One Broadway

Entrance of One Broadway with seals of Melbourne and Queensland above

One Broadway next to 11 Broadway, circa 1903

One Broadway at the bottom of Bowling Green was the site of George Washington’s headquarters in 1776. After the war, the building was converted to the Washington Hotel which was then torn down in 1881 and replaced with the 14-story Washington Building.

'First Class' on the pediment above the side entrance

In 1919 the International Mercantile Marine Company chose the building to be its new headquarters, covering the entire (previously brick and brownstone) facade with limestone.

The original building still exists under the current facade! The shipping company used the ground floor as a booking office for its cruise line and the entry ways were designated by First Class and Cabin Class. The building is a Citi Bank today, but you can still see the detail in the facade (pictured above) along with mosaic seals from ports all over the world and antique maps on the walls inside.