Manhattan · NYC landmark
Home Life Insurance and Postal Telegraph Buildings
256-257 and 253 Broadway · Manhattan, New York City
Two adjoining early steel-framed towers with different facades, later combined as one insurance headquarters.
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NYFE Summary
The insurance company and the telegraph company commissioned neighboring early towers. During construction, Home Life added floors to its plans and rose above its neighbor. Decades later it bought the Postal Telegraph building and joined the two as one headquarters.
The buildings offer a side-by-side comparison of early skyscraper design. Home Life has a narrow marble front and a sharp roofline. Postal Telegraph's wider facade uses rows of repeated windows and a more horizontal upper section. Both relied on steel frames behind their decorated fronts.
NYFE summary from the official history and visitor sources linked below.
Plan a visit
Check the operator’s current opening, admission and access information before travelling. Historic status does not guarantee public access to every interior.
Official visitor information ↗