Designed by the firm of Clinton & Russell, Holton & George in the Art Deco style, 70 Pine Street was built from 1930 to 1932 as an office building.

The building contains an extensive program of ornamentation, including the Cities Service Company's triangular logo and solar motifs.

[10] The architectural firm Clinton & Russell, Holton & George designed 70 Pine Street in the Art Deco style;[11][12] the structure was the last large commission by these architects.

[14][20][22] Though setbacks in New York City skyscrapers were mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution in order to allow light and air to reach the streets below, they later became a defining feature of the Art Deco style.

[34][38] An early publicist for 70 Pine Street said that Cities Service founder Henry Latham Doherty was personally involved in the structure's design, and that "he insisted on dignity with beauty, to the absolute avoidance of the garish, the flamboyant, and the over colorful.

These ornamental features include reliefs above each set of entrance doors; spandrels with sharp arrises above the lower-story windows; and a ventilation grille on Cedar Street.

Another entrance on Pearl Street, which was formerly located under the Third Avenue elevated line, is more simply designed and leads to a lobby in the lower level.

[46][b] Architectural critic Robert A. M. Stern wrote that 70 Pine Street's reliefs "surveyed the crowds of workers as a carved Madonna would bless the pilgrims of a Gothic cathedral.

[61] One tenant, boxer Artie McGovern, operated an athletic club on the seventh floor, which was reportedly visited by over a thousand men daily and included a gymnasium, handball and squash courts, ping-pong tables, and golf facilities.

[65] Doherty's office on the 61st floor was decorated in light colors and was designed to resemble a living room, with couches, chairs, small tables, and other furniture.

[21][74][75] In July 1932, the private suite opened to the public as an observation deck,[21][76] which comprised an open-air platform with a 23-by-33-foot (7.0 by 10.1 m) enclosed glass solarium on the 66th floor.

[80] During World War II, the attraction was closed to the public because it overlooked the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard, an active military installation.

[35] In 2019, as part of the building's 2010s conversion into residential apartments, James Kent and Jeff Katz turned the top four stories into the fine-dining restaurant SAGA,[82] and on the ground floor Crown Shy, a 120-seat eatery.

[55][85] Because of 70 Pine Street's small lot size, and the setbacks that make the upper floors even smaller, it would have been unprofitable under normal building practices if it were taller than 48 stories.

[6][87][89] Columnist Sam Love disagreed, saying that "the odds and the evens in the Cities Service Building will never see each other although they are the nearest neighbors", referring to the floor numbers.

[102] This eliminated the need for fan rooms, which typically occupied large amounts of space,[102] and also allowed tenants to close their windows during the summer, particularly before air conditioning became popular.

[104] Henry Latham Doherty became successful by operating numerous companies in the manufactured-gas and electric utility sectors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[105][106] He formed the Cities Service Company as a "light, heat, and power" firm in 1910,[107] and Doherty's business interests grew extensively in subsequent years.

[4] Doherty formed the Pine Street Realty Company in January 1929,[112] having failed to develop "a great business centre" near Battery Park.

[5][119] The economist W. C. Clark investigated the planned Cities Service Building's design and, in October 1929, spoke about his findings at the Engineers' Club.

This contrasted with the firm's earlier works, which were largely designed in the classical style; the original partners had died before 70 Pine Street was constructed.

[121][122] It was one of several buildings that Doherty planned to erect in Lower Manhattan,[122] though none of the other projects were realized because of a lack of funding following the Great Depression.

[62] The remaining floors were leased to a large range of tenants, including manufacturers, lawyers, accountants, and the Western Union Telegraph Company.

[62][154] Citgo announced in November 1973 that it would move its executive headquarters to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and sell off 70 Pine Street and several other buildings in Manhattan.

[96] The following year, the building was purchased for $15 million by the American International Group (AIG),[158][159] which wanted to double the amount of space available for its 500 New York City employees.

[178] MetroLoft finalized its acquisition in January 2012,[181] with plans to turn 70 Pine Street into an apartment building or a combined hotel/apartment complex with about 1,000 total units.

[184][185] Rose and DTH Capital transformed 70 Pine Street into a mixed-use building featuring luxury rental apartments and a variety of retail and restaurants starting in 2015.

[194] Space in 70 Pine Street's lobby and upper floors was originally set to contain restaurants by April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, who withdrew from the project in July 2016.

A lovely translucent glass crown forms the top of the Art Deco setback spire, and at night it glows softly in the midst of the somber financial district.

"[207] Another Times critic wrote in 2005 that the lobby was "a paradigm of Art Deco style: sunburst ceilings, filigreed radiator grilles, marble floors in black and earth tones, and elevator doors emblazoned with zigzags and Aztec-like figures.