Whitehall Building

Whitehall Building
The original Whitehall Building (front), with its larger annex in the back
Map
Alternative names17 Battery Place
Lesser Whitehall (original building)
Greater Whitehall (annex)
General information
TypeResidential and office
Location17 Battery Place
Financial District, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°42′20″N 74°0′58″W / 40.70556°N 74.01611°W / 40.70556; -74.01611
Construction started1902 (original building)
1908 (annex)
Completed1904 (original building)
1910 (annex)
Opening1904
Height
Top floor259 ft (79 m) (original building)
424 ft (129 m) (annex)
Technical details
Floor count20 (original building)
31 (annex)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry J. Hardenbergh (original building)
Clinton & Russell (annex)
Structural engineerJames Hollis Wells (annex)
Main contractorGeorge A. Fuller Company
DesignatedOctober 17, 2000
Reference no.2056

The Whitehall Building is a three-section residential and office building next to Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, New York City, near the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The original 20-story structure on Battery Place, between West Street and Washington Street, was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, while the 31-story Whitehall Building Annex on West Street was designed by Clinton and Russell. The original building and annex are both at 17 Battery Place. Another 22-story addition at 2 Washington Street, an International Style building located north of the original building and east of the annex, was designed by Morris Lapidus.

The original Whitehall Building and its annex has a Renaissance Revival style facade, and the two original structures' articulations consist of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column—namely a base, shaft, and capital. Since the building is located on landfill along the Hudson River, its foundation incorporates a non-standard design.

The Whitehall Building is named after the nearby estate of New Amsterdam colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. The original building was built as a speculative development in 1902–1904 for Robert A. and William H. Chesebrough, a real estate company. The annex was built in 1908–1910, and 2 Washington Street was built in 1972. In 2000, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Whitehall Building as an official city landmark. The upper floors of the original building and annex were converted to apartments, while the lower floors remain in use as an office building.