Manhattan Life Insurance Building, Beaux-Arts skyscraper at 64-70 Broadway, US.
The Manhattan Life Insurance Building is a Beaux-Arts skyscraper located on Broadway with 18 stories and a height of 106 meters. Its facade displays classical features with elaborate terra-cotta ornamentation distributed across multiple floors.
The building was constructed in 1894 by architects Kimball & Thompson during a period of rapid commercial expansion in Lower Manhattan's financial district. Its completion marked the city's growing investment in tall office structures for major financial institutions.
The building shows how insurance companies used impressive architecture to display their success and trustworthiness to clients. Its refined exterior details reflect an era when tall office towers became symbols of financial power and permanence in the city.
The building stands on busy Broadway where pedestrians can easily pass by to view its facade from the street. Morning hours offer the best lighting for observing the terra-cotta details and architectural features.
When completed in 1894, this structure became the first building in Manhattan to exceed the 100-meter mark. This achievement made it a notable symbol of the intense competition among developers during that building boom.
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