2 Broadway

2 Broadway

New York Produce Exchange (1883)

2 Broadway is an office building at the south end of Broadway, near Bowling Green Park in New York City.

2 Broadway was built on the site of the Produce Exchange Building, a representative structure of brick with terracotta decorations. Its grand skylighted hall, based on French retail structures, cast daylight into the lower floors. Its architect was George B. Post, who built it from 1881–84. The building can be briefly seen in the 1928 silent movie Speedy with Harold Lloyd.

The Produce Exchange Building was demolished in 1957 and replaced by a 32-story tower constructed in 1958-1959. The developer Uris Brothers first preferred a design by William Lescaze with Kahn & Jacobs, which featured a tower slab set at right angles to Broadway. However ultimately Emery Roth & Sons was given the contract, which saw a radically different design which would fill most of the lot, with the building rising in triple setbacks. The facade is now covered in blue-green tinted glass after a makeover some years ago. The building was part of the filming location in the 1965 thriller Mirage with Gregory Peck and Diane Baker. The building also featured in the 1960 American comedy-drama film The Apartment, produced and directed by Billy Wilder, which stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.