classical-inspired moldings, large woodwork, and custom furnishings designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Conway. The western room, which served as Equitable's main boardroom, was originally designed with a green carpet with a large circular table. The eastern room had Equitable's main dining room and contained Triptych, a trio of landscapes by Brad Davis. History Equitable Holdings (originally the Equitable Life Assurance Society) had constructed several structures in New York City since the late 19th century, as well as several across the United States. The first New York City office was the Equitable Life Building on 120 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, completed in 1870. The Equitable Life Building was destroyed by a fire in 1912 and replaced by the current Equitable Building at 120 Broadway. Equitable Life moved to 393 Seventh Avenue (now 11 Penn Plaza) in 1924, and it moved to 1281 Sixth Avenue in 1961. Equitable had occupied all in its Sixth Avenue building for over twenty years. However, by the 1980s, it was looking to move decentralize its New York City office. The company split into four major divisions, of which only one, Equitable Capital, remained in the Sixth Avenue building. At the time, office space in Midtown Manhattan was in high demand and Equitable felt it could lease its Sixth Avenue building at a great profit. Development After considering relocating elsewhere in the United States, Equitable planned to expand its Sixth Avenue headquarters by 1980. Over the next year, it acquired an adjacent "L"-shaped site extending to Seventh Avenue, measuring . Except for a small plot on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 52nd Street, Equitable had control of the entire city block. Equitable first announced its intention, in March 1981, to construct a tower on the newly acquired Seventh Avenue site. Demolition of existing buildings, such as the Victoria and Abbey hotels, began soon after. General contractor Turner Construction performed the demolitions manually, even though it had the city government's permission to use dynamite, since it wished to minimize disruption to neighboring structures. During one demolition in 1982, a steel beam fell through the roof of a nearby deli. Equitable's board officially approved plans in February 1983 to move its headquarters to a Seventh Avenue building. Edward Larrabee Barnes was hired as the architect. Equitable's new tower was one of several high-rise developments planned for the area at the time, in spite of a slight decline in