MetLife Building
Template:Short description Template:Hatnote group Template:Use American English Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox building
The MetLife Building (also 200 Park Avenue and formerly the Pan Am Building) is a skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street, north of Grand Central Terminal, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Designed in the International style by Richard Roth, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi and completed in 1962, the MetLife Building is Template:Convert tall with 59 stories. It was advertised as the world's largest commercial office space by square footage at its opening, with Template:Convert of usable office space. Template:As of, the MetLife Building remains one of the 100 tallest buildings in the United States.
The MetLife Building contains an elongated octagonal massing with the longer axis perpendicular to Park Avenue. The building sits atop two levels of railroad tracks leading into Grand Central Terminal. The facade is one of the first precast concrete exterior walls in a building in New York City. In the lobby is a pedestrian passage to Grand Central's Main Concourse, a lobby with artwork, and a parking garage at the building's base. A rooftop heliport operated in the 1960s and briefly in 1977. The MetLife Building's design has been widely criticized since it was proposed, largely due to its location next to Grand Central Terminal.
Proposals for a skyscraper to replace Grand Central Terminal were announced in 1954 to raise money for the New York Central Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, the financially struggling railroads that operated the terminal. Subsequently, plans were announced for what later became the MetLife Building, to be built behind the terminal rather than in place of it. Work on the project, initially known as Grand Central City, started in 1959 and the building was formally opened on March 7, 1963. At its opening, the building was named for Pan American World Airways, for which it served as headquarters. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) bought the Pan Am Building in 1981 and used it as their headquarters before selling the building in 2005. The MetLife Building has been renovated several times, including in the mid-1980s, early 2000s, and late 2010s.
SiteEdit
The MetLife Building is at 200 Park Avenue, between the two roadways of the Park Avenue Viaduct to the west and east, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. The building faces the Helmsley Building across 45th Street to the north and Grand Central Terminal to the south. Other nearby buildings include One Vanderbilt and 335 Madison Avenue to the southwest; the Yale Club of New York City clubhouse to the west; The Roosevelt Hotel to the northwest; 450 Lexington Avenue to the east; and the Graybar Building to the southeast.<ref name="ZoLa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The building is assigned its own ZIP Code—10166—and is one of 41 such buildings in Manhattan, Template:As of.<ref name="Brown 2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1871, the New York Central Railroad built the Grand Central Depot, a ground-level depot at the intersection of Park Avenue and 42nd Street; it was succeeded in 1900 by Grand Central Station, also at ground level.<ref>Template:Cite aia5</ref> The completion of Grand Central Terminal in 1913 resulted in the rapid development of the areas around Grand Central, which became known as Terminal City.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Grand Central Terminal complex included a six-story building for baggage handling just north of the main station building, on what is now the site of the MetLife Building.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The baggage handling building was converted to an office building late in its history.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The surrounding stretch of Park Avenue was developed with International Style skyscrapers during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ArchitectureEdit
Designed in the International style by Richard Roth, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi, the MetLife Building was developed by Erwin S. Wolfson and completed in 1963 as the Pan Am Building.<ref name="aia" /> It is Template:Convert tall with 59 stories,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="SkyscraperCenter" /><ref name="Stichweh 2016">Template:Cite book</ref> containing both commercial and office space.<ref name="ZoLa" /> Template:As of, the MetLife Building is the 42nd-tallest building in New York City and 88th-tallest in the United States.<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />
The Diesel Construction Company was the general contractor for the building;<ref name="Clausen p. 114">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt19590920" /> at the time of construction, Wolfson had owned that company.<ref name="Clausen p. 114" /> Numerous other engineers and contractors were involved in the building's construction, including Hideo Sasaki as site planning consultant and landscape architect;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19591101">Template:Cite news</ref> Jaros, Baum & Bolles as MEP engineers;<ref name="SkyscraperCenter">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="nyht19590517" /> and James Ruderman as structural engineer.<ref name="nyht19590517">Template:Cite news</ref> From the beginning, the building was intended for large firms, with Template:Convert in office floor area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AF p. 102">Template:Harvnb</ref> In total, it has Template:Convert of gross floor area, according to The Skyscraper Center.<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />
FormEdit
The massing consists of a base and an octagonal tower. Contemporary sources describe the base as measuring nine stories tall, atop which rises 50 tower stories.<ref name="nyt19611029">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19600501">Template:Cite news</ref> However, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat gives a conflicting measurement of 10 base stories and 49 tower stories.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p.">Template:Cite book</ref> Exterior planted areas were planned for the sidewalks and above the roof of the base.<ref name="nyht19591101" />
The tower stories' floor plates are designed in an elongated octagonal lozenge, with the longer axis running parallel to 45th Street.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyht19590218">Template:Cite news</ref> The north and south facades are divided into three broad segments, while the west and east facades are one segment each. The building's form may have been influenced by the 1961 Zoning Resolution, a major change to New York City zoning code that was proposed just before construction started. The massing is similar to Le Corbusier's unbuilt tower in Algiers, proposed between 1938 and 1942,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360" /><ref name="ArchDaily 2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as the nearly contemporary Pirelli Tower in Milan (completed in 1958).<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Nash 20052">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 98">Template:Harvnb</ref> The architects intended for the octagonal shape and exterior curtain wall to reduce the building's perceived sense of scale.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
FacadeEdit
