The Cities Service Building was constructed during the New York skyscraper race, which accounts for its gothic-like spire-topped appearance, a popular architectural style at that time. When completed it was the third tallest building in the world, after the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. It was the last skyscraper to be built in Lower Manhattan prior to World War II, and was the tallest building in Lower Manhattan until the 1970s when the World Trade Center was completed.A 67-story, 952-foot (290 m) residential building, built by energy conglomerate Cities Service Company (later Citgo), was Lower Manhattan's tallest building and the world's third-tallest structure upon its completion.The building occupies a trapezoidal lot on Pearl Street between Pine and Cedar Streets. It features a brick, limestone, and gneiss facade with numerous setbacks. The building contains an extensive program of ornamentation, including the Cities Service Company's triangular logo and solar motifs. A three-story penthouse, intended for Cities Service's founder Henry Latham Doherty, was later utilized as a public observatory.70 Pine Street's construction was funded through a public offering of stock, rather than a mortgage loan. Despite having been built during the Great Depression, the building was profitable enough that it broke even by 1936, with 90% of the space occupied five years later.
