Which skyscraper was once known as the Cathedral of Commerce?

Woolworth Building was once known as the Cathedral of Commerce.

The Woolworth Building stands in Lower Manhattan and was completed in 1913. At 241 metres, it became the world’s tallest building when finished, a title it held until 1930. Its Gothic Revival design, richly decorated lobby and cathedral-like vertical emphasis helped inspire the “Cathedral of Commerce” nickname.

Architect Cass Gilbert designed the building for retailer Frank W. Woolworth. Woolworth originally planned the tower as the headquarters for his company and financed the project without a mortgage. The building’s observation area, known as the Woolworth Tower, once attracted visitors seeking a high view of New York.

The building is sometimes confused with the Singer Building, which briefly held an earlier height record in New York. The Woolworth Building’s record was especially notable because it combined commercial office space with an elaborate Gothic architectural language.