The facade of the first two stories and mezzanines is clad with granite, aluminum, marble, and stainless steel with glass windows.<ref name="nyt19611029" /> On Depew Place, an alley running below the eastern leg of the Park Avenue Viaduct, fifteen loading docks were constructed for trucks to conduct deliveries and loading.<ref name="nyt19600626">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19600626" /> On the Vanderbilt Avenue side, a marquee was installed over the entrance in the 1980s.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144">Template:Harvnb</ref> The third through seventh stories are exclusively sheathed in granite, with window inserts.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /> The eighth and ninth floors, which are slightly set back, are clad in aluminum.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AF 1962-02">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The 10th through 59th stories of the MetLife Building contain one of the first precast concrete exterior walls in a building in New York City.<ref name="aia" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /> The building includes about nine thousand light-tan precast concrete Mo-Sai panels, each of which surrounds a window measuring Template:Convert wide by Template:Convert high.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="Clausen p. 105">Template:Harvnb</ref> The panels themselves measure Template:Convert wide by Template:Convert high and weigh Template:Convert.<ref name="nyt19611029" /> Each panel is coated with a quartz aggregate to give texture to the facade.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="AF 1962-02" /><ref name="Clausen p. 105" /> Vertical concrete mullions project about Template:Convert from the facade, separating the panels on every story.<ref name="Clausen p. 105" /> Flat concrete spandrels separate the windows between stories.<ref name="nyt19611029" /> Though Walter Gropius had considered a precast concrete facade to be more solid than a glass curtain wall, this only made the building appear bulkier.<ref name="Stichweh 2016" /> Furthermore, the appearance of concrete degraded over time; this effect could be seen in structures such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum but was more pronounced on the MetLife Building's facade.<ref name="Nash 20052" /> During the building's construction, the manufacturer of the Mo-Sai panels declared bankruptcy, forcing Diesel Construction to buy out that company to prevent delays in construction.<ref name="Clausen p. 119">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The facade is recessed at the 21st and 46th stories, where there is mechanical space.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360" /> These recesses create the impression of deep shadows.<ref name="Nash 20052" /> Both mechanical stories are surrounded by a colonnade of columns, which are spaced Template:Convert apart on centers. The precast concrete curtain wall is recessed behind the columns.<ref name="Clausen p. 109">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The MetLife Building originally bore Template:Convert "Pan Am" displays on its north and south facades and Template:Convert globe logos on the east and west facades.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was swapped with neon "MetLife" displays to the north and south in 1992.<ref name="chicagotribune.com 1992">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145">Template:Harvnb</ref> These displays were changed again in 2017, being replaced with LED letters to conserve energy.<ref name="Gannon 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Crain's New York Business 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Pan Am Building was the last tall tower erected in New York City before laws were enacted preventing corporate logos and names on the tops of buildings.<ref name="FinalPanAmDeparture">Template:Cite news</ref> Modern New York City building code prohibits logos from being more than Template:Convert above the curb or occupying over Template:Convert on a blockfront.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sign replacements had been permitted because the city government considered the new signs to be an "uninterrupted continuation of a use" that was allowed before the zoning laws were changed.<ref name="FinalPanAmDeparture" />
Structural featuresEdit
200 Park Avenue was built atop two levels of railroad tracks underground, which feed directly into Grand Central Terminal. The substructure of the building uses foundational columns that extend into the track levels, descending some Template:Convert below street level into the underlying bedrock.<ref name="nyt19590920" /><ref name="nyht19600501" /> The substructure includes more than 300 columns, each Template:Convert across and clad with Template:Convert of concrete. Ninety-nine columns were built specifically for the Pan Am Building; these columns were installed within several inches of existing steel members such as third rails, but had to be isolated from the other steel.<ref name="nyht19600501" /><ref name="nyt19610312">Template:Cite news</ref> The new columns weighed between Template:Convert.<ref name="nyt19610312" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Approximately two hundred existing columns, which supported the former baggage building on the site, were reinforced.<ref name="nyht19600501" /><ref name="nyt19610312" /> The work involved abridging the tops of many existing columns and installing horizontal beams weighing up to Template:Convert.<ref name="nyht19600501" /> A "triple decker sandwich" made of lead, asbestos, and sheet steel was installed under each level of tracks to provide insulation.<ref name="nyt19590920">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19600501" />
The superstructure was constructed similarly to bridge spans. To fabricate the floor slabs, builders used a process called composite action, in which concrete was bonded with structural steel panels to create a stronger structure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Steel panels were fabricated, rather than concrete floors, because steel panels were lighter and could be constructed regardless of unfavorable weather. Over Template:Convert of steel panels are used in the floor plates, each of which contains wire and cable ducts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A standard floor slab could handle loads of Template:Convert.<ref name="nyht19600710">Template:Cite news</ref> The building's steel frame weighs over Template:Convert in total.<ref name="nyt19610312" /> The roof of the building contains NOAA Weather Radio Station KWO35, a National Weather Service radio station.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since 1990,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> there has also been a peregrine falcon nest on the building's roof.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Helipad Edit
The initial plans for the Pan Am Building were altered in March 1961 to provide for a helipad on the east side of the roof.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 310">Template:Harvnb</ref> The helipad garnered controversy immediately after it was announced, and opponents of the plan cited noise and safety concerns.<ref name="Clausen p. 310" /> The heliport's opening required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the city government, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lawyers for the building's owners applied for permission to operate the heliport in August 1963,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the New York City Planning Commission confirmed in early 1964 that the owners had sought a permit for the heliport.<ref name="Clausen p. 311">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The New York City Board of Estimate gave final approval to the heliport in January 1965,<ref name="Clausen p. 312">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and test flights began that March,<ref name="Clausen p. 312" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> amid continued opposition to the heliport.<ref name="Clausen p. 312" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Helicopter service started on December 22, 1965.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The service was operated by New York Airways, which flew Vertol 107 helicopters from the rooftop helipad to Pan Am's terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).<ref name="Schneider">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 314">Template:Harvnb</ref> There was a ticket office for the heliport at the base of the building. Passengers would check in at the ticket office, then take an express elevator to the 57th floor, an escalator to the heliport lounge, then another elevator to the roof. The flight to JFK lasted an average of six minutes and twenty seconds.<ref name="Clausen p. 314" /> The New York City government renewed the heliport's operating license in 1966, despite continued opposition to the heliport.<ref name="Clausen p. 321">Template:Harvnb</ref> For a short period starting in March 1967, the company also offered service to Teterboro Airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> All helicopter service stopped on February 18, 1968, because of insufficient ridership,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as disagreements over funding.<ref name="Clausen p. 321" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="p915695121">Template:Cite news</ref>
