# New York City Dopers: Old building that looks like a Babylonian ziggurat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347 "2003-06-25T19:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/1 "2003-06-25T19:34:15Z")
You always see this building in long shots of the NY skyline, from across the river. I’ve never seen picture from close enough to give a better description, but it looks as if the structure probably tops out around 40 or 50 storeys, not terribly tall. It’s quite a bit shorter than the buildings around it. Up to about the midpoint it’s your typical, blocky building. From there onward however, it has several setbacks that make the top half look somewhat like a pyramid. In any contemporary skyline shot I’ve ever seen, the building is there, so it must go back to WWII or before. And while we’re on the subject of setbacks, do the adjacent offices usually have doors opening out onto them, so they can be used as terraces? ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/2 "2003-06-25T19:58:44Z")
I’m not able to identify it from your description, but perhaps these sites will help: [http://www.shabazzone.com/](http://www.shabazzone.com/) [http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nyc.html](http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC/nyc.html) ---
**Author:** ![altor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@altor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/3 "2003-06-25T20:06:03Z")
120 Wall Street? [http://www.aviewoncities.com/building/120wallstreet.htm](http://www.aviewoncities.com/building/120wallstreet.htm) [http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/wm/bu/115441/](http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/wm/bu/115441/) ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/4 "2003-06-25T20:11:08Z")
[Barclay-Vesey ?](http://www.decopix.com/bv.html) ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/5 "2003-06-25T20:25:13Z")
Just to be dead certain, it’s not either of these, is it? 😉 [http://www.amybphotography.com/chrysler2.htm](http://www.amybphotography.com/chrysler2.htm) [http://www.amybphotography.com/empirestate.htm](http://www.amybphotography.com/empirestate.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-city-dopers-old-building-that-looks-like-a-babylonian-ziggurat/184347/6 "2003-06-25T21:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by altor \* > \*\*120 Wall Street? > > [http://www.aviewoncities.com/building/120wallstreet.htm](http://www.aviewoncities.com/building/120wallstreet.htm) > [http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/wm/bu/115441/](http://www.skyscrapers.com/re/en/wm/bu/115441/) \*\* The very one. Thanks!