R.H. Robertson’s Park Row Building was the tallest in the world until 1908. Financed by August Belmont, a pioneer of New York’s first subway, the building had 30 stories, nearly 1,000 offices, and cost $2,750,000 to build. [1]At thirty stories and 391 feet to the top of its twin cupolas, New York's Park Row Building was the tallest office building in the world. A speculative real estate venture, it contained 950 offices and could accommodate up to 4,000 workers.[2]
Constructed, 1899
One of the city's first commercial skyscrapers at 391 ft tall, it was the tallest in the world for nearly a decade. It housed the early headquarters of the Associated Press. Two other buildings on Park Row were also part of Newspaper Row but not built specifically for newspapers' use.
Converted, 2001
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Joseph and Rachelle Friedman, owners of electronic and music retailer J&R, bought 15 Park Row in the 1990s. By 2000, plans were developed for a thorough renovation of the entire structure. The 1st through 10th floors would remain as commercial space, while everything above the 10th floor would be converted into 210 residential units, ranging from studio apartments to two-bedroom suites.The initial renovations and residential conversions were completed by 2001, and the first tenants moved in during that May. However, the building was shuttered after the September 11, 2001, attacks and the resulting collapse of the World Trade Center; when the building reopened in March 2002, nearly half of the 70 tenants did not return, while there were 62 units available. The pair of apartments in the cupolas at the 28th through 30th floors were not renovated, and were offered for sale as unfurnished units in 2013.