The Woolworth Building was constructed in 1913 as the headquarters for the Woolworth retail chain.

The Woolworth Building, at 57 stories, is one of the oldest—and one of the most famous—skyscrapers in New York City. More than 95 years after its construction, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. The building, known as the 'Cathedral of Commerce', was the world's tallest skyscraper until the construction of the Chrysler Building in 1930.