A lot has changed for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) since its inception in the late 1700's. The building, now a national landmark, was toured by an estimated 20,000 people when it first opened. At the time, people considered the exchange and the building that housed it an architectural and technological marvel. Today, the visitor gallery inside the New York Stock Exchange is no longer open to the public due to heightened security concerns following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Developers tore down the original building that housed the NYSE at 10 Broad St. in 1901. They constructed a new building that included the original plot as well as the surrounding land to the north and the south. In 1922 building owners hired architectural firm Trowbridge and Livingston to expand the building while incorporating the older buildings into the new design. "Integrity Protecting the Works of Man" is the name of the pediment on top of the front entrance of the building.
The New York Stock Exchange is located at 11 Wall St., between New Street and Broad Street. Wall Street, Broad Street, New Street and Exchange Place, surrounding the New York Stock Exchange are pedestrian-only zones. You need to take public transportation via subway, path train, or bus, or you can take a cab to the outside of the pedestrian zone. Then you must walk the remainder of the way to the NYSE building.
If you are taking the subway, trains 2 and 3 will drop you off at the intersection of Wall Street and Exchange Place. Trains 4 and 5 will take you to the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway. You can take the J and Z trains to corner Broad Street and Exchange Place. If you are coming out of New Jersey, take the Hoboken to World Trade Center or Newark to World Trade Center Path trains.
The visitor gallery inside the New York Stock Exchange is no longer open to the public. Currently, officials have closed the gallery indefinitely with no indication of when or if it will reopen. You can, however, visit the outside of the building at any time. Business hours for the New York Stock Exchange are Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exchange closes for business on all major U.S. holidays as well as Good Friday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Washington's Birthday.
Closing the building to visitors is only one of the security measures taken after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Officials have employed a number of security measures outside the building as well. To prevent people from getting too close to the building, a wrought-iron style fence surrounds the New York Stock Exchange. There are also barriers on streets surrounding the exchange to prevent vehicles from entering the area. Armed security personnel stand guard at the front of the building and in surrounding areas.
