The Downtown Athletic Club Building, constructed in 1929-30, is an outstanding example of an Art Deco skyscraper. Its construction was begun shortly before the office building next door at 21 West Street, and the two buildings complement each other with their similar modernistic style. The architects tried to create a new stylistic expression to represent the Jazz Age, while its boxy shape and variety of setbacks were in direct response to the 1916 Building Zone Resolution and the requirements for its athletic facilities.