Chase Manhattan Bank Building

The Chase Manhattan Bank Building is a 60-story modern skyscraper in Lower Manhattan featuring a stainless steel facade with dark spandrels below the windows. The tower rises along Nassau Street and contains spacious floor plates designed for offices, with basement levels that include retail spaces, dining facilities, and secure banking operations.

Construction began in 1957 at the direction of David Rockefeller to unite the Chase National Bank and Manhattan Company operations in a single building. This merger brought thousands of employees together and represented a major consolidation of New York's banking institutions during the postwar era.

The plaza features a Japanese rock garden designed by Isamu Noguchi and Jean Dubuffet's monumental sculpture Group of Four Trees. These artworks create a reflective space where visitors can experience public art embedded in the heart of the financial district.

The building provides spacious office floors and modern climate control systems, while basement levels offer retail shops, dining options, and banking facilities accessible to the public. Visitors can explore the surrounding public plaza, which features art installations and multiple seating areas distributed throughout the grounds.

The tower occupies only about 30 percent of its 2.5-acre site, creating an unusually spacious public plaza in Manhattan's densely built financial district. This generous open space design was a deliberate choice by developers to prioritize public access and quality of life in an otherwise crowded urban area.

Location: New York

Inception: 1927

Part of: Queens Plaza Park

GPS coordinates: 40.75000,-73.93630

Latest update: December 11, 2025 11:08