Park Row Building: New York’s Oldest Skyscraper

When you walk past the Park Row Building, right in the heart of the Financial District, keep in mind that you're passing a piece of New York history: it's one of the first skyscrapers built in Manhattan that's still standing.

It might look pretty ordinary to you, but it's actually one of the most important buildings in Manhattan, since it holds the distinction of being the oldest skyscraper still standing and still in use in this ever-changing city. An honor it shares with the Flatiron Building.

The year it opened, in 1899, the tallest landmark in the city was the spire of Trinity Church at 86 meters, so any building that rose above it was considered a skyscraper. In that context, 15 Park Row was one of the first structures to be called a «skyscraper.»

The architect behind this Beaux Arts work was Robert Herrera Robertson, who managed to raise this 30-story tower to 119 meters, thanks to steel and elevator technology, advances that finally let builders start scraping the sky.

So you can appreciate just how old it is and pay your respects, here's a photo taken in 1912. You'll see the building looks exactly the same even though everything around it has changed.

For 9 years it was the tallest commercial tower on the planet, with an impressive 950 offices and room for up to 4,000 people. That lasted until the Singer Building took the title in 1908 with its 187 meters, a building that, by the way, no longer exists.

The 19th-century Park Row Building is still an office building, and let's hope it stays that way and doesn't get swallowed up by the gentrification sweeping across Manhattan.

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Transportation:
Subway A, C, 4, 5. Fulton St station
Subway 2, 3. Park Place station
Address:
15 Park Row

Map