Though discussions to restart helicopter service were held in 1969,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> approval was not given until early 1977.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 310" /> Service to JFK resumed that February using Sikorsky S-61s.<ref name="Schneider" /><ref name="Clausen p. 322">Template:Harvnb</ref> On May 16, 1977, about one minute after an S-61L landed and its 20 passengers disembarked, the right front landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to topple onto its side with the rotors still turning. One of the blades detached, killing four men who were waiting to board and a fifth person at ground level; two other people were seriously injured.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Helicopter service was suspended that day and never resumed.<ref name="Schneider" /><ref name="Clausen p. 324">Template:Harvnb</ref> The already-controversial building received further negative attention as a result of the incident, and both New York Airways and Pan Am suffered financially in subsequent years.<ref name="Clausen p. 324" /> During its short periods of operation, the heliport was largely perceived as a nuisance and danger, but its presence was also seen as satisfying what David W. Dunlap described as "the consummate technological fantasy of airborne travel through skyscraping pinnacles".<ref name="nyt19910818">Template:Cite news</ref>
InteriorEdit
Structural and mechanical featuresEdit
A central telephone office was installed on the 20th and 21st stories,<ref name="Clausen p. 118">Template:Harvnb</ref> serving 30,000 telephones within the building.<ref name="nyht19600710" /><ref name="Clausen pp. 117-118">Template:Harvnb</ref> The system, costing $11 million, was the first of its kind in an office building in the United States.<ref name="Clausen pp. 117-118" /> The central office, operated by New York Telephone, eliminated the need for tenants to have individual telephone offices and equipment rooms. To avoid interfering with the subterranean railroad tracks, the telephone conduits were routed through the roof of the railroad tunnel.<ref name="nyht19600710" /> On the two floors where the telephone office was installed, the floor slabs were strengthened to handle loads of Template:Convert, and floor heights were increased to provide clearance of at least Template:Convert.<ref name="nyht19600710" /><ref name="Clausen p. 118" />
A refrigeration plant, described at the time of construction as the world's largest such plant,<ref name="nyht19600403" /> was installed on the roof with three steam-powered units each weighing Template:Convert.<ref name="PA 1960-12">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The plant was placed on the roof because the building has no usable basement, as all the subterranean space is part of Grand Central Terminal. The plant could melt up to Template:Convert of ice each day and could use 200,000 pounds of steam every hour. Large fan rooms were placed on the mechanical stories at the 21st and 46th floors, dispersing air to the other floors, and two individual air supply systems were placed on each story.<ref name="nyht19600403">Template:Cite news</ref> The ventilation systems could deliver Template:Convert every minute. The pipes and ducts had to serve all the building's floors, with an electrical system and water pressure system capable of serving all the building's stories.<ref name="nyht19590517" /> At ground level was a room where wastepaper could be "baled" on-site to make easier to dispose of paper.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Westinghouse Electric Corporation also manufactured 65 elevators and 21 escalators for 200 Park Avenue, which at the time of construction was the largest-ever order for elevators.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> One bank of six elevators was able to travel Template:Convert, the fastest elevators in the world at the time of their installation.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 117">Template:Harvnb</ref> Five elevators were reserved for freight.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /> The elevators rise from the second-story lobby because the elevator pits could not descend below the first story due to the presence of the tracks.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt20011007" /> The upper stories were served by 59 elevators.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> According to the Skyscraper Center, Template:As of, the building has 85 elevators.<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />
LobbyEdit
The MetLife Building's base contains a lobby across its lowest two stories. At ground level is a Template:Convert pedestrian passageway, enabling traffic flow between the Helmsley Building's pedestrian arcades and Grand Central Terminal. The 45th Street entrance to the passageway is set back Template:Convert from the sidewalk. A Template:Convert entrance arcade is placed on Vanderbilt Avenue, with the doorways set about Template:Convert back from the sidewalk there. The building's main office lobby is placed at the second story, at the level of the viaduct.<ref name="nyt19600626" /><ref name="nyht19600626">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 188">Template:Harvnb</ref> The lobby was also designed with plantings and a Template:Convert enclosed plaza.<ref name="nyht19591101" /> The lobby contains 18 escalators in total.<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /> Four escalators lead to the Main Concourse at the southern end of the passageway,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while fourteen more lead from the passageway to the office lobby.<ref name="Nash 20052" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" />
Gropius was responsible for the original design of the lobby, which was largely austere.<ref name="Clausen p. 353">Template:Harvnb</ref> The building's original anchor tenant, Pan Am, had a ticket office under a Template:Convert niche off the main lobby, measuring Template:Convert long and Template:Convert high, with circular counters and a wall with a relief map of the world. It was the world's largest airline ticket office at the time of its opening, covering Template:Convert.<ref name="Clausen pp. 139-141">Template:Harvnb</ref>
RenovationsEdit
During a 1980s renovation by Warren Platner, some Template:Convert of retail space were constructed in the lobby.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt19850227">Template:Cite news</ref> Also installed was a staircase at the center of the lobby on 45th Street, which consisted of alternating travertine and gray-granite risers.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref name="nyt19861211">Template:Cite news</ref> The staircase ranged from Template:Convert wide at the ground floor to Template:Convert at an intermediate landing, where it split into two flights and reached a width of Template:Convert at the mezzanine. There were four triangular planters at the bottom of the staircase, which complemented an orange carpet with flower motifs at the mezzanine.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 351">Template:Harvnb</ref> The lobby also contained unusual semicircular discs that were either mounted atop poles or suspended from the ceiling.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref name="nyt19861211" /><ref name="Clausen p. 351" /> In addition, a security desk was added and the storefronts were expanded.<ref name="Clausen p. 353" />
