388 Greenwich Street facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 388 Greenwich Street
388 Greenwich Street in 2019
General information
Type	Office
Architectural style	Postmodern
Location	Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°43′14″N 74°00′40″W / 40.720685°N 74.011036°W / 40.720685; -74.011036
Construction started	February 11, 1986
Completed	August 10, 1988
Height
Roof	151 m (495 ft)
Top floor	38
Technical details
Floor count	39
Floor area	2,700,000 sq ft (250,000 m2) (complex)
Lifts/elevators	24, primarily double-deckers
Design and construction
Architect	Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC

388 Greenwich Street is a tall office building, also known as a skyscraper, located in the Tribeca area of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was first called the Shearson Lehman Plaza and later the Travelers Building. This building is on Greenwich Street, with parts of it facing North Moore and West Streets.

388 Greenwich Street is part of a larger group of buildings. It connects with a 10-story building next door, 390 Greenwich Street. Both buildings together are now the main offices for Citigroup, a big company that deals with money and banking around the world. 388 Greenwich is one of the tallest buildings in the Tribeca neighborhood.

Building Features

Like many other office buildings in Manhattan, 388 Greenwich Street has many useful features for the people who work there. It includes a fitness center for exercise and places to eat. There is also a medical center, a conference center for meetings, and even a day care center for children. Outside, there is a park area.

One special thing about 388 Greenwich Street is its double-deck elevators. These elevators can carry people on two levels at once, which helps move more people faster. After the events of September 11, 2001, the building's outdoor area was used as a place to help people who were injured.

A Look at Its Past

In December 2007, Citigroup sold 388 Greenwich Street and 390 Greenwich Street. They did this to reduce how much property they owned. A group of companies, SL Green Realty and SITQ, bought the buildings for about 1.58 billion US dollars. However, Citigroup still wanted to use the buildings. So, they made a deal to rent them back for 15 years. This is called a leaseback arrangement.

In 2016, Citigroup bought the buildings back again. They then moved their main offices from another location, 399 Park Avenue, to 388 Greenwich Street.

Modern Makeover

When Citigroup decided to stay in the building in 2016, they also announced plans to make it look new. The outside of the building was updated by a company called Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. They added a modern glass curtain wall to the lower floors of 388 Greenwich and to all of 390 Greenwich Street on the west side. Inside, another company called Gensler redesigned the spaces, including a brand new lobby.

The Famous Umbrella

For many years, 388 Greenwich Street had a very noticeable sign near the top of its northern side. This was a large neon sign, about 50 by 50 ft (15 by 15 m), that showed a red umbrella. It was put up in May 1997. Some people thought it was a cool symbol for the building, while others found it a bit distracting.

To go along with the neon sign, there was also a big, red umbrella sculpture outside the building at street level. This sculpture was made of steel, was about 16-foot (4.9 m) tall, and weighed about 5,300-pound (2,400 kg). Both the neon sign and the sculpture have since been removed. The sculpture was taken down in the summer of 2007. This happened as part of a deal between Citigroup and St. Paul Travelers Companies, which had acquired the umbrella logo.

See also

In Spanish: 388 Greenwich Street para niños