Lower Manhattan has many superb Art Deco buildings. While most tours emphasize the area in and around Wall Street, this route highlights the blocks to the west, where streets that once led to the Hudson River are now separated from the waterfront by Battery Park City. While some of our stops, such as the American Stock Exchange on Trinity Place, have a direct connection to Wall Street, other structures were commissioned to serve the financial industry and those who worked in it.

Fashion and city regulations shaped these buildings’ design. In 1916, a significant new zoning resolution specified where certain types of buildings could be erected, as well as their general architectural form. To increase sunlight and improve air circulation, floors were required to step or set back, diminishing in volume until they covered just 25% of the site. It is because of such rules that many Art Deco buildings are compared to ziggurats and wedding cakes. There is, of course, marvelous ornamentation to be savored en route—trimming the setbacks, around the entrances, and in the lobbies. Of particular interest is the elegant marble hall that leads to the post office at 90 Church Street and the well-preserved lobbies inside 29 Broadway and 21 West Street.

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