Equitable Life Assurance Building, also known as the Equitable Life Building, was made of brick, granite, and iron, and was originally built with seven above-ground stories and two basement levels, with a height of at least 130 feet. An expansion in 1885 brought the total height to 155 feet and nine stories.It was the world's first office building to feature passenger elevators and consequently became successful attracting tenants. The Equitable Life Building was expanded numerous times; after the construction of annexes during the late 1880s, the building occupied its entire block, bounded by Broadway and Cedar, Pine and Nassau streets.

 While touted as fireproof, the Equitable Life Building burned down in a 1912 fire that killed six people. 

The skyscraper was designed in the neoclassical style. It is 555 feet tall, with 38 stories and 1.2 million square feet of floor space. Designed without setbacks, the building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections - a base, shaft, and capital.At its construction, the world's largest building. Public outcry over its bulk caused New York City to establish its first zoning law in 1916.The Equitable Building replaced the Equitable Life Building, the previous headquarters of the Equitable Life Insurance Company, which burned down in 1912. Upon opening, it was the largest office building in the world by floor area. The Equitable Building hosted a variety of tenants and, by the 1920s, was the most valuable building in New York City. The Equitable Life Insurance Company, the building's namesake, occupied a small portion of the building until it moved out during 1960.

Public outcry over its bulk caused New York City to establish its first zoning law in 1916.  

&amp;nbsp;Designed without setbacks, the building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections - a base, shaft, and capital.  

&lt;p&gt;The sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was hired to produce Protection, a group of statues for the facade of the Equitable Life Building. Ward carved a group that resembled a vignette used on Equitable's insurance policies. Because of defects in the first carving, Ward commissioned a second carving weighing 10 short tons, which was made from one block of marble. The final carving depicted a goddess protecting a widow. This sculptural group was carved in Italy and was unveiled when Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia traveled to the United States in 1871. Badly corroded by rain, it was removed in 1886&amp;ndash;1887. The heads survived removal and passed through various owners. Ward's statue commemorating Hyde was unveiled in 1901. It was placed in the building's corridor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The statue survived the fire that burned down the building. Other statues lined the other halls and stairs in the building. The Herter Brothers mosaic in the lobby was described as being "the largest in America" when it was completed in 1887. The mural was composed of a draped woman with two draped children, flanked by nude figures of Greek warriors.&lt;/p&gt; 

Before the structure's completion, there were three elevators in the city&amp;mdash;one each at the Astor House, the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and a private apartment building; office building heights had never exceeded four stories.  