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Tower 270
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Tower 270 (also known as 270 Broadway, Arthur Levitt State Office Building, 80 Chambers Street, and 86 Chambers Street) is a 28-story mixed use building in the Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1930 to designs by E.H. Faile & Company, it has 350,785 square feet (32,589.0 m2) of floor space, on a plot with 50 feet (15 m) facing Broadway to the east and 242 feet (74 m) on Chambers Street to the north.
Key Information
Tower 270 is just west of New York City Hall, near several other structures, including the Broadway–Chambers Building, 280 Broadway, and the Tweed Courthouse.[2]
It housed the first headquarters of the Manhattan Project in 1942–43.
History
[edit]The 370-foot (110 m) building was erected in 1930 on the southwest corner of Chambers Street and Broadway by developer Robert E. Dowling at a cost of $2.5 million.[3] It was designed by E.H. Faile & Company,[1] and replaced the headquarters of Chemical Bank (which had been built in 1907 to replace a building opened in 1850).
The Manhattan Project
[edit]The building's location gave its name to the Manhattan Project, which during World War II developed the atomic bomb, and whose first headquarters were on the 18th floor. At the time, in 1942, it was a federal office building, where the North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was located. The Corps was to coordinate all United States military construction in the Northeast as well as all of Europe, and it provided administrative support for the project.
The name initially proposed was "Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials". Fearing the name would draw undue attention, the project's military leader, General Leslie Groves, changed it to "Manhattan Engineer District", which was eventually shortened to Manhattan Project. Coordination for the project moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 1943, but the name stuck.[4]
Post World War II
[edit]After the war, the building was acquired by the New York state government for $3.7 million.[5] "Master builder" Robert Moses had one of his three offices in the building.[6] It became the Arthur Levitt State Office Building providing New York City offices for members of the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate. In 2000 it was sold for $33.6 million in a sealed bid transaction that at the time was the highest-valued property sale ever consummated by the State of New York.[7]
The building is owned by RAL Companies of Hempstead, New York, of which Robert A. Levine is the principal. Mark Groblewski of RAL was the only civilian given direct access to 270 Broadway, 86 Chambers Street, and 80 Chambers Street to continue construction in these buildings, in the restricted area surrounding Ground Zero, after the September 11 attacks. Groblewski also worked as a civilian volunteer assisting and directing industrial earth-moving equipment at Ground Zero.
Floors 16 to 28 were converted to 39 condominium apartments in 2003 ranging in size from 1,998 to 8,117 square feet (185.6 to 754.1 m2). Floors 2 through 7 comprise office space and 48 rental apartments occupy floors 8 through 15. The office space entrance is at 86 Chambers Street, and there are two residential entrances – on Broadway for the condominiums and on Chambers Street for the rental apartments.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tower 270, New York City". Emporis. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "NYCityMap". New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ "Plan $2,500,000 Building At Broadway and Chambers". The New York Times. September 21, 1928. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Broad, William J. (October 30, 2007). "Why They Called It the Manhattan Project". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "State Completes Realty Purchases; Acquires 28-Story Structure at Broadway and Chambers St. and Adjoining Properties". The New York Times. April 3, 1946. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Caro, Robert (1974). The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. New York: Knopf. p. 814. ISBN 978-0-394-48076-3. OCLC 834874.
- ^ "Tower 270, 270 Broadway, NYC - Condo Apartments". www.cityrealty.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "Former state office building re-emerges as mixed-use property". Real Estate Weekly. February 21, 2001. Retrieved October 9, 2020 – via The Free Library.
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Tower 270
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Architecture and Design
Construction and Specifications
Construction of Tower 270 commenced in 1929 and concluded in 1930, under the design of the architectural firm E.H. Faile & Company.[5] The project replaced the earlier headquarters of Chemical Bank, erected in 1907, on a plot measuring 50 feet along Broadway.[6] The structure features a steel frame supporting 28 stories, attaining a height of 370 feet (110 meters).[6] It provides approximately 350,785 square feet of floor space, optimized for office utilization in its original configuration.[6] Situated at 270 Broadway—alternatively addressed as 80 and 86 Chambers Street—the building occupies a prominent position in Manhattan's Civic Center, adjacent to Tribeca and proximate to municipal landmarks including New York City Hall and the Municipal Building, facilitating access for governmental and commercial activities.[7] This urban placement underscored its role in the dense administrative fabric of lower Manhattan.[1]Architectural Features and Style
Tower 270 represents a pre-war high-rise typology characteristic of 1930s Manhattan commercial architecture, constructed with a steel frame to support its 28-story structure rising to 332 feet (101 meters).[7] The building's facade employs limestone cladding, providing both durability against urban environmental stresses and a refined aesthetic suited to its Civic Center location.[8] This material choice aligns with contemporaneous designs emphasizing longevity and visual solidity in office towers.[8] The architectural style transitions toward Art Deco influences, particularly in interior elements like the original lobby featuring terrazzo floors and polished marble walls, which convey geometric precision and luxurious detailing typical of the era's commercial buildings.[2] [9] Floor plans were optimized for office efficiency, with approximately 350,785 square feet of leasable space distributed across levels designed for multi-tenant occupancy. The steel-frame system facilitated open interior layouts while addressing prevalent wind load challenges in New York City high-rises, adhering to period engineering practices focused on vertical load-bearing capacity and lateral stability.[7]Historical Timeline
