10 East 40th Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 10 East 40th Street |
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10 East 40th Street from the New York Public Library Main Branch
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| Alternative names | Mercantile Building |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Coordinates | 40°45′06″N 73°58′53″W / 40.751592°N 73.981323°W |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Renovated | 2002 |
| Height | 632 feet (193 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 48 |
| Floor area | 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Ludlow and Peabody |
10 East 40th Street, also known as the Mercantile Building, is a tall skyscraper in New York City. It stands in Midtown Manhattan, between Fifth and Madison avenues. The building also reaches back to 39th Street.
It was designed by Ludlow and Peabody and finished in 1929. This building has a classic look, inspired by older European buildings. When it was built, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world!
The building is about 632 feet (193 meters) tall and has 48 floors. Inside, there are about 350,000 square feet (32,516 square meters) of space used for offices and other businesses.
Building History
This building was once called the Chase Tower. This name came from its first main tenant, a company called Chase Brass & Copper. Frederick William Vanderbilt owned the building until he passed away in 1938.
In the 1970s, part of the Mid-Manhattan Library was located here. In 2002, the main entrance area (lobby) of the building was updated. Its tall 15-foot (4.6-meter) ceilings were brought back to their original look. Today, the consulate for Morocco is one of the tenants in the building.
The Last Building on an Old Power Grid
On November 14, 2007, 10 East 40th Street became famous for a special reason. It was the very last building to be disconnected from Thomas Edison's original direct current (DC) electricity system in New York City.
When the building was finished in 1929, most of the electricity in lower Manhattan was direct current. Over time, the city slowly switched to alternating current (AC), which is what we mostly use today. By 2007, this building was the final one still directly connected to Edison's old DC grid. Now, the building uses its own equipment to change AC power into DC power for things like its elevators. The New York City Subway also still uses direct current for its trains.
See also
In Spanish: 10 East 40th Street para niños
