The Trump Building
The Trump Building is a 70-story skyscraper in New York City. Originally known as the Bank of Manhattan Trust building, and also known as the Manhattan Company Building, it was later known by its street address 40 Wall Street when its founding tenant merged to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. The building, between Nassau Street and William Street in Manhattan, New York City, was completed in 1930 after only 11 months of construction.
Architecture
The building was designed by H. Craig Severance, along with Yasuo Matsui (associate architect), and Shreve & Lamb (consulting architects). Edward F. Caldwell & Co. designed the lighting. Der Scutt of Der Scutt Architect designed the lobby and entrance renovation. Its pinnacle reaches 927 feet (283 m) and was very briefly the tallest building in the world, soon surpassed by a spire attached to the Chrysler Building a few months later.
Competition for "world's tallest building" title
Construction of the Bank of Manhattan Building at 40 Wall Street began in 1928, with a planned height of 840 feet (260 m), making it 135 feet (41 m) taller than the nearby Woolworth Building, completed in 1913. More importantly, the plans were designed to be two feet taller than the Chrysler Building, which was in an ostensible competition to be the world’s tallest building. In order to stay ahead in the race, the architects of 40 Wall Street changed their originally announced height of 840 feet (260 m), or 68 stories, to 927 feet (283 m), or 71 stories, making their building, upon completion in May 1930, the tallest in the world. However, this triumph turned out to be short-lived.