In an early-2000s renovation by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the lobby received tile and black travertine floors, the storefronts were moved to the side, and the central staircase was removed.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /> The storefronts were removed in the late 2010s, when the lobby was re-clad in light-colored travertine.<ref name="nyp20181211" /> The renovated lobby has an oak-floored reception lounge overlooking the entrance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ArtworkEdit
The Pan Am Building's lobby was planned with several works of art,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt19630707">Template:Cite news</ref> which comprised most of the original lobby's decoration.<ref name="Clausen p. 353" /> One such artwork is Flight, a triple-story wire sculpture by Richard Lippold.<ref name="nyt20030928">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AR 1962-02">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The sculpture contains a sphere, representing the earth; a seven-pointed star, representing the seven continents and seas; and gold wires representing aircraft flight patterns.<ref name="AR 1962-02" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It measures Template:Convert wide, and Template:Convert deep.<ref name="Clausen p. 151">Template:Harvnb</ref> The composer John Cage, a friend of Lippold's, had initially proposed a musical program to complement Flight,<ref name="nyt20030928" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> consisting of ten loudspeakers, which would have played works by Muzak whenever people walked in and out of the lobby.<ref name="Clausen p. 151" /> Lippold canceled the idea and management instead agreed to play classical music in the lobby.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
At the Pan Am Building's opening, the entrance from the Main Concourse was topped by Manhattan, a Template:Convert mosaic mural of red, white, and black panels by Josef Albers.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That work was removed in a 2001 renovation,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though Albers had left exact specifications for reproducing the work,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a replica was installed in 2019.<ref name="nyt20190923">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Suspended over the 45th Street entrance was a mural by György Kepes, consisting of two aluminum screens<ref name="LIFE p. 14">Template:Cite magazine</ref> with concentric squares.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt19630707" /> Kepes's mural measured Template:Convert wide and was placed on the balcony<ref name="Clausen p. 151" /> until it was removed in the 1980s.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /> At Vanderbilt Avenue, Robert Berks sculpted a bronze bust depicting the building's developer, Erwin S. Wolfson.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt19630707" /><ref name="Clausen p. 151" />
Other interior spacesEdit
The MetLife Building was designed with a six-level parking garage with room for 400 cars. The garage contains entrances and exits from both roadways of the Park Avenue Viaduct.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to former minority owner Tishman Speyer, Template:As of, the building's garage contains 248 spots across four levels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Efn
A variety of commercial and office spaces were included in the Pan Am Building when it opened. Pan Am, the airline for which the building was originally named, contained a ticketing office at 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, similar in design to Eero Saarinen's TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /> Office stories in the octagonal slab typically have between Template:Convert of usable space, with elevators and stairs at the center, as well as uneven column spacing.<ref name="AF p. 102" /> This arrangement allows a large amount of window-office space for tenants, as each story contains Template:Convert of outer perimeter walls.<ref name="AF p. 103">Template:Harvnb</ref> Different companies with full-floor leases designed their spaces in various manners. Some tenants placed private offices along the perimeter, with important executive offices at the far corners of the story.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Other tenants placed open spaces at the west and east ends of the floor<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> or in the center.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
The Sky Club, a private luncheon club, had been on the 56th floor of the Pan Am Building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For several years the Sky Club had contained a private restaurant.<ref name="ArchDaily 2016" /> Aircraft pioneer Juan Trippe, founder of Pan Am, was a member of this club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trippe had commissioned a mural of clipper ships for the walls of the Sky Club; it was sent to Tucker's Point resort in Bermuda after the club shuttered.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the 57th and 58th stories was the Copter Club, which was used by passengers of the short-lived helicopter service.<ref name="nyt19910818" />
HistoryEdit
PlanningEdit
By the 1950s, passenger volumes at Grand Central Terminal had declined dramatically from the early 20th century, and there were proposals to demolish and replace the station.<ref name="Langmead">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Clausen pp. 3-4">Template:Harvnb</ref> The New York Central Railroad was losing money, partially on paying taxes on the building's air rights. New York Central wanted to sell the property or its air rights to allow the construction of a skyscraper above or on the terminal's site.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the same time, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad retained a partial interest in the terminal's operation.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Early plansEdit
Initially, New York Central's chairman Robert R. Young had been negotiating with developer Erwin S. Wolfson and their mutual friends Herbert and Stuart Scheftel to determine how the Grand Central site could be redeveloped.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> After these discussions broke down, two competing plans for the replacement of Grand Central Terminal were proposed in 1954.<ref name="Clausen pp. 3-4" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" /><ref name="AR 1954" /> One design, by I. M. Pei, was suggested by Young along with developer William Zeckendorf. The proposal called for an 80-story, Template:Convert tower that would have succeeded the Empire State Building as the world's tallest building.<ref name="AR 1954">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The other, by Fellheimer & Wagner, was put forth by New Haven's chairman Patrick B. McGinnis along with Wolfson. The plan envisioned a 55-story building, the largest office building in the world with Template:Convert.<ref name="AR 1954" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Both proposals were poorly received, with 235 architects cosigning a letter imploring Young and McGinnis to reject the plans.<ref name="Langmead" /><ref name="AF 1955-02">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Neither plan was ultimately ever carried out.<ref name="Langmead" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" />
