JPMorgan Chase headquarters set to break record for tallest demolition

Demolition permits have been filed to bring down JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters in New York City. The 52-floor building, which stands 707 feet tall and encompasses 1.5 million square feet, is the tallest building to undergo a planned demolition in history, according to City Realty.

Full demolition is scheduled to begin in early 2019, as JPMorgan Chase plans to move its headquarters to a new 2.5-million-square-foot skyscraper that will stand at least 1,400 feet tall and encompass 70 floors once completed in 2024. The design of the new headquarters is being led by London-based Foster & Partners, who reportedly will seek LEED certification. The project is expected to create more than 8,000 construction jobs.

Construction of the current headquarters was completed in 1961. The building was originally designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. For nearly five decades, the headquarters stood as the tallest building designed by a woman.