Manhattan Municipal Building, ca. 1980.

By the late 19th century, and especially following the consolidation of New York City's five boroughs in 1898, existing office space was unable to meet the demands of new and swelling civic agencies.

In 1907 a proposal by architect William M. Kendall of McKim, Mead & White was selected; the Municipal Building became the storied firm's first steel-frame skyscraper. The design incorporated numerous Classical references, most notably its entrance arch and Gustavino tile south arcade. "Civic Fame," a sculpture by Adolph Alexander Weinman, sits atop the Classical tempietto.