Though the New Haven and New York Central continued to struggle financially, both railroads agreed to work with Wolfson, the New Haven's developer.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" /> In February 1955, Wolfson, the Scheftels, and Alfred G. Burger proposed a 65-story tower called Grand Central City, which would replace a six-story baggage structure north of the terminal.<ref name="nyht19550208">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Harvnb</ref> Richard Roth of Emery Roth and Sons, who created the design, had agreed to participate only if the office building would not result in the passenger concourse's demolition.<ref name="AF 1955-02" /><ref name="nyht19550208" /> The plans were widely circulated in the New York Herald Tribune, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.<ref name=":2" /> The proposal garnered significant opposition after architect Giorgio Cavaglieri expressed concerns about the effects of the proposed building on traffic congestion in the area.<ref name="Clausen p. 33">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Roth and Wolfson's plan was effectively forgotten in March 1955 when Zeckendorf was named the partner for any new development in the vicinity of Grand Central.<ref name=":3">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zeckendorf and Pei modified the blueprints for their 80-story tower but never publicly announced the revised plans.<ref name=":3" /> Unpublished drawings indicate that Pei's second design was supposed to be a hyperboloid-shaped tower.<ref name="Clausen pp. 46-47">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="BL p. 4">Template:Cite book</ref> For various reasons, the hyperboloid tower never progressed past the planning stage. The building had faced extensive criticism from both professionals and the general public; the railroads faced significant financial shortfalls; and the economy as a whole had started to decline, leaving Zeckendorf unable to finance the project. Meanwhile, traffic around Grand Central Terminal worsened in the late 1950s.<ref name="Clausen p. 47">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Revival of plansEdit
In January 1958, representatives of an unnamed large company, who were unaware of Grand Central City's cancellation, notified Stuart Scheftel that they were interested in leasing space in the new building.<ref name="Clausen p. 49">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=":4" /> Upon learning of the news, Young placed Scheftel in contact with his real estate agent. Although Young died by suicide shortly afterward, the remaining partners continued working on the project.<ref name="Clausen p. 49" /> A revised version of Roth's plan was announced in May 1958. The plan called for a 50-story aluminum and glass tower parallel to Park Avenue, with Template:Convert of floor area; three theaters with a total capacity of 5,000; an open-air restaurant on the seventh floor; and a 2,000-spot parking garage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The New York Central and New Haven railroads were guaranteed at least $1 million a year from the agreement.<ref name="Clausen p. 49" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite the presence of tracks under the building site, Wolfson said a survey of the site had "no insurmountable problems".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> James Ruderman, the building's structural engineer, had drawn up preliminary plans for a steel framework spanning the tracks.<ref name="Clausen pp. 92-93">Template:Harvnb</ref> Wolfson hired James D. Landauer Associates Inc. to handle leasing at the proposed building, negotiating directly with tenants' brokers.<ref name="Clausen p. 50">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="p114352442">Template:Cite news</ref>
Wolfson found Roth's revised plan to be unsatisfactorily modest for such a prominent site.<ref name="ArchDaily 2016" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" /><ref name="Clausen p. 50" /> He said in the New York Herald Tribune that he wanted to "avoid adding just another massive shape to an already developed midtown business community".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 1958, architects Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi were announced as co-designers for Grand Central City.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19580731">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 96">Template:Harvnb</ref> Wolfson expressed his hope that Gropius and Belluschi, both prominent architects in the Modern style, would be able to help devise an "esthetic and functional design".<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" /><ref name="nyht19580731" /> Initially, Gropius and Belluschi were to serve a relatively minor advisory role.<ref name="Clausen p. 94">Template:Harvnb</ref> A week after being hired, Gropius suggested that the slab be oriented east–west, with a large plaza or courtyard in front of the tower, similar to the design of Lever House. Gropius also recommended that the building include a textured facade, rather than the metal-and-glass curtain walls commonly used by the Roth firm in its previous buildings.<ref name="Clausen p. 96" /> Gropius modified the plans in mid-1958; the facade would use simulated stone, the large plaza was dropped from the plans, and the tower was moved northward to 45th Street.<ref name="Clausen p. 100">Template:Harvnb</ref> That October, Wolfson traveled to Europe to study buildings and gain inspiration for the building's design.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Gropius and the Roth firm continued to modify their design through early 1959.<ref name="Clausen p. 105" /> The revised final plans were announced in February 1959. While Wolfson had promised a "modest" redesign,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 359" /> the new plans were a radical change from Roth's 1958 plan, calling for a 55-story octagonal tower parallel to 45th Street, with Template:Convert of space.<ref name="nyht19590218" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Roth firm said the octagonal massing could absorb "different planes of light as on a diamond", while Gropius said the new alignment was easier for air conditioning.<ref name="nyht19590218" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360" /> The octagonal building was smaller than the original plans, but Gropius's team reasoned that a Template:Convert edifice would have been too large to rent out. The Roth firm expressed its concerns over the east–west orientation of the tower, since it would raise the cost of the superstructure by 50 percent compared to a slab oriented north–south.<ref name="Clausen p. 98" /> A model of the redesigned tower was exhibited publicly in November 1959.<ref name="Clausen p. 105" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ConstructionEdit
Initial workEdit
Five leases for a collective Template:Convert in Grand Central City were announced immediately after the final design was announced in February 1959.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A contract for Template:Convert of structural steel was awarded to U.S. Steel's American Bridge division that May; at the time, the contract was reportedly the most expensive ever awarded for an office building.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ruderman finalized his plans for the framework in September 1959.<ref name="Clausen p. 117" /> The next month British firm City Centre Properties invested $25 million and took a half interest in Grand Central City's development, covering part of the project's $100 million cost.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 86">Template:Harvnb</ref> It was the first British–American joint venture for a real estate development in the United States.<ref name="Clausen p. 86" /> Gordon I. Kyle, an appraiser who had calculated the valuations of more than two-thirds of Manhattan's skyscrapers,<ref name="nyt-1961-05-07">Template:Cite news</ref> concluded that the building would be worth twice as much as the Empire State Building.<ref name="p510414868">Template:Cite news</ref> Wolfson and City Centre paid Kyle $50,000, which at the time was the highest single appraiser's fee ever recorded.<ref name="p510414868" /><ref name="nyt-1961-05-07" />
The New York Central Railroad granted an 80-year lease for the air rights above the building, in exchange for a portion of the building's gross revenue.<ref name="wsj19630306">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn This agreement added about $6 million to the construction cost.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Final plans were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings on November 24, 1959.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Construction on the structure officially started two days afterward on November 26,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Cushman & Wakefield were named as leasing agents for Grand Central City the following month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was followed by contracts for the building's soundproofing and elevators in February 1960.<ref name="Clausen p. 117" /> James Ruderman had devised engineering plans for five other structures above the Park Avenue railroad tracks. As the Grand Central City site was impossible to excavate, the substructure had to be erected while the baggage building served as a staging area. Furthermore, as some materials would have to be delivered by railroad, material deliveries would be coordinated closely to avoid delays on the commuter rail lines entering Grand Central.<ref name="nyt19590920" /><ref name="nyht19600501" />
