Federal Office Building (New York City)

The construction of the building was authorized by Congress in 1888. Construction began under the direction of supervising architect Edbrooke in 1892, comprising the first two floors of the building. This work was completed in 1894. An additional eight floors were added during the years 1896 to 1898, under the direction of William Martin Aiken, supervising architect from 1895 to 1897. Construction was completed in 1898 by his successor, James Knox Taylor.[3] The building served as a storehouse, in which customs agents would examine and assess imported goods to set valuations and duties. The building was used to this end until the 1930s, when the government converted it into an office building, the United States Federal Building. This housed offices of several government agencies, including the National Archives and Records Administration. These agencies moved out in the 1970s and 1980s, and the building was sold to the Urban Development Corporation in 1982 and leased to Rockrose Partners. The building was converted for residential uses, and is now known as The Archive, after its former tenant. This work was completed in 1988,[4] the architects for the conversion being Warner, Burns, Toan, Lunde.[3]