Equitable Building

Abstract

THOUGH FREQUENTLY singled out as the behemoth that brought about the 1916 Zoning Code, the Equitable Building was still on the drawing boards when city planners were looking for ways to increase the amount of sunlight and air circulation to the streets. You need only stand on Pine Street to understand the problem: the sky is reduced to a narrow stretch of ribbon between the cornice of the 41-story Equitable and the 19-story 100 Broadway, less than 35 feet apart. The Equitable rises, cliff-like, straight from the sidewalk for 542 feet. The experience is like standing at the bottom of a man-made canyon. Even at noon in midsummer, the streets are half-plunged in shadow.