Construction of the substructure commenced in May 1960, during which the architects finalized plans for the entrances, lobbies, and facade lighting.<ref name="Clausen p. 110">Template:Harvnb</ref> Gropius was involved in all aspects of the building's design, from traffic flow to minor architectural details, which sometimes led to conflicts with the project's other architects and engineers. For example, he wanted the lobby's bronze details to contain a matte finish, and he requested that the elevator penthouse be no higher than Template:Convert above the roof so that it did not "look silly".<ref name="Clausen p. 111">Template:Harvnb</ref> Work on the tower itself was held up by a steel strike that lasted through much of 1960;<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /> the baggage handling building was ultimately demolished starting that June.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Foundations for the building were sunk in August 1960.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Pan Am lease and completionEdit
Pan Am founder Juan Trippe signed a 25-year, $115.5 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation-yearTemplate:Inflation-fn) lease for Template:Convert across 15 floors, plus a new main ticket office at 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, in September 1960.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In an indication of the widespread interest surrounding this lease, the mayor and the governor of New York both congratulated Grand Central City's builders after the lease was signed.<ref name="Clausen p. 138">Template:Harvnb</ref> Following this, Pan Am hired Ivan Chermayeff to design the building's signage.<ref name="Clausen p. 110" /> Grand Central City officially became known as the Pan Am Building in December 1960, after its major lessee. Signs bearing the company's name or logo were placed atop the four major facades.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="PA 1960-12" /> Originally, Trippe had wanted signs with the name "Pan Am" on all eight facades, but this was scaled down after Gropius objected that the large number of signs would decrease "the dignity of the building".<ref name="Clausen p. 138" /> The Pan Am Building's developers secured a $70 million mortgage loan and a $65 million construction loan during January 1961.<ref name="wsj19630306" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the time, the building was more than half rented.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Pan Am Building's construction involved over 200 engineers and 7,500 workers from 75 trades.<ref name="Clausen p. 119" /> Three derricks were installed to erect the steel for the tower, while four derricks were used for the base. Five to seven steel columns were installed every day during two shifts, with materials deliveries taking place mostly at night.<ref name="nyt19610312" /> The Pan Am Building's structural steel topped out during May 1962.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The facade cladding was installed in two ways. The facade of the base was bolted into place, down to the individual spandrels and mullions. The Mo-Sai panels for the tower were installed via an interior hoist.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="AF 1962-02" /> Wolfson, though recovering from surgery during mid-1962, continued to observe the building's progress using a helicopter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When Wolfson died that June, James D. Landauer was selected to oversee the building's completion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The lobby, the last part of the Pan Am Building to be completed, was built with cheap materials such as restroom tiles because the builders had run out of money toward the project's completion.<ref name="nyt19850227" />
Opening and Pan Am ownershipEdit
The as-yet-incomplete Pan Am Building was formally opened on March 7, 1963, with a ceremony attended by British and American officials,<ref name="p510414868" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and tenants started moving into the structure the following month.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The building had secured tenants for 91 percent of its office space upon opening, in large part to its central location.<ref name="Clausen p. 216">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="p133071383">Template:Cite news</ref> Within three months, the Pan Am Building was 92 percent rented and 70 percent occupied;<ref name="Žaknić Smith Rice Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat p." /><ref name="Clausen p. 217">Template:Harvnb</ref> by the first anniversary of its opening, the building was 97 percent leased with 241 tenants.<ref name="nyt19640315">Template:Cite news</ref> This contrasted greatly with the smaller Empire State Building, which was only 25 percent rented when it opened and did not reach full occupancy for more than a decade afterward.<ref name="Clausen p. 216" /> At the time of its completion, the Pan Am Building was the largest commercial office development in the world by square footage,<ref name="Stichweh 2016" /><ref name="nyt19640315" /><ref name="Horsley">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> being surpassed nearly a decade later by 55 Water Street and the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.<ref name="Horsley" /> In the 15 years prior to the Pan Am Building's opening, 147 office buildings had been completed in Manhattan, totaling Template:Convert of office space.<ref name="Clausen p. 217" />
Initially, the airline only had a 10 percent ownership stake in its namesake building.<ref name="nyt19800729">Template:Cite news</ref> Besides Pan Am, other early tenants included the Westinghouse Electric Corporation,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Alcoa,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Hammermill Paper Company,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> National Steel Corporation,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kodak,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Reader's Digest Association,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mitsui,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chrysler,<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the British Iron & Steel Corporation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The shops at the Pan Am Building's base were opened in August 1963.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The tenant selection process was rigorous, as Cushman and Wakefield examining the services and goods sold by potential tenants: for example, the firm's vice president got haircuts from each of the six applicants for the lobby barbershop.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Furthermore, average rents in the Pan Am Building were about Template:Convert, slightly higher than the average of Template:Convert in other Midtown Manhattan buildings.<ref name="wsj19630306" />
