55 Water Street
Encyclopedia
55 Water Street is a 687ft (209m) tall skyscraper
in Lower Manhattan
, New York City
. It was completed in 1972 and has 53 floors. Emery Roth & Sons designed the building, which is tied with 277 Park Avenue
as the 40th tallest building in New York City. When it was completed it was the largest office building in the world, and is still the largest in New York by floor area. The Willis Tower in Chicago
is the only building in the United States
with a bigger floor area. In an arrangement with the Office of Lower Manhattan Development, it was built on a superblock created from four adjoining city blocks. The Whitney Museum of American Art
established a branch museum in the building. Space is rented for a token fee and the operating cost are being paid for by several Wall Street
corporations. On the north side of the tower is a 15-story wing with a sloping facade and terraces facing the river. In front of the wing is an elevated plaza, known as the Elevated Acre, which is reachable by a high escalator ride. The 4,800 m² plaza was designed by M. Paul Friedberg
& Assocs., and has same red brick tiles as his Jeannette Park to the south of the tower. The building, its plazas and Jeannette Park have been renovated and redesigned by Lee S Jablin
, Harman Jablin Architects. It was originally planned as a series of high-level public spaces along East River, to be connected with walkways running above the street level.
It was the last major building built by Uris Brothers.
It is the headquarters of EmblemHealth. HIP Health Plan of New York, which became a part of EmblemHealth, moved there with 2,000 employees in October 2004. It was the largest corporate relocation in downtown Manhattan following the September 11 attacks.
Standard & Poor's
, a rating agency company, also is headquartered here.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was completed in 1972 and has 53 floors. Emery Roth & Sons designed the building, which is tied with 277 Park Avenue
277 Park Avenue
277 Park Avenue is an office building in New York City and is the current home of the JPMorgan Chase's Investment Banking Division. JP Morgan's takeover of Bear Stearns in 2008 will mean most employees will be moved to 383 Madison Avenue to reduce the leased real estate footprint in Midtown...
as the 40th tallest building in New York City. When it was completed it was the largest office building in the world, and is still the largest in New York by floor area. The Willis Tower in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
is the only building in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a bigger floor area. In an arrangement with the Office of Lower Manhattan Development, it was built on a superblock created from four adjoining city blocks. The Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
established a branch museum in the building. Space is rented for a token fee and the operating cost are being paid for by several Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
corporations. On the north side of the tower is a 15-story wing with a sloping facade and terraces facing the river. In front of the wing is an elevated plaza, known as the Elevated Acre, which is reachable by a high escalator ride. The 4,800 m² plaza was designed by M. Paul Friedberg
M. Paul Friedberg
-Biography:M. Paul Friedberg was born in New York City where he attended Cornell University. In 1954 he emerged with a Bachelor of Science degree. He said that "after navigating four socially active years the reality of growing up set in." He said that his largest influence for pursuing landscape...
& Assocs., and has same red brick tiles as his Jeannette Park to the south of the tower. The building, its plazas and Jeannette Park have been renovated and redesigned by Lee S Jablin
Lee Jablin
Lee Jablin is an architect of projects nationally and internationally. Assembling and leading teams of engineers and specialty consultants, he designs and constructs buildings that become notable destinations, memorable interiors, and widely referred to standards of their type.His practice of...
, Harman Jablin Architects. It was originally planned as a series of high-level public spaces along East River, to be connected with walkways running above the street level.
It was the last major building built by Uris Brothers.
It is the headquarters of EmblemHealth. HIP Health Plan of New York, which became a part of EmblemHealth, moved there with 2,000 employees in October 2004. It was the largest corporate relocation in downtown Manhattan following the September 11 attacks.
Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's is a United States-based financial services company. It is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks and bonds. It is well known for its stock-market indices, the US-based S&P 500, the Australian S&P/ASX 200, the Canadian...
, a rating agency company, also is headquartered here.