Has this been posted before?
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Well, this is interesting. From 1926, after American Trust took over.
Seems the western 2/3 of the Washington Life ground floor was connected with 135 Broadway, forming a huge deformed C around the old Liberty Bank Building. Of course the southern building’s space became the restaurant years later, and that remaining fraction of Washington Life became the Broadstreet’s (with the shiny modern facade) in 1938.
What’s also interesting is that if you look at pictures of the building’s stump (before the backsides were touched up and the park was created) it seems like you can see the sloppy remnants of those connections, even after they were filled in.
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OMG that’s amazing!
I didn’t know about this expansion from the North American Trust. I read once that the Liberty National Bank expanded to part of the main floor of the Washington Life Building too, but I’m not sure if it was in the same period. I’ll try to find it again, it was just a note in a periodical.
Again, amazing, Nick! Thanks for sharing!
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Found it on The Commercial & Financial Chronicle from 1908
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Found this snippet from Bankers Magazine around the same time
It looks to me like the west end of Washington Life was connected with the Banking Hall first, then they sealed up those connections and connected it with the other building, and then finally sealed those connections years later and made them all isolated again.
My question now is whether these 2 pictures of the banking hall are from when the building was brand new, or after they were conjoined (both are undated or dated wrong). Looking at any picture where the backside of the bank is exposed, the top floor and roof look… bizarre.
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Where do you both find such very interesting information?
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2 renderings from Stern’s 60s book of the Singer Building’s original replacement
Zeckendorf managed to 3 full city blocks and planned to replace them with a gargantuan sloping tower known as Financial Place, which would have been oriented north to south and taken up all 3 blocks, unlike 1 Liberty Plaza, which kept the southern half of the site as an open plaza/park.
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That archive is a goldmine. The earlier landmarks especially since the cityscape was so different.
James Watson House, when the Seamen’s Church Institute was still next door instead of 17 State Street
Municipal Building, with some of the old Civic Center neighborhood buildings still in the background
The south side of the US Custom House before 1 Battery Park Plaza was built
Chamber of Commerce Building, with the old Guaranty Trust complex still across the street (one of the pictures shows an advert for 140 Broadway, the impending replacement tower)
Woolworth Building, with the City Investing Building and the Hudson Terminal still visible, pre WTC
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Can you literally stop complaining about the postcards…
I agree with @IhateUSsteel, it’s always great to find archives like those or great to hear when they are released to the public. On the last image with the Woolworth Building, you can still see the “Spirit of Communication” statue atop 195 Broadway.
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@007 Please do not spam. It’s irking a lot of folks who come to YIMBY to enjoy good discussions, good material and a community that cares about urbanism and cities. We do not need this constant spamming. If you continue to do so, you may find yourself not being able to post. Really don’t want to go that route but see this as the expectation being set… once again.
And this is coming from a lot of people. If you have questions, ask as relevant to the topic but don’t spam with off-topic stuff. It adds no value.
We always want to encourage new members to join but there’s a difference between not knowing and trolling, and I think you know what’s up as dozens of posts have had to be deleted in the past. So again… expectation has been set.
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My god, you are one infertile and pedantic waste of matter. Stop complaining on every thread and attempting to create issues where none existed prior.
@IhateUSsteel These photos are amazing. Lower manhattan pre-WTC is truly one of the most interesting periods of NY.
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I was just complaining about that:
“Collection by Miss Mackensen”
That’s all there is to it. And yes I will listen to you Chris.
Or am I the only one with that opinion.
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@Mackensen @IhateUSsteel @JPSchriefer and others: love this thread and all the wonders of the past that you and others share on it! 
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Okay, today follow only a few facades drawing historic New York skyscraper.
Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association Building completed 1893.
Union Trust Building
Tower Building first New York steel skeleton construction vertertiggestellt 1888 (Broaway Street facade).
Sun Building is an unbuilt proposed 1890 with a height of 442 feet. It was to be built in the cage construction method.
Collection by Miss Mackensen (Deutsche Bauzeitung 1893)
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If there is a lot of interest in my collection, since I collect not only New York but many, many other cities in the US, I might open a thread about it.
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Yes, I am still working on my Topic about my collection. Still to come. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpJe-DMwfJ/
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