The Cities Service Building was constructed during the New York skyscraper race , which accounts for its gothic-like spire-topped appearance , a popular architectural style at that time . When completed it was the third-tallest building in the world , after the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building . It was the last skyscraper to be built in Lower Manhattan prior to World War II , and was the tallest building in Lower Manhattan until the 1970s when the World Trade Center was completed . Upon the September 11 attacks , it regained for some years the status of the tallest downtown building until the completion of the new One World Trade Center in 2014 . It is now the fourth-tallest building in Lower Manhattan . As of 2018 , it is the fourteenth-tallest in New York City , and the 25th-tallest in the United States
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
70 Pine Street