On the top floor of 120 Broadway sits The Bankers Club, a stunning tenant amenity featuring a lounge, café, and rooftop terrace. The space shares its name with an infamous venue that once operated here from 1914–1979. In its heyday, the original Bankers Club hosted kings & queens, celebrities, and foreign dignitaries while serving a regular crowd of Manhattan's most rich and powerful businessmen.
My historic research into the former space uncovered menus, invitations, and print advertisements, as well as an original Bankers Club cigar box dating back to the 1920s. The script lettering and monogram found on the inside lid of this century-old artifact became the basis for the new brand.
The Bankers Club
Services
Branding
Typeface Design
Art Direction
Creative Direction
Client
Silverstein Properties
Year
2017
One of the most significant buildings in Lower Manhattan rises no more than 40 stories. When 120 Broadway—also known as The Equitable Building—was built in 1914, it was the largest office building in the world. So large, in fact, that it is said to have inspired the first construction zoning laws in New York City.
A century later, Silverstein Properties set out on a $50M restoration and renovation of this Downtown icon, and my team was tapped to lead the rebranding and marketing efforts. In doing so, we developed an elevated brand and custom typeface, Equitable Serif, based on inscriptions discovered in the building's century-old vault. The typeface was used extensively throughout the renovation in wayfinding and permanent signage, as well as in marketing materials and other collateral.
Reviving a Classic
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