The Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway, one of Lower Manhattan's most important skyscrapers, "is finally moving toward a residential conversion of its top floors," according to the lead item in Lois Weiss's "Between The Bricks" column in today's edition of The New York Post.

"Steve Witkoff of the Witkoff Group, and a partner in the building's ownership that includes Ruby Schron's Cammeby's International, told us the only question is whether it will be a hotel or rental apartments. 'We'll make a decision in the next 30 to 45 days,' he said," the article said.

Mr. Witkoff told The Post that "the top of the 57-story landmarked terracotta building has been vacated" and the article said that "according to CoStar data, the building's highest office tenants inhabit the 27th floor."

"Permits to relocate stairways and elevators on the 30th through the 47th floors were partially approved in 2007, but the permits for the entire $6 million job were finalized with the city's Buildings Dept. on May 2," the article said.

"'Now,'" it continued, 'we are spending all the money necessary to do all the systems,' Witkoff said. The building is already divided into an 'upper' and 'lower' condo. City records show a mortgage on the upper portion was made by Hypo Real Estate Capital a year ago for $9.7 million."

"While Witkoff declined to get into a 'name' game,' he noted, 'We've had a lot of people come to us to do hotels.' But the owners are also deciding whether or not they should do it themselves as rentals because the after-tax basis 'is better,'" the article said.

The highly ornate building was designed by Cass Gilbert and when it was built in 1913 its 796-foot-height made it the tallest building in the world. The building, which overlooks City Hall Park, has a very spectacular vaulted and mosaic-covered lobby and Philip Johnson, the architect, once said it was his favorite building in the city.