Pre-War Construction and Early Use (1929–1941)
Tower 270 was constructed on the site of the former Chemical Bank headquarters, a structure built in 1907 that had replaced an earlier building.[6] The project, designed by the architectural firm E.H. Faile & Company, resulted in a 28-story office building completed in 1930, measuring 370 feet (110 m) in height with 350,785 square feet (32,589 m²) of floor space on a plot featuring a 50-foot (15 m) frontage along Broadway.[10][6] Intended for commercial office use, the building capitalized on its location in Manhattan's Civic Center, near key civic landmarks such as City Hall and the Municipal Building, facilitating access for businesses oriented toward government and financial activities.[2] Early tenancy reflected the area's pre-World War II economic function, with the structure serving as office space for various commercial entities amid New York's skyline development during the late 1920s recovery from earlier economic fluctuations.[11] Operational through 1941, Tower 270 contributed to the neighborhood's role as a business hub, underscoring the era's emphasis on vertical expansion for accommodating growing administrative and professional demands without specific documented occupancy rates or tenant lists from primary records of the period.[3]Role as Manhattan Project Headquarters (1942–1943)
In mid-June 1942, the 18th floor of 270 Broadway in Manhattan served as the inaugural headquarters for the Manhattan Engineer District (MED), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unit tasked with administering the atomic weapons program. Under Colonel James C. Marshall's direction, this central location leveraged proximity to the Corps' North Atlantic Division offices and engineering firms, enabling efficient coordination amid wartime secrecy. The district's name, drawn from the address, functioned as a deliberate obfuscation to mask its true purpose from external observers.[12][13] Administrative operations at the site focused on organizing early uranium procurement and research oversight, including contracts for ore acquisition to support fission experiments at sites like Columbia University. Marshall's team selected Stone & Webster as the primary contractor for constructing key facilities, such as the electromagnetic separation plant at Oak Ridge, initiating engineering designs and site preparations from the Broadway offices. These efforts integrated nascent intelligence on Axis nuclear activities, prioritizing rapid resource allocation to counter potential German advancements in atomic technology.[14][15] By early 1943, the MED's expansion necessitated relocation, with headquarters transferring to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in August to align with burgeoning production sites. During its tenure at 270 Broadway, the office facilitated foundational milestones, such as initial funding disbursements exceeding $100 million by mid-1942 and the establishment of protocols for scaling uranium enrichment processes, which accelerated the transition from theoretical fission concepts to practical engineering prototypes. This phase underscored the administrative pivot that prevented delays in material supply chains critical to sustaining momentum against adversarial programs.[12][16]Post-War State Ownership and Operations (1946–2000)
In March 1946, the New York State Legislature authorized the acquisition of the 28-story office building at 270 Broadway for $3,743,000, with Governor Thomas E. Dewey signing the bill to facilitate the purchase.[17] The transaction was completed in April 1946, converting the property from its prior federal tenancy to state ownership and repurposing it for administrative functions in downtown Manhattan.[18] Designated the Arthur Levitt State Office Building—named for the longtime state comptroller who served from 1955 to 1978—it primarily accommodated New York City offices for members of the State Assembly and Senate, enabling legislative operations away from Albany. State agencies utilized the space for everyday governance tasks, such as policy coordination and record-keeping, which contrasted sharply with the building's earlier classified activities by emphasizing sustained, non-secretive public service amid New York's post-war population and economic growth. Prominent urban planner Robert Moses operated one of his multiple offices from the building during this era, directing efforts tied to highway construction, park development, and housing projects that defined mid-century infrastructure expansion in the region. These activities aligned with broader state priorities for modernization, including slum clearance and expressway networks, though Moses's methods drew later scrutiny for their top-down approach and social impacts. The structure received routine maintenance and limited interior modifications over subsequent decades to support evolving agency requirements, preserving its Art Deco framework while adapting to typewriter-era workflows and later computing needs. By 2000, amid fiscal pressures and a shift toward privatizing non-essential real estate, the state divested the property through a sealed-bid sale to RAL Companies for $33.6 million—the highest such transaction value in state history at the time—concluding 54 years of governmental stewardship.[11][19]Modern Transformation
Acquisition, Renovation, and Conversion (2000–2003)
