90 West Street, New York City

90 West Street or West Street Building is a building in Lower Manhattan designed by architect Cass Gilbert for the West Street Improvement Corporation. When completed in 1907, the building's Gothic styling and ornamentation served to emphasize its 23-story height, and foreshadowed Gilbert's later work on the Woolworth Building. Originally built as an office building, the top floor was occupied by "The Garret Restaurant," which advertised itself as the highest restaurant in New York.

Related Topics:
Lower Manhattan - Cass Gilbert - West Street Improvement Corporation - 1907 - Gothic - Woolworth Building

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Located on West Street, between Cedar and Albany Streets, just south of the World Trade Center site, the building had a view to the Hudson River before Battery Park City was built on fill across West Street.

Related Topics:
World Trade Center site - Hudson River - Battery Park City

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In 1998, the building's exterior was designated an architectural landmark by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Related Topics:
1998 - Landmark - Landmarks Preservation Commission

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The building was severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed directly across the street. Scaffolding which had been erected on the facade for routine maintenance did nothing to stop the fiery debris from raining into the building and tearing a gash deep down its northern face. At least one office worker was killed when she was trapped in an elevator. The conflagration raged out of control for several days; the building, which had housed businesses including Hanover Capital and IKON Office Solutions, was completely gutted. It is believed that 90 West's heavy building materials and extensive use of terra cotta inside and out helped serve as fireproofing and protected it from further damage and collapse, as opposed to the more modern skyscraper at 7 World Trade Center, which suffered similar damage and collapsed later that day.

Related Topics:
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks - World Trade Center - Hanover Capital - IKON Office Solutions - Terra cotta - 7 World Trade Center

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Today, 90 West Street has been meticulously restored, owing to its landmark status, and its interior has been converted into apartments. Restoration of the lobby revealed some of Gilbert's original terra cotta work that had been covered over during an earlier modernization project. The building reopened in spring of 2005.

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