note Company Building American Surety Building Bennett Building Broad Exchange Building Chamber of Commerce Building Continental Bank Building Continental Center Corbin Building Down Town Association Equitable Building Excelsior Power Company Building Federal Hall National Memorial Federal Reserve Bank of New York Building Fraunces Tavern Home Insurance Plaza John Street Methodist Church Keuffel & Esser Company Building Lee, Higginson & Company Bank Building Liberty Tower Morse Building New York City Police Museum New York Stock Exchange Building New York Times Building Park Row Building Potter Building
Former buildings	7 WTC Alexander Macomb House Astor House Barnum's American Museum Blair Building City Hotel City Investing Building Equitable Life Building Gillender Building Gilsey Building Government House Hanover National Building Howard Hotel Kemble Building Knickerbocker Trust Company Building Manhattan Life Insurance Building Mills Building Mortimer Building New York Produce Exchange New York Tribune Building New York World Building Pearl Street Station St. Paul Building Singer Building Stadt Huys Tontine Coffee House Tower Building Western Union Telegraph Building World Trade Center

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