American Thread Building
Also known as: Wool Exchange Building
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Why it's listed
Rising eleven stories at the corner of West Broadway and Beach Street in TriBeCa, this Renaissance Revival building was erected in 1894-96 as the Wool Exchange Building. Architect William B. Tubby designed it with Roman brick, Indiana limestone and a curving corner entrance vestibule decorated with glass-tile mosaics. The Macnaughtan family conceived it as a single home for the wool trade, combining an auction house, exhibition rooms, a bank, a warehouse, a post office and a dining club, in an effort to challenge Boston's dominance of the market. The wool venture faltered within a few years, and the American Thread Company, already a major tenant, bought the building in 1901 and stayed until the 1960s, giving the building its lasting name. Converted to condominiums in 1980, it retains its lobby, a former banking hall and parts of the Wool Club interiors, though its projecting roofline cornice is gone.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion A as an example of the late 19th-century commercial exchanges of lower Manhattan, built to organize the New York wool trade. It is significant under Criterion C as a largely intact commercial building by the noted architect William B. Tubby, with ornate interiors including a banking hall and mosaic lobby.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 04001532, listed January 20, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 260 W. Broadway, New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | January 20, 2005 |
| Reference number | 04001532 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1894-1954 |
| Architect / builder | Tubby, William B. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Upper floors have been converted to condominium apartments; the original crowning cornice has been removed, but the building survives largely intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.72056, -74.00573 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 04001532.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4745252
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.