3. 70 Lafayette Street
Sometimes, just being the popular kid on the block is enough to guarantee a building’s existence. With eating establishments occupying the ground floor since its’ opening in 1896, 70 Lafayette Street was a popular lunch spot for the nearby City Hall municipal employees. This gave the building owner sufficient ground to successfully stand up to the 17-story building, now one of NYU’s residential halls, forcing the L-shaped wrap around that exists today.