A Permanent Setback.

A Permanent Setback.

The distinction of Manhattan's most architecturally impactful building doesn't go to the iconic usual suspects like the Chrysler, the Empire State or even the Woolworth, but to a massive, squat Neoclassical bicep of a structure called?the Equitable Building.

Located at 120 Broadway, it was the largest office building in the world when it was completed in 1915 and unprecedented in its volume. Back then, there were virtually no governing provisions on building in New York City. Money and imagination were the only requirements.?What a time to be a capitalist!?Thus, the Equitable Building’s footprint was conceived to span an entire city block, just shy of an acre. There were (and still are) zero setbacks on its perimeter. No tapering.?Just one giant uninterrupted wall of office soaring up for 40 stories and the end result was almost 7 square city blocks became cloaked in its shadow all day long.?As you can imagine, folks who lived and worked down there were seriously peeved. There was fear that if preventative steps weren't taken fast, an afternoon stroll in Manhattan would feel like a walk on the dark side of the moon. Within a year of the Equitable’s completion, the City passed what's known as the?1916 Zoning Resolution.

In short, the mandate was that?developers be required to build in a way that's mindful of light and air reaching the street below.?There must be periodic setbacks. There should be context. It was heralded as a genius move and it became the blueprint for zoning in the rest of the country.

And in a delightfully ironic twist, today the building currently houses the offices of the New York City Department of City Planning.?Never let it be said bureaucrats are without a sense of humor.