Designated 6/21/2011
The Cities Service Building is a 66-story skyscraper that rises from a trapezoidal site bounded by Pine Street, Cedar Street, and Pearl Street. At the time of completion it was the tallest structure in lower Manhattan, and at 952 feet, the third tallest structure in the world. It was commissioned by a major American corporation and was an expression of the owner’s success. The Cities Service Company w quickly grew to become one of the largest corporations in the United States, controlling approximately 200 energy firms in thirty states, including numerous oil and power suppliers.
The interior is an outstanding example of the Art Deco style, and has stunning marble walls and floors, molded plaster ceilings and cast aluminum details that express the original owner’s role in the production and delivery of energy. It has four entrances, divided equally between Pine Street and Cedar Street. The east portals open to large vestibules that incorporate wide staircases that rise to the first floor lobby and descend to the basement lobby. Throughout the lobby are the original cast glass lighting fixtures and a distinctive plaster ceiling, embellished with stepped polychrome corbels and an unusual faceted pattern that suggests light waves.
