Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Where Is the Building that houses Naylor-Kerr, Inc., in the Nero Wolfe novel Too Many Women (by Rex Stout)

I'm re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading Two Many Women, and very early on Archie comments that Naylor-Kerr has its offices in the general vicinity of Wall Street, and the executive offices are on the 36th floor.  So that's probably at least a 500-foot-tall building.  I've never done this before, but I was curious.  Here is a list (taken from a list of the 100 tallest buildings in Manhattan I found on the web, of all the buildings in Manhattan, 500+ feet tall, constructed before 1950:
The Empire State Building, 102 floors, 1250 feet, 34th Street and  and 5th Avenue.  Not near Wall Street.
The Chrysler Building, 1930, 77 floors, 1046 feet (counting the spire), 42nd and Lexington.  Not near Wall Street.
70 Pine Street, 1932, 66 floors, 952 feed, obviously at 70 Pine St.; about 2 blocks from Wall Street.
The Bank of Manhattan Trust Building*, 70 floors, 927 feet, 725 5th Ave,; not near Wall Street,
The RCA Building.**  1933, 70 floors, 850 feet, 1250 Avenue of the Americas.  Not near Wall Street.
The Woolworth Building.  1913, 57 floors, 792 feet.  223 Broadway, about a half mile north of Wall Street.
The City Bank-FarmersTrust Building.***  1931, 57 floors, 741 feet.  Basically on Wall Street.
500 Fifth Avenue.  1931, 60 floors, 709 feet.  Nowhere near Wall Street.
Met Life Insurance Tower.  1909, 50 floors, 700 feet.  Just off Times Square.
Lincoln Building.  1930 56-72 W. 42nd St.  Midtown.
1 Wall Street.  1931, 50 floors, 658 feet.  Definitely near Wall Street.
Chanin Building.  1930, 56 floors, 649 feet.  122 E. 42nd.  At Grand Central.
570 Lexington.  1931, 50 floors, 640 feet.  Midtown.
Mercantile Building.  1929, 48 floors, 629 feet.  10 E. 40th.  Midtown.
New York Life Building.  1928, 40 floors, 615 feet.  200 Park Ave.  Midtown.
So we have 70 Pine, The City Bank-Farmers Trust Building, 1 Wall Street as possibilities.  Given that the president of Maylor-Kerr was Jasper Pine, I'd bet on 70 Pine...
*Now the Trump Building,
**Now the GE Building
***Now 20 Exchange Place

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