David Adjaye’s first NYC tower tops out in the Financial District

British starchitect David Adjaye’s first NYC skyscraper reached a construction milestone: The building at 130 William Street, developed by Lightstone, topped out at 800 feet tall and 66 stories. Adjaye designed the building’s interiors and exteriors, inspired by Lower Manhattan’s historical architecture.

At an event last week, Adjaye and the building’s developers discussed details of its design. “What we found incredible about David’s work is that it’s so rooted in history, but not afraid to be provocative, and he has a unique ability to blend exterior architecture with interior design, something you just don’t see that often,” Mitchell C. Hochberg, president of Lightstone, said.

Chris Coe for Optimist Consulting

“We both had a goal to create a building that would be timeless, and not something that would be another glass tower in a sea of glass towers in the city.”

As far as its exteriors, the building’s hand-cast facade boasts bronze details and large arched windows. Adjaye, along with Hill West Architects, also envisioned a tower that pushes away from the street and provides a public space before the entrance.

“I sought to celebrate New York City’s heritage of masonry architecture, referencing the historical architecture once pervasive upon one of the city’s earliest streets,” Adjaye said in a statement.

“Downtown is so tight, and to be able to have an experience where you can come to a very beautiful space and then really have the distance to see the building was something that for me was very exciting,” Adjaye added during the event. “So we pushed back as much as we could and elongated the building as much as we could to really get that presence and aesthetic.”

The tower’s 242 residences will have wide-plank white oak floors and custom-designed door handles, showerheads, and faucets, all with bronze finishes.

The development launched sales last August, with units ranging between $1.3 million for a one-bedroom to $20 million for a four-bedroom penthouse.