'Hotel with a view' coming up at 19th-century NY skyscraper

[NEW YORK] For years, development plans came and went at 5 Beekman St like City Hall workers filing in and out of their nearby offices in lower Manhattan. Expectations for the property were high.

The nine-storey brick-and-terra-cotta building at Nassau Street was one of New York's first skyscrapers when completed in the late 1800s, even if others quickly eclipsed it.

For fans of antique architecture, 5 Beekman has also been a source of fascination because few have seen its distinctive interior feature - a tall atrium topped by a large pyramid-shaped skylight that was sealed up for much of the 20th century.

Soon, though, admirers may be able to share the view. A developer is converting the office bu…