Western Union Telegraph Building

Western Union Building
Western Union Building
	Interactive map pinpointing the building's site
General information
Status	Destroyed
Type	Office
Architectural style	Neo-Grec
Address	195 Broadway
Town or city	New York City
Coordinates	40°42′39″N 74°00′35″W / 40.71083°N 74.00972°W
Completed	February 1, 1875
Renovated	1890–1892
Demolished	1912–1914
Height
Roof	230 feet (70 m)
Technical details
Floor count	10 (+2 basement, 1 ground story)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	George B. Post
Renovating team
Architect(s)	Henry Janeway Hardenbergh

The Western Union Telegraph Building was a building at Dey Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The Western Union Building was built with ten above-ground stories rising 230 feet (70 m). The structure was originally designed by George B. Post, with alterations by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. It is considered one of the first skyscrapers in New York City.

Western Union decided to construct the building in 1872 after outgrowing a previous space at 145 Broadway. Post was selected as the winner of an architectural design competition, and the building was completed in February 1875. At the time of its completion, it was one of the tallest structures in New York City, behind only Trinity Church, the New York Tribune Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge towers. The original design contained eleven stories, including the ground story. It had a three-story mansard roof and a clock tower whose pinnacle gave the building its 230-foot height. The interior included executive offices, a large telegraph operating room, and office space that could be rented to other tenants.

The top five stories were destroyed by fire in 1890, although the superstructure of the ground story and the lowest five floors remained intact. Hardenbergh designed a four-story flat-roofed expansion to the structure, completed in 1891. AT&T, which acquired the Western Union Telegraph Building, decided to redevelop the site with a 29-story building at 195 Broadway, which was completed in 1916. The old Western Union Building was demolished between 1912 and 1914, although Western Union continued to occupy the replacement structure until 1930.