Although the Pan Am Building's completion averted the terminal's imminent destruction, New York Central had experienced further decline, merging with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 to form the Penn Central Railroad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, Pan Am bought a 45 percent stake in the building from the estate of Jack Cotton,<ref name="nyt19800729" /> formerly chairman and co-owner of City Centre Properties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, it sought to sell its properties, including the land below the Pan Am Building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among the building's tenants during this time was the United Brands Company (now Chiquita Brands International), whose CEO, Eli M. Black, jumped from the 44th story to his death on February 3, 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Pan Am was considering moving its headquarters from the building by 1978.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, the airline bought the remaining 45 percent stake in the building from Wolfson, obtaining full ownership of the property.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen pp. 346-347">Template:Harvnb</ref> A Pan Am subsidiary, Grand Central Building Inc., acquired the underlying land for about $25 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation-yearTemplate:Inflation-fn) the following year as part of a legal settlement with Penn Central.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The airline sustained large financial losses during the early 1980s recession,<ref name="newsday19800729">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 346">Template:Harvnb</ref> leading it to announce in February 1980 that it was considering selling the building.<ref name="Clausen p. 346" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> About half the leases were scheduled to expire in three or four years.<ref name="newsday19800729" /><ref name="Clausen p. 349">Template:Harvnb</ref> Many lessees were exempt from paying the building's operating costs, which made the Pan Am Building only marginally profitable for the airline.<ref name="newsday19800729" /> Amid high fuel costs and a lack of income from airfare, Pan Am decided in April 1980 that it would definitely sell the building.<ref name="Clausen p. 350">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Sale to MetLife and renovationsEdit
When the Pan Am Building officially went on the market in May 1980, Business Week magazine predicted that it might be sold for as much as $200 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation-yearTemplate:Inflation-fn).<ref name="Clausen p. 347">Template:Harvnb</ref> The sale was so complex that Landauer Associates published a 65-page brochure just to describe the terms of the sale.<ref name="Clausen p. 351" /> Nine bidders submitted offers, five of whom were selected for further consideration: the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), the Equitable Life Assurance Society; Donald Trump; Paul Milstein; and Olympia and York.<ref name="nyt19800928">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn In July 1980, Pan Am sold the building to MetLife for $400 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation-yearTemplate:Inflation-fn).<ref name="nyt19800729" /><ref name="newsday19800729" /><ref name="Clausen p. 347" /> At the time, it was the highest-priced sale of an office building in Manhattan. This was attributed not only to a rezoning of the surrounding area, allowing developers to erect higher buildings there, but also to a strong office market.<ref name="Clausen p. 347" /> The sale price amounted to Template:Convert, more than any other office building in Manhattan.<ref name="Clausen p. 349" /> MetLife did not plan to move any offices to the building, and Pan Am planned to keep its headquarters there.<ref name="nyt19800729" /><ref name="Clausen p. 347" /> As a condition of the sale, the building would retain Pan Am's name until the airline ceased to be the building's anchor tenant.<ref name="Clausen p. 349" />
The sale was finalized in 1981 when Pan Am transferred stock in the building to MetLife, a move that let the airline avoid paying most of the estate transfer tax.<ref name="Clausen p. 351" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pan Am normally would have paid a $4 million tax, but it ultimately paid only $125.<ref name="Clausen p. 351" /> Cross & Brown assumed the responsibility of leasing the building's space.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, leases for much of the interior space were set to expire all at once during the early 1980s.<ref name="nyt19850227" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 143">Template:Harvnb</ref> Starting in 1984, MetLife renovated about half of the space as the original tenants' leases expired. The deteriorating lobby, used by 100,000 pedestrians a day, was extensively reconfigured by Warren Platner. In addition, some mechanical systems were upgraded to comply with building codes, and retail spaces were added.<ref name="nyt19850227" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 143" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Asbestos fireproofing on the office stories was removed in advance of an anti-asbestos regulation passed by the city government in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The lobby renovation had been completed by 1987<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> at a cost of $15 million.<ref name="Clausen p. 351" />
By 1991, Pan Am's presence had dwindled to four floors.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref name="nyt19910818" /> MetLife preferred to refer to the building as 200 Park Avenue, its address. At the time, the Pan Am Building was 95 percent occupied, and the public variously referred to the building by the names of its large tenants, such as Mitsui, Dreyfus, and Rogers & Wells.<ref name="nyt19910818" /> Pan Am moved its headquarters to Miami that year<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and closed down shortly afterward.<ref name="FinalPanAmDeparture" /> In September 1992, MetLife announced that it would remove Pan Am signage from 200 Park Avenue and add letters bearing its own name.<ref name="chicagotribune.com 1992" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /> According to a MetLife spokesperson, the sign change was taking place because the airline had become defunct.<ref name="chicagotribune.com 1992" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The signs were changed in January 1993.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though 200 Park Avenue subsequently became known as the MetLife Building, its namesake was then headquartered in the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower.<ref name="FinalPanAmDeparture" /> As a result, the Park Avenue structure was known specifically as the "MetLife Building 200 Park Avenue".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" />
21st centuryEdit
Further renovations to 200 Park Avenue's exterior and lobby were undertaken during 2001 and 2002.<ref name="nyt20011007">Template:Cite news</ref> Low-pressure compressed air was used to clean the facade, while Kohn Pedersen Fox renovated the lobby.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /> In 2005, MetLife moved its board room from the Metropolitan Life Tower to 200 Park Avenue.<ref name="newsday20050217">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="wsj20150319">Template:Cite news</ref> The same year, the company considered selling 200 Park Avenue to pay for its acquisition of Travelers Life & Annuity.<ref name="newsday20050217" /> Ultimately, MetLife sold the building that April for $1.72 billion, to a joint venture of Tishman Speyer Properties, the New York City Employees' Retirement System, and the New York City Teachers' Retirement System.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, the sale was the largest ever transaction involving an office building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The company still retained a boardroom and corporate suite at 200 Park Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
