New York Plaza Office Building
New York Plaza is an office building located at South Ave. and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan. The 50-story structure is generally regarded as the southernmost skyscraper on the island of Manhattan. The planning for the building began in 1959. Manhattan was a burgeoning financial markets powerhouse and further infrastructure was needed to house the new offices of domestic and foreign banks. Upon completion in 1969, it was one of the more prominent, if not unusual, office buildings in the area. The building boasted a unique beehive like appearance with recessed windows, certainly a novel piece of architecture
While today the building holds many important offices for U.S. and foreign banking, its most notable tenants in investment banking are Goldman Sachs and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, and Jacobsen. Needless to say, the prominence of just its tenants speaks to the importance of the building.
Beneath One New York Plaza is a network of Consolidated Edison steam pipes. On August 11th, 2001, a steam pipe burst and disrupted Goldman Sachs banking on the NASDAQ that day. Similar steam pipe explosions have happened across Manhattan, exposing many to asbestos. Those who work with or around the pipe, insulation, and electrical fixtures of One New York Plaza should be aware that asbestos has been used extensively in the New York Plaza building and its related infrastructure.
Asbestos exposure can be extremely hazardous to respiratory health. Asbestos has been banned for general use since the late 1970's because of its clear connection with respiratory illness, including a rare form of cancer mesothelioma. Steam fixtures, such as those at One New York Plaza, have used asbestos extensively to insulate pipes and other infrastructure. It is important to understand where asbestos use may have occurred and how to safely avoid unnecessary exposure that could potentially lead to harmful health consequences.
