17 State Street is a stunning curved mirror-glass tower opposite Battery Park, framed in aluminum. The curved facade is not just for theatrics: that’s the shape of the lot, where State Street decides to switch from running north-south to east-west. The building floor plan resembles a quarter of a pie. Up close, you’ll also notice that there is no real first floor – just a glass-enclosed lobby (much like the Lever Building) and elevators; the building rests on cross-braced aluminum-clad columns.
The site has some history: it was the site of the Seaman’s Church Institute, and also the site of the house where Herman Melville was born, in 1819.
17 State Street Vital Statistics
- Location: 17 State Street at Pearl Street
- Year completed: 1988
- Architect: Emery Roth & Sons
- Floors: 41
- Style: Postmodern
17 State Street Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- The New York Times article
- The City Review article
- RFR Realty (owner) website
- Emporis database