MetLife announced in 2015 that it was consolidating its operations at 200 Park Avenue, with Template:Convert in its namesake building.<ref name="wsj20150319" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time, Donald Bren, the billionaire owner of the real estate firm Irvine Company, held a 97.3 percent ownership stake in the building. While Tishman Speyer remained the managing partner of the property, its ownership stake had been reduced to less than 3 percent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Plans to renovate the lobby were devised in 2016.<ref name="nyt20190923" /> The next year, the neon light sources for the signs atop the building were swapped with LED light sources to conserve energy.<ref name="Gannon 2017" /><ref name="Crain's New York Business 2017" /> A renovation of 200 Park Avenue's lobby started in late 2018. The work included simplifying the lobby's layout by removing storefronts and restoring direct connections to some of Grand Central's platforms.<ref name="nyp20181211">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Three restaurant owners leased space in the building in mid-2022,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and MetLife extended its lease the next year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CBRE took over as the building's leasing manager in mid-2024, succeeding Tishman Speyer as leasing manager. Irvine bought out Tishman Speyer's ownership stake at this time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The building was 97 percent occupied by that October,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> at which point another restaurateur had leased space in the lobby.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Irvine Company refinanced the building in early 2025 with a $1.5 billion mortgage loan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReceptionEdit
Contemporary commentaryEdit
When the octagonal design for 200 Park Avenue was first announced in 1959, it was controversial.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360" /> Architectural historian Sibyl Moholy-Nagy wrote in Progressive Architecture magazine that the original tower plans "provided human scale and architectural personality", which were "lost" in the revision.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Walter McQuade, writing for The Nation, found even the drawings for the building to be dissatisfying.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Grand Central City was lambasted internationally by Italian critic Gillo Dorfles and Romanian architect Martin Pinchis.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Architect Victor Gruen questioned the parking garage's necessity given the site's proximity to a major railroad terminal,<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 364-365" /> while Progressive Architecture editor Thomas H. Creighton suggested the space would be better left as an open plaza.<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 364-365" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Critics also expressed concerns that the building would burden existing transit infrastructure.<ref name="wsj19630306" /> The plan also had its defenders, such as Natalie Parry, who wrote in rebuttal to Moholy-Nagy that the plans preserved Grand Central's "star-studded" Main Concourse, "together with the precious air space above it".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Historian Paul Zucker defended the building's urbanism, and urban planner Charles Abrams and Architectural Record editor Emerson Goble also defended the plan as an addition to the cityscape.<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 364-365">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Upon its completion, the Pan Am Building received largely negative feedback,<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 366-369">Template:Harvnb</ref> in large part because of its central location.<ref name="Clausen p. 216" /><ref name="p133071383" /> Most critics deprecated the building's bulk, which was exacerbated by the design of the facade and its horizontal alignment.<ref name="Stichweh 2016" /><ref name="Nash 20052" /> Gropius said the 1916 Zoning Resolution justified the building's large size, telling television presenter Dave Garroway that "every citizen has the right to use the law as far as he can";<ref name="Clausen p. 193">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AF 1960-04">Template:Cite magazine</ref> this only prompted further negative reviews.<ref name="Clausen p. 193" /> James T. Burns Jr. wrote in Progressive Architecture that the placement of the base, tower, parking garage, and Grand Central Terminal were "occasionally inexcusably jarring" and considered the lobby to be a continuation of the exterior's "monolithism".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Ada Louise Huxtable called the building "a colossal collection of minimums", with the lobby artwork being a "face-saving gimmick".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Many observers viewed the monolithic design as obstructing vistas down Park Avenue.<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 366-369" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Art historian Vincent Scully, speaking in 1961, expressed his belief that the Pan Am Building was a "fatal blow" to Park Avenue's continuity,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while Claes Oldenburg mocked the building's positioning on Park Avenue with his 1965 artwork Proposed Colossal Monument for Park Avenue, NYC: Good Humor Bar.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The building's own engineers had not expected any praise for the building, which had been developed solely for the purpose of making money.<ref name="Clausen p. 188" />
Goble, a close friend of Gropius and Belluschi, defended the building in a 1960 New York Times article in which he praised the pedestrian passageways in and around the building.<ref name="nyt19600626" /><ref name="Clausen p. 188" /> Goble was one of the few people speaking in favor of the Pan Am Building in its early years, and he wrote another article praising the building in 1962.<ref name="Clausen p. 190">Template:Harvnb</ref> Gropius himself wrote a speech in which he praised the building but provided few specific details.<ref name="Clausen p. 189">Template:Harvnb</ref> This speech was published in the June 1960 version of Architectural Record with no modifications.<ref name="Clausen p. 189" /><ref name="AR 1961-06">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Gropius had asked Paul Zucker of the New School to write an article that responded to criticism of the building on "an objective and professional level", although there is no evidence that Zucker ended up writing such an article.<ref name="Clausen pp. 194-195">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Retrospective commentaryEdit
The Pan Am Building was also highly criticized after its 1980s lobby renovation. Carter Wiseman compared the new decorations as being gaudy in a similar manner to performer Liberace, except that "even Liberace would have blushed at the vulgarity".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Paul Goldberger of The New York Times said that even though the previous design was "stark and unwelcoming", the new decorations created "a space that is so forced in its joy, so false and so disingenuous, that they make one yearn for some good old-fashioned coldness".<ref name="nyt19861211" /> In 1987, New York magazine conducted a poll of "more than 100 prominent New Yorkers", asking which buildings they preferred to see demolished, and the Pan Am Building ranked at the top of that list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Architect Robert A. M. Stern said in 1988 that the building, a "wrong-headed dream badly realized", warranted preservation from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> although he rhetorically suggested tearing down the building when the Pan Am sign was replaced several years later.<ref name="nyt20011007" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
By the beginning of the 21st century, some onetime critics expressed ambivalence toward the building's presence, while preservationists advocated the protection of mid-20th century buildings such as the MetLife Building.<ref name="nyt20011007" /> ArchDaily magazine described it in 2016 as "commendable for its robust form and excellent public spaces, as well as its excellent integration into the elevated arterial roads around it".<ref name="ArchDaily 2016" /> Furthermore, the building's reputation and presence made it the setting of several films and TV shows during its history.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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Template:MetLife Template:Midtown North, Manhattan Template:Grand Central Terminal Template:Park Avenue Template:Walter Gropius Template:Authority control