Western Wall

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Beaver Building was constructed between 1903 and 1904 as a speculative development by the Century Realty Company, who hired Clinton and Russell to design it. The Remington Construction Company was the contractor, and the project was planned to cost $600,000. Work began in June 1903, and ownership was transferred the next month to the Beaver and Wall Street Corporation. During construction, some workers went on strike, prompting the contractor to hire longshoremen. The building served as the headquarters of the Munson Steamship Line from 1904 until 1921, and the company owned 1 Wall Street Court from 1919 to 1937. The building was foreclosed upon in 1937, and ownership subsequently passed to several other entities, including the Bowery Savings Bank. The New York Cocoa Exchange was another large tenant, occupying the building between 1931 and 1972. The building was converted into a residential condominium building in 2006.

Reader's Guide

The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column: a base, shaft, and capital. The three-story base is faced with ashlar of granite and Indiana limestone. The nine-story shaft is composed of alternating bands of buff and tan brick, with windows surrounded by glazed green terracotta tiles. The three-story capital is ornamented with multicolored glazed terracotta tiles in green, cream, and russet hues. There are carved beavers over the main entrance facing Pearl and Beaver Streets, signifying the building's original name. The superstructure is of steel frame construction. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1995 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district created in 2007.

Did You Know?

• The Western Wall is the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, an artificially expanded hilltop.
• Its lower 17 courses, including those below street level, date from the end of the Second Temple period and are believed to have been begun by Herod the Great.
• A small 8-meter section, the Little Western Wall, displays much original Herodian stonework and is considered even closer to the Holy of Holies.
• In Islam, the wall is known as the Buraq Wall, believed to be where the Prophet Muhammad tied his winged steed on his Night Journey.