part of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, and there were 15 structures on the block, including nine on the current skyscraper's site. The site contained the homes of two Dutch and two English families, and the family of Jewish settler Abraham Isaacs lived on the site in the 18th century. The original houses on the site were redeveloped with four- and five-story apartments in the mid-19th century. The 11-story Chesebrough Building was built on the northwestern corner of the block in 1898. The Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey had announced plans for a tower on the site in 1966, replacing the Chesebrough Building. The 23-story structure replaced the institute's previous headquarters, which had been demolished to make way for 55 Water Street. Eggers & Higgins designed the Seamen's Church Institute Building, a red-brick structure that opened in 1968 or 1969. The structure had classrooms and other training facilities on its lowest five floors, while the upper 18 stories included 260 rooms for sailors who lived there. Because of a decline in the shipping industry shortly after the institute's headquarters was completed, the edifice was never profitable. The institute's building was demolished 16 years after its completion. Architecture 17 State Street was designed by Roy Gee of the firm of Emery Roth and Sons. It was developed by Melvyn Kaufman of the William Kaufman Organization, along with JMB Realty. The building is tall and is variously cited as containing 41, 42, or 43 stories. 17 State Street's design was relatively conventional, contrasting with other buildings developed by the Kaufman Organization, such as 77 Water Street (which contained a statue of a camel) and 747 Third Avenue (which had a wavy brick sidewalk). Form and facade The massing is shaped like a quarter round, since it follows State Street's curved path. The primary elevation of the facade is curved and faces Battery Park, while the other two elevations are flat and perpendicular to each other. The facade itself consists of a silvered-glass curtain wall. This color was selected to stand out from the black facades of the neighboring buildings. The curtain wall on State Street was designed as a continuous surface without external flanges. The side walls are made of glass and aluminum. At night, a light beam extended above the building's roof, creating what architectural writer Paul Goldberger described as "quite literally a beacon for Lower