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Exploring Lower Manhattan
28 Liberty
28 Liberty (formerly 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza), Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, architects, 1956-60
Back in the 1950s, while other banks were deserting Downtown for Midtown, Chase Manhattan Bank commissioned this majestic, 60-story, steel-and-glass tower-in-a-plaza. The new skyscraper, rising on a superblock assembled from tiny parcels of land defined by ancient winding Dutch streets, launched a new round of Downtown development. Vice Chairman David Rockefeller, who encouraged the choice of a modern design, oversaw its construction. Chinese investment group Fosun International bought the property in 2013 and renamed it 28 Liberty. Fosun will modernize 28 Liberty and transform it into a true mixed-use property with retail stores at and below grade, an events and restaurant venue on the top floor and an activated plaza with events for office workers and the community.
Rising from the plaza is Jean Dubuffet's sculpture "Group of Four Trees" – 25 tons of fiberglass, aluminum and steel fabricated outside Paris and shipped to New York in 19 pieces. At four stories high, it is among the tallest sculptures in New York. Trees arrived in 1972 as Rockefeller's gift "for the enjoyment of the Downtown community," marking his 25th anniversary on Wall Street. Dubuffet's work complements Isamu Noguchi's sunken sculpture garden – 60 feet across with basalt rocks imported from Japan's Uji River. |