55 Wall Street

National City Bank Building
New York City Landmark No. 0040, 1979
The building's facade as seen in 2012
55 Wall Street in 2012
Map
Location55 Wall Street, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°42′22″N 74°00′34″W / 40.70611°N 74.00944°W / 40.70611; -74.00944
Built
  • 1836–1841 or 1842 (first three stories and original fourth story)[a]
  • 1907 to 1910 (top five stories)[2]
Architect
Architectural style
Part ofWall Street Historic District (ID07000063[3])
NRHP reference No.72000872 (NRHP listing), 78001875 (NHL listing)[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.000012[4]
NYCL No.0040, 1979
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 18, 1972
Designated NHLJune 2, 1978[7]
Designated CPFebruary 20, 2007
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980[4]
Designated NYCL
  • December 21, 1965 (exterior)[5]
  • January 12, 1999 (interior)[6]

55 Wall Street, formerly the National City Bank Building, is an eight-story building on Wall Street between William and Hanover streets in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The lowest three stories were completed in either 1841 or 1842[a] as the four-story Merchants' Exchange and designed by Isaiah Rogers in the Greek Revival style. Between 1907 and 1910, McKim, Mead & White removed the original fourth story and added five floors to create the present building. The facade and part of the interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is listed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a National Historic Landmark. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, listed on the NRHP.

55 Wall Street's granite facade includes two stacked colonnades facing Wall Street, each with twelve columns. Inside is a cruciform banking hall with a 60-foot (18 m) vaulted ceiling, Corinthian columns, marble floors and walls, and an entablature around the interior. The banking hall was among the largest in the United States when it was completed. The offices of Citibank's predecessor National City Bank were in the corners of the banking hall, while the fourth through eighth floors were used as office space.

The Merchants' Exchange building replaced a structure that had burned down in the Great New York City Fire of 1835. 55 Wall Street subsequently hosted the New York Stock Exchange, then the United States Custom House until a new Custom House building was developed on Bowling Green in the 1900s. After 55 Wall Street was expanded, it served as the headquarters of National City Bank from 1908 to 1961; Citibank continued to own the building until 1992. The upper stories operated as a hotel from 2000 to 2003, then were renovated again and converted into the Cipriani Club Residences condominium development in 2006. The original banking room became a ballroom.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference nycland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Howe, Kathy; Robins, Anthony (August 3, 2006). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Wall Street Historic District". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved July 7, 2024 – via National Archives.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cultural Resource Information System was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYCL-0040 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYCL p. 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference nhlsum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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