New York World Building
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The New York World Building was a skyscraper in New York City built in 1890 to house the now defunct paper, The New York World. At 309 ft (94 m) tall it is thought to be the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1890 until 1894 when it was surpassed by the Manhattan Life Insurance Building. (However, its pinnacle height was not surpassed until the Park Row Building was constructed in 1899). It took the title of world's tallest building from the Home Insurance Building, in Chicago. However, the number of stories the building was is disputed, with estimates ranging from the 26 stories claimed by the World to 16 or 18 stories from some modern researchers.
Construction of the New York World Building began on October 10, 1889 and was completed on December 10, 1890. The World Building was demolished in 1955 for the expanded car ramp entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.
During the 19th Century, many highrise buidlings were constructed by newspaper companies which soon developed into a competition and a race for the tallest. The New York World Building resulted in being the tallest of all of them during that time.
The New York World Building was also known as the Pulitzer Building after the famous editor, Joseph Pulitzer, who commissioned it. Joseph Pulitzer's private office was on the second level of the dome which gave him the ability to look down upon other buildings along the street.
It was the first building in New York to surpass the spire height of 284 foot of Trinity Church which, at the time, dominated the city's skyline. It was also featured on the cover of the World Almanac from the late 19th century through the mid 1930's.
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