The American Bank Note Company, a leading engraving company and the building's namesake, produced banknotes, currency, stamps, and stock certificates.
It had been formed from a merger of seven firms in 1858.
The company's first headquarters and plant were at 55 Wall Street, where in 1862 it created a factory in the penthouse.
In 1867, the company moved to 142 Broadway, near the intersection with Liberty Street.
It moved again to 78–86 Trinity Place in 1882.
Subsequently, the company began to grow its operations, establishing other factories in Canada and the U.S., as well as expanding its product offerings.

In the 1900s, under company president Warren L. Green, the company began looking for a new headquarters.
The company purchased the lots at 70–72 Broad Street in May 1906.
The new building at that site, erected to plans by Kirby, Petit, and Green, was completed two years later.
 The company also bought lots upon which it would construct the American Bank Note Company Printing Plant in the Bronx; Kirby, Petit, and Green also designed this plant, which was built from 1909 to 1911, and served as the company's printing plant until the 1960s.
With these two facilities, the company was able to streamline its New York City operations.

The American Bank Note Company housed its administrative offices in the building until 1988, when the offices were moved to Blauvelt, New York.
The building was then sold to the Bank of Tokyo.
It was then bought by Murray and Irvin Reise for $3.5 million.
The Reise brothers planned to turn the building into a "department store restaurant", with four fast-food restaurants at ground level, fast-food seating in the basement, and a larger restaurant occupying the second and third floors, as well as a kitchen on the fourth and fifth floors.
The building was sold again in 1995 to Tony Goldman for $1.3 million.
Goldman opened a restaurant on the lower floors and moved the offices for his company, Goldman Properties, onto the upper floors.
The building was given New York City landmark status in 1997, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places two years later.

The American Bank Note Company Building was purchased for $5.5 million in 2004 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's organization, the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP).
The organization supposedly bought the structure because it was "one of the very few buildings in all of New York City that's oriented due east", and east-facing buildings were considered "spiritually healthy" under the Maharishi's principles.
 The building  underwent $4.9 million in renovations, and the GCWP used the upper floors as apartments and the lower floors as lecture and meditation rooms.
The American Bank Note Company Building was then put up for sale yet again in late 2009; it was originally listed as a mansion for sale at $45 million, though the asking price was then reduced to $25 million.
Ultimately, it was sold to an unnamed Chinese construction and investment company in 2010 for $18 million.
The structure was then renovated again in 2015 and placed for sale the next year for $88 million in 2016.
The building was listed for sale again in 2018 for $43 million.
The American Bank Note Company, a leading engraving company and the building's namesake, produced banknotes, currency, stamps, and stock certificates. It had been formed from a merger of seven firms in 1858. The company's first headquarters and plant were at 55 Wall Street, where in 1862 it created a factory in the penthouse. In 1867, the company moved to 142 Broadway, near the intersection with Liberty Street. It moved again to 78–86 Trinity Place in 1882. Subsequently, the company began to grow its operations, establishing other factories in Canada and the U.S., as well as expanding its product offerings. 
In the 1900s, under company president Warren L. Green, the company began looking for a new headquarters. The company purchased the lots at 70–72 Broad Street in May 1906. The new building at that site, erected to plans by Kirby, Petit, and Green, was completed two years later.  The company also bought lots upon which it would construct the American Bank Note Company Printing Plant in the Bronx; Kirby, Petit, and Green also designed this plant, which was built from 1909 to 1911, and served as the company's printing plant until the 1960s. With these two facilities, the company was able to streamline its New York City operations.
The American Bank Note Company housed its administrative offices in the building until 1988, when the offices were moved to Blauvelt, New York. The building was then sold to the Bank of Tokyo. It was then bought by Murray and Irvin Reise for $3.5 million. The Reise brothers planned to turn the building into a "department store restaurant", with four fast-food restaurants at ground level, fast-food seating in the basement, and a larger restaurant occupying the second and third floors, as well as a kitchen on the fourth and fifth floors. The building was sold again in 1995 to Tony Goldman for $1.3 million. Goldman opened a restaurant on the lower floors and moved the offices for his company, Goldman Properties, onto the upper floors. The building was given New York City landmark status in 1997, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places two years later.
The American Bank Note Company Building was purchased for $5.5 million in 2004 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's organization, the Global Country of World Peace (GCWP). The organization supposedly bought the structure because it was "one of the very few buildings in all of New York City that's oriented due east", and east-facing buildings were considered "spiritually healthy" under the Maharishi's principles.  The building  underwent $4.9 million in renovations, and the GCWP used the upper floors as apartments and the lower floors as lecture and meditation rooms. The American Bank Note Company Building was then put up for sale yet again in late 2009; it was originally listed as a mansion for sale at $45 million, though the asking price was then reduced to $25 million. Ultimately, it was sold to an unnamed Chinese construction and investment company in 2010 for $18 million. The structure was then renovated again in 2015 and placed for sale the next year for $88 million in 2016. The building was listed for sale again in 2018 for $43 million.
American Bank Note Company Building