The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-02-14
EQUITABLE Home
WAS A MARVEL
Burned Building and Site Valued
at S20,OOO,oOO.
COVERED ACRE OF GROUND.

GUvtktu ACkt uf 6huuNu.
With Splendid Arcade Of Granite, Onyx
and Marble It Was One Of New
Works Wonders-Late e. H. Harri-
nan Had Offices In Building.
The Equitable Life Assurance sOcie-
tvs building in New York, which was
recently destroyed by fire, was valued
at ST., 100000 to $2O,OOO,OOO. Cover
ing an acre Of ground and containing
a beautiful arcade of polished granite.
ONYX and Italian marble, it occupied
an entire block. surrounded by Broad
way, Pine, Cedar and Nassau streets,
and for decades, until the erection of
the great skyscrapers. was II of the
most imposing buildings in the city.
Built of granite and deliberately dec
grated, it was pointed out for nearly
half a century as one Of the sights of
New York, significant of the solidity
of the city's financial institutions, and
In later years its ornamented towers
have given a trace of structural beau
ty to a section of Broadway where
square, towering skyscrapers are fore
ing out older and more beautiful
buildings.
1t contained the rooms of the Law
yers' club and had a law library of
$4,000 volumes, together with scores
of valuable paintings.
Held Hartman Offices.
Fnanciers of national reputation
had Offices in the Equitable building
for years. From offices there e. Fl.
Hartman for years directed the affairs
of his system of railroads.
Erected in 1869, the original building
covered only one-half Of the Broad
way front Of the block, adjoining
the Pine street corner, but it was e x
tended and remodelled in 1887 so as to
cover the entire block.
It was then regarded as one Of the
city's structural marvels and contain
ed 600 offices. A part Of the old build
ing had been torn down and extensive
additions made, producing a structure
eleven stories high, with approximate
~ 100 feet frontage on Broadway and
80 feet depth, running through to
Nassau street.
Its most notable feature after remod
cling was the splendid arcade, which
was opened o May 3, 1887. This
composed a court 100 feet long, a.
feet wide and 80 feet high, its wall:
Of highly polished granite, with rows
Of double pillars of the same mate
rial, extending along its sides. TIT
capitals of these pillars were of Al
gerian onyx, and along their tops wer'
layers of Knoxville and Italian mar
BILE.
Had TesseIlated Floor.
A tessellated floor Of pink and Whit
marble added to its beauty. At 1T
eastern end, in the arch of the dome
was a mosaic panel, said to be n o
the finest of it's kind in the country
It consisted of the draped figure Of
woman, at each side of which was tn
figure Of a warrior and beneath then
the motto Of the society, "Vigilanc'
and Strength-Defend the Defense
less"
Plans were made in 1908 to tea
down the building and erect in it
place a sixty-two story structure whicl
was to be 900 feet in height and t
cost SIS, 100000, consisting Of a mai
building 400 feet high, of thirty-fou
stories, and a tower Of twenty-eigh
stories, with a cupola APO feet higf
These plans, however, were abandon
ed.
The great wal against the insuranc
companies which resulted In a leg1s
lative investigation conducted b
Charles E. Hughes and in extensiv
reforms of the insurance bushes
throughout the country had it's incel
ton in the Equitable building and be
gan in a struggle between James Hi
zen Hyde and James W. Alexander
its chief official, for the stock Of th
society.
As a result of this struggle Hyd
was forced out of the ownership {
the society and sold it to Thomas I
Ryan.
The late E. II. Hartman testified 6
the insurance Investigation that b
attempted to induce Mr.. Ryan to Sc
him a part interest in the society, br
Mr.. Ryan declined, and MI. Hartman
when asked If be had squared the a.
count with MI. Ryan for his refusa
answered, mot yet"
After retaining its ownership for Sc
eral years Mr.. Ryan sold control
the society to J.. P. Morgan in 100
and MI. Morgan is now believed to (
its owner.