New York Life Insurance Building

Facts

• The New York Life Insurance Building was demolished to make way for the Alliance Bank Center.
• The building was an eclectic mix of neo-classical and flemish archictectural styles.
• Originally three bays wide to the north and two bays wide to the south, an addition to the south around 1931 balanced the building's profile.
• The New York Life Eagle, a bronze sculpture designed by Louis and Augustus Saint-Gaudens, adorned the top of this building for 77 years. The 10 foot tall, 12 foot wingspan Eagle was moved in 2007 to Summit Lookout Park (corner of Summit Avenue & Ramsey Street) overlooking Downtown St. Paul and the Mississippi River.
• The same architects also designed a New York Life Insurance Building in neighboring Minneapolis. Built at approximately the same time, this building stood nine years longer than its companion in Minneapolis.
• Fire Insurance maps indicate this building was 130 feet to the main roof.