The Woolworth Building, at 233 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, designed by architect Cass Gilbert and completed in 1913, is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the United States. The land for the building was purchased by F. W. Woolworth on March 11, 1910, from the Trenor Luther Park Estate for two million dollars. More than a century after the start of its construction, it remains, at 241.4 meters (792 ft), one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966, and a New York City landmark since 1983.

…Originally planned to be 625 feet (191 m) high, the building was eventually elevated to 792 feet (241 m). At its opening, the Woolworth Building was 60 stories tall and had over 5,000 windows. The construction cost was US$13.5 million and Woolworth paid all of it in cash. On completion, the Woolworth building overtook the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower as the world’s tallest building.

The building opened on April 24, 1913. President Woodrow Wilson turned the lights on by way of a button in Washington, D.C. that evening.

(excerpts from Wikipedia)