In 2000, the State of New York sold the Arthur Levitt State Office Building at 270 Broadway for $33.6 million through a sealed-bid process, marking the state's highest-valued property transaction to date and shifting the property from public to private ownership.[11] The buyer, Spandrel Development Partners, initiated a comprehensive retrofit to adapt the 1930 structure for mixed-use purposes amid rising demand for residential space in Tribeca.[20] This acquisition preceded the September 11, 2001 attacks but aligned with broader efforts to revitalize Lower Manhattan's commercial and housing markets during the ensuing economic recovery. The renovation, completed by 2003, involved restoring the building's pre-war architectural elements while updating it for contemporary viability, including division into distinct zones: Class A retail at street level, office space on floors 2 through 7, and residential units on upper levels.[20] Floors 16 through 28, plus two penthouses, were converted into 39 condominium apartments ranging from approximately 2,000 to over 8,000 square feet, targeting the luxury market with high ceilings and city views.[19] Lower residential floors (8 through 15) were initially configured as rentals, with phased adjustments to condominiums based on market conditions, preserving the structure's historic facade while introducing modern infrastructure suited to diverse tenancy.[20] This transformation responded to Tribeca's surging residential appeal, driven by demand for loft-style living in a neighborhood transitioning from industrial to upscale amid post-9/11 incentives for downtown redevelopment. Initial condominium sales on the upper floors signaled the pivot to private luxury housing, capitalizing on the area's proximity to Civic Center institutions and enhanced walkability.[19] The project exemplified adaptive reuse strategies that balanced economic viability with the preservation of a landmark's integrity, without altering its core 28-story footprint.[20]Current Mixed-Use Configuration and Amenities
Tower 270 functions as a mixed-use building with distinct allocations across its 28 floors, integrating commercial, rental residential, and condominium components. Floors 2 through 7 are designated for office space, providing Class A commercial environments in proximity to City Hall.[20] Ground-level retail spaces occupy the Broadway and Chambers Street frontages, supporting local commerce in the Tribeca and Civic Center areas.[21] The mid-floors, specifically 8 through 15, house 48 rental apartment units, accessible via a contemporary lobby at 80 Chambers Street.[1] Upper floors 16 through 28 comprise luxury condominiums, totaling approximately 39 ownership units, which feature high ceilings, modern kitchens with premium appliances, and expansive views of the surrounding urban landscape.[2] [22] Condominium residents benefit from full-service amenities, including a 24-hour doorman, concierge services, fitness center, children's playroom, business meeting room, and rooftop deck.[4] Additional facilities encompass bike storage, private storage units, in-unit washers and dryers, and laundry rooms on residential floors, enhancing resident convenience without recent major structural alterations as of 2025.[3] [23] The property maintains its pre-war architectural elements alongside these modern enhancements, positioned advantageously along Broadway and Chambers Street for pedestrian and transit access.[1]Significance and Legacy
Historical Impact of Manhattan Project Association
The administrative centralization at 270 Broadway during 1942–1943 streamlined coordination among the Manhattan Project's dispersed sites, including research at Columbia University and Los Alamos, enabling the rapid scaling of uranium enrichment and plutonium production that culminated in the Trinity test on July 16, 1945, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9.[12][24] This efficiency contributed to Japan's surrender announcement on August 15, averting Operation Downfall—the planned Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands—which U.S. military projections estimated would incur 400,000 to 800,000 American casualties, including up to 267,000 deaths, alongside millions of Japanese losses.[25][26] Japanese military doctrine emphasizing no-surrender resistance, as evidenced by the Battle of Okinawa (April–June 1945) where over 110,000 Imperial troops died with fewer than 8,000 captured and U.S. forces suffered 12,500 killed amid civilian suicides ordered by commanders, underscored the bombs' role in breaking imperial resolve without protracted ground combat.[27] Such outcomes refuted contemporaneous and later claims equating the bombings with Axis war crimes by demonstrating their deterrence against fanaticism, with post-surrender analyses confirming the weapons' deployment shortened the Pacific War by months and preserved Allied manpower for European reconstruction.[28] The project's success from this headquarters established a U.S. nuclear monopoly lasting until the Soviet Union's 1949 test, providing a temporary strategic edge that shaped early Cold War dynamics and laid groundwork for mutually assured destruction (MAD) principles, wherein balanced nuclear arsenals deterred full-scale conflict by ensuring retaliatory devastation.[29] This legacy, rooted in fission weapon primacy, stabilized superpower relations through credible second-strike capabilities rather than unilateral disarmament, as operational plans evolved to target population centers only in existential scenarios.[30][31]Notable Figures, Events, and Broader Influence
Robert Moses, the influential urban planner and "master builder" of mid-20th-century New York, operated one of his key offices at 270 Broadway, utilizing the space to oversee major infrastructure initiatives including highways, bridges, and slum clearance efforts.[32][33] This arrangement underscored his centralized control over disparate public authorities, enabling rapid execution of projects that expanded the city's transportation network and public facilities from the 1930s through the 1960s.[34] In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the building's proximity to Ground Zero positioned it within the recovery zone, where construction personnel from nearby firms maintained limited operations amid the chaos, contributing to the restoration of civic functions in Lower Manhattan. Tower 270's adaptive reuse from a state office building into a luxury condominium exemplifies successful preservation of 1930s architecture in Tribeca, integrating historic facades with contemporary residential and commercial spaces to enhance the neighborhood's appeal as a hybrid historic-commercial district.[4] The 2000–2003 renovation retained original Art Deco elements while adding modern amenities like rooftop terraces, demonstrating how such conversions can sustain landmark structures without full demolition, though they have occasionally drawn scrutiny for prioritizing private luxury over broader public accessibility in densely developed urban cores.[3]References
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tower_270