| 88 Pine Street | |
|---|---|
 Wall Street Plaza (center) in 2025, withContinental Center to its left and 100 Wall Street to its right in the background | |
 Interactive map of 88 Pine Street | |
| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | New York City,New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°42′20″N74°00′22″W / 40.70556°N 74.00611°W /40.70556; -74.00611 |
| Construction started | 1973 |
| Completed | 1974 |
| Owner | Orient Overseas (International) Limited |
| Height | 417 feet |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 33 |
| Floor area | 624,000 square feet (as of 2016) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | |
Wall Street Plaza, also known as88 Pine Street, is anoffice building located between Pine Street, Water Street, Front Street, andMaiden Lane in theFinancial District ofManhattan inNew York City, New York, U.S. Despite its name, it does not adjoinWall Street. A plazaowned by the building management but accessible to the public surrounds it and links the separated parts of Pine Street in a walkable fashion. Its lobby includes a plaque and memorabilia related to theRMS Queen Elizabeth, a former passenger liner that sank in 1972. During its early years, the building also hosted a variety ofpublic art projects in otherwise unused space.
The building was built in 1973 forOrient Overseas (International) Limited, which has remained the owner since its construction.
The building was constructed by the firmI. M. Pei and Partners in 1973 for theOrient Overseas Association, a Hong Kong-based shipping line. The architect wasJames Ingo Freed. It was themed as a "light" tower, with glass and white-painted beams and columns, eschewing gray. Architecture criticPaul Goldberger remarked that for the era, the cost in building it was higher than more conventional office buildings, but it was not an extravagantly high budget either.[1] Though the building is known as Wall Street Plaza, it does not adjoinWall Street, instead being located at 88 Pine Street.[2]David W. Dunlap wrote of the building's name that "Wall Street Plaza sounds more like a financial landmark than 88 Pine Street."[3]
One early tenant of Wall Street Plaza wasBanca Serfin.[4] After I. M. Pei & Partners rebranded as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the firm moved into 88 Pine Street as tenants themselves in 2000.[5] Another notable tenant – if for the wrong reasons – was telecommunications companyGlobal Crossing, which was known to spend money rather loosely before their 2002 bankruptcy, and commissioned various changes to their rented floors at great expense.[6][7]
In 2017, Orient Overseas was bought out by the conglomerateCOSCO Shipping, astate-owned enterprise with its leaders hand-picked by the government of the People's Republic of China. This became relevant in a controversy two years later, in 2019.Amnesty International had been looking to lease office space at Wall Street Plaza, but the holding company pulled out of the deal at the last second, saying only that Amnesty was "not the best [potential] tenant". As owners are generally happy to lease space, this triggered speculation that pressure from the Chinese government was involved, as Amnesty has criticized human rights in China, in particular the actions of the government toward Western China'sUighur population.[8]
The lobby features a plaque commemorating the shipRMS Queen Elizabeth, which sank in Hong Kong'sVictoria Harbour in 1972.[9] The bronze "Q" and "E" originally from the bow of the ship are displayed on it as a souvenir of the vessel.[10]
Outside at the plaza is a shiny stainless steel disc and square by Taiwanese artistYuyu Yang, maintained by the building.C. Y. Tung, the founder of Orient Overseas, personally commissioned the sculpture, which cost around $120,000 (in 1975; equivalent to $700,000 in 2024).[11]
The nonprofit organizationCreative Time ran fourpublic art projects at 88 Pine Street during its early years, from 1974 to 1978. The exhibits used a street-level space intended to eventually be leased to a bank, while waiting for an interested party to move in. The most acclaimed and notable was the first, an exhibit created by the artistRed Grooms and his wife at the timeMimi Gross, "Ruckus Manhattan". It was a not-to-scale, participatory diorama of Manhattan, and spread over more than 10,000 square feet.[12][13][14][15]
After construction finished in 1974, theAmerican Institute of Architects (AIA) gave the building an Honor Award.[16] TheAIA Guide to New York City wrote that the building was "A white, crisp elegance of aluminum and glass" and "Water Street's classiest building".[17] Others have also praised the building;Terrence Riley called it among the most refined examples of modern design, and Robert B. Tierney, chairman of theLandmarks Preservation Commission, nominated the building for an award in 2005 (although it did not win).[18][5]
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