Talk:20 Exchange Place

Requested move
old request that needs to be archived. --RegentsPark (sticks and stones) 03:10, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

20 Stock Exchange Place → 20 Exchange Place — ButtonwoodTree 03:32, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

This page was incorrectly moved to "20 Stock Exchange Place". Its correct name is "20 Exchange Place". I'm unable to move it to that page, however. I will expand this article. There is no question this is an architecurally significant building.

First, and most obviously, it alters the New York City skyline. This fact alone, (being a building tall enough to alter the skyline) is significant. My guess is that more than a few people have tried to identify it, but its obscure name makes it difficult (I did, and ultimately had to go down there).

Second, it is the third in a trio of buildings built at approximately the same time during Manhattan's race to be the tallest in the world. Although the depression curtailed the original plans, its proximity and relation to the other two (40 Wall Street and 70 Pine), merit its inclusion.

Third, the building was designed by Cross and Cross. Cross and Cross was a relatively important architectural firm at the turn of the 20th century. Among their other works is the original RCA building on Lexington Avenue and the Federal Office Building on Church Street.

Fourth, the building was designated as a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1996. ButtonwoodTree 03:32, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating
This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 05:22, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

- I am unsure about the info that floors 16 to 57 are being renovated. I worked on the 53rd floor of this building in 2003-2005. The elevator went one more floor, to 54. Then a set of steps took you to the 55th floor where a law firm was located. After that I am pretty sure there are no more usable floors. 56 and perhaps 57 were mechanical/elevators, and thus not usable as living space. My guess would be you couldn't live any higher than the 55th floor.

The mail chute went as high as 54. Here's a set of pictures I took inside/around the building.

It would also be interesting to determine when the skybridge was removed. Maybe in the late 70s when Citibank moved out?

Tels7ar (talk) 23:56, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130314093956/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130307/financial-district/amazing-spider-man-2-film-downtown-april to http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130307/financial-district/amazing-spider-man-2-film-downtown-april
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A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 15:51, 6 July 2019 (UTC)
 * LVG Architectural Drawing.jpg

A Third of 20 Exchange Place's Units are Unaccounted For by Sources?
"Since being converted to residential use, 20 Exchange Place has contained 767 residential apartments."

20 Exchange Place's apartment conversion happened in three phases, but I think only two phases are identified in this article. In the first phase, all floors above the 16th are converted to 350 units. Then, in the mid-2010s, 221 more units are created between the 9th and 15th floors. What about the remaining 196 units of the 767 total (which, presumably, are below the 8th floor)? Part of a third phase out of nowhere that happened at the same time as the second (that would have resulted in all of the office space in 20 Exchange Place disappearing at that point, but that is beside the point)? Or are the 350 and 221 figures just miscounts by the original sources?

Your thoughts on this, EpicGenius? Jim856796 (talk) 18:08, 4 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for bringing this up. Yes, that is correct; all of the office space was eliminated from 2014 to 2015 when the remaining 167 units were added. I have clarified this in the article more explicitly. – Epicgenius (talk) 17:13, 28 March 2022 (UTC)

Elevators
I added the following to the article:

In March 2022, the New York Times reported that it was a long term, chronic problem in the building that very often, none of the elevators worked, and that none of the maintenance crew in the building, or repair people brought in from outside, were able to determine the cause of the problem. Younger, able bodied residents reported spending long periods of time walking up and down many flights of stairs, while older and disabled tenants were reported to feel trapped in their apartments.

User:Epicgenius replaced it with the following:

Starting in November 2021, the building's elevators began to break down frequently, particularly the elevators that served units above the 15th story. As a result, DTH Capital hired elevator mechanics to remain on site at all times and offered rent concessions and hotel rooms to 20 Exchange Place's residents. The New York Times reported that DTH had tried to acquire controller boards for the elevators, but the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis had delayed the delivery of those boards. Local politicians met with 20 Exchange Place's residents in March 2022 to address the chronic elevator outages.

The New York Times article mentions that one party claims the supply chain problems are the cause. But other parties in the article cite other causes. The different parties have not reached an agreement or consensus as to what the cause it.

Also, if the cause is the supply chain problems, then why hasn't this been happening in all of the other skyscrapers in the city?

Mulva? Gipple? Dolores! (talk) 21:24, 28 March 2022 (UTC)


 * I think you had the right idea about adding this detail to the article. However, I think we can condense the fact that younger people had to walk many flights of stairs and that older people felt trapped. Not only is it anecdotal, but it also lacks context as to why specifically people felt that way (it's because they had to climb 15 or more stories). Additionally, as the problem has been ongoing for several months, it is important to note this context. Perhaps it can be shortened.As to if the cause is the supply chain problems, then why hasn't this been happening in all of the other skyscrapers in the city? - It actually is, but the issues aren't happening on such a wide scale as here, and it's not elevators specifically. The Brooklyn Tower, for instance, has had issues obtaining parts for doors and finishes for the same reason. Another thing is that most residents don't live in buildings that are 20+ stories tall. It's also especially rare that all eight elevators that serve the upper floors would have issues. – Epicgenius (talk) 23:18, 28 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Looking at the source again, I've found some further clarification on this issue:
 * DTH's elevator experts were able to find a cause for the elevator problems. Namely, it was power surges.
 * The root of the power surges, however, is disputed (the Times said These experts have so far been unable to determine the source of the surges). DTH's experts said Con Ed equipment was malfunctioning, but Con Ed said its equipment worked fine.
 * Regarding the comment, The New York Times article mentions that one party claims the supply chain problems are the cause. But other parties in the article cite other causes. - The supply chain problems are actually not a cause at all; they are affecting the implementation of the solution. By installing new controller boards, DTH would be able to protect the elevator machinery against sudden surges, or at least reduce the negative impacts.
 * So it's not that the cause of the problem could not be found, since the experts already found that the cause is a power surge. It's that no one's accepting responsibility for the cause of the problem (i.e. whoever is creating the power surges). – Epicgenius (talk) 23:48, 28 March 2022 (UTC)