September 17, 2008
Better than a bake sale: AIG should reopen its roofdeck
The American International Building, also known as the AIG building, is New York’s fifth tallest skyscraper (and among the top 50-tallest in the world) and it has an observation deck that’s been closed to the public for a very long time.
 But hey, if the U.S. taxpayers now own 80 percent of AIG, how about a little look see?
The Gothic-style top of the building and its 66th-floor glass observatory are off limits to the common folk, instead open only to those super-smart AIG executives.
An art deco gem, it was designed by Clinton & Russell and Holton & George and opened in 1932. Located at 70 Pine Street, map, the building was made for the Cities Service Company and was known as the 60 Wall Tower - as it was connected by a bridge to that address a block away, according to “Art Deco New York” by Cervin Robinson and Rosemarie Haag Bletter.
 It was also the first building to use double-deck elevators, according to the “AIA Guide to New York City.”
So while we’re on the subject of high in the sky observatories, it’s worth pointing out that the highest you can get in New York City is the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, though most people only go to the 86th floor because the smaller, enclosed space only reopened a few years ago and it’s not well advertised.
The brand new Bank of America Tower across from Bryant Park is now the second tallest and has no public access. The Chrysler Building is the third-tallest, and while its lobby is open to the public, it’s fancy Prohibition-skirting lounge Cloud Club is off-limits. (Though you can make a dentist appointment near the top.)
Renzo Piano’s new New York Times building is the fourth tallest, and while it’s had a few illegal tourists scale to the top, public access isn’t available from the inside.
The only other Top 10 New York City skyscraper with public access (at this time, at least) is the GE Building, Rockefeller Center, which reopened to the public in 2005 as Top of the Rock. (The views are excellent.)
The Woolworth Building, the city’s 15th tallest structure, has a 58th floor observatory deck, which you can see next month if you’re willing to shell out $500 to Open House NY. Normally, even the Woolworth’s lobby is closed to the public, though it will open for free in October, by reservation during Open House NY like it was last year.)
So let’s do the math, a visit to the top of the Empire State Building costs $34; a trip to the top of Rockefeller Center costs $18; or Woolworth costs $500 (which is mostly tax-deductible, by the way.) So to get $85 billion, divided by 3.8 million (which is how many people visit the Empire State Building observatories each year,) AIG would need to charge $22,368.42 per taxpayer, er, visitor to its observation deck.
That makes even the Woolworth looks cheap by comparison.
Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology
Earlier: Woolworth, High Line on OpenHouse NY list for 2008
High in the Sky: Empire Hotel’s rooftop cocktail bar
High in the Sky cocktails at Roosevelt Hotel’s mad46
High in the Sky at Peninsula hotel’s new Salon de Ning
High in the Sky: a Times Square 360 at The View
High in the Sky: Statue of Liberty’s observation decks
The views from the Williamsburgh Savings Bank
September 17, 2008 3:09 PM in Architecture, Downtown, History, Sightsology
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