Early site usage In the 17th century, two taverns operated at the site of what is now 1 Broadway. One of these was the "Knocks Tavern", built around 1649 by Dutch military officer Peter Knocks (alternatively Peter Cock). This was likely the first permanent building at 1 Broadway. Dutch settler William Isaacsen Vredenburgh lived at the site until 1673, when the building was scheduled to be demolished because it interfered with
Fort Amsterdam's defenses. The lot was sold in 1745 to
Royal Navy captain
Archibald Kennedy. Around 1760 or 1768, Kennedy's house was erected at the site, "fashioned [...] after the most approved English model". There was a parlor long and a connection to the adjacent house at 3 Broadway. as well as by high-ranking generals of the British army. Following the war's conclusion, the structure was restored to its original condition. or through the 1840s. The hotel's furnishings were sold that December. The prior month, in November 1881, Field had announced that he would host a competition among six of the city's most reputable architects to design the Washington Building, a commercial building, on the hotel site. The winning architect would be paid $5,500, and the other architects would be paid $500 each for submitting a design. The Washington Building Company was set up in June 1882, upon which title was transferred to said corporation. The structure was erected by W.H. Hazzard & Son The Washington Building was often referred to as the Field Building, after its developer. the Manhattan Hay and Produce Exchange, the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company, and the United-States National Bank. but sources disagree as to how this was undertaken. According to Fran Leadon, a two-story addition was built shortly after the Washington Building's completion, and another two-story expansion was added in 1886–1887.
IMM renovation is located at left, and
2 Broadway can be seen at far right The
International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM) was looking for a new headquarters by the early 20th century. Because of its large size and abundant competition in the steamship industry, its operations ran with a "thin margin of safety". IMM's finances were negatively affected after the
1912 sinking of the , operated by its subsidiary
White Star Line, but the company made significant profits from freight traffic during and after
World War I. Due to a dearth of available office space in the neighborhood, IMM decided against constructing an entirely new structure.
Walter B. Chambers designed the Washington Building's renovation. The dormers and oriels were removed; the roof was rebuilt; the facade was clad in a mixture of granite, marble, and limestone; and maritime-themed details were placed on the facade of 1 Broadway. that year, the Downtown League gave 1 Broadway a "best-altered building" award. This led to a series of organizational changes, including the sale of all foreign-flag lines and even some domestic lines. which continued to own 1 Broadway. USL also proposed replacing 1 Broadway with a 50-story skyscraper in 1970, which would have entailed taking
air rights from the nearby
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. Shipping entrepreneur
Malcom McLean bought USL in 1977, The relocation took place in mid-1979, though USL remained on the ground floor through the end of the year. Ultimately, the structure was acquired by the Muna Realty Development Corporation, a
Dutch Antillean company who paid $9.75 million for the building and $250,000 for USL's remaining rent. The same year, Allstate started renovating the facade. In 2007, it was designated as a contributing property to the
Wall Street Historic District, a NRHP district.
Kenyon & Kenyon, a prominent intellectual property law firm, was the main tenant on the upper floors in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, having moved into four floors of 1 Broadway in 1980. Kenyon & Kenyon along with investment counselors Brundage, Story & Rose, collectively occupied 70% of the building's office space by 1996. In 2018, the building was sold to Midtown Equities for $140 million, Kenyon & Kenyon dissolved afterward. == Critical reception ==