The Singer Building. If you read the New Republic, thank this building. (The publisher of TNR married the heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune, so he has the money to spend on the magazine.) Forty-seven stories in 1908. Think about that: no computers, no calcuators. Pen and ink. A 47-story tall object made entirely by hand. It was, of course, demolished for something stupid.
The balcony on the top floor was open to the public, unfortunately. "It seemed to have a strong appeal on those who had soured on life," one contemporary observer noted. The tower was known in the popular vernacular as "Suicide Pinnacle."
Yes, those old seven story buildings just didn't do the trick.
