Editing MetLife Building (section)

== Architecture ==
Designed in the [[International style (architecture)|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 {{Convert|808|ft}} tall with 59 stories,<ref>{{Cite web |title=MetLife Building |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114533/metlife-building-new-york-city-ny-usa |access-date=March 9, 2021 |publisher=Emporis |archive-date=May 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070512183549/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=metlifebuilding-newyorkcity-ny-usa |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name="SkyscraperCenter" /><ref name="Stichweh 2016">{{cite book |last=Stichweh |first=Dirk |title=New York Skyscrapers |publisher=[[Prestel Publishing]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-3-7913-8226-5 |page=90 |oclc=923852487}}</ref> containing both commercial and office space.<ref name="ZoLa" /> {{As of|2024|September}}, the MetLife Building is the [[List of tallest buildings in New York City|42nd-tallest building in New York City]] and [[List of tallest buildings in the United States|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">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=114|ps=.}}</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>{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1959 |title=$500,000 Landscaping For Grand Central City |language=en-US |page=51 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/11/02/88835812.pdf |access-date=March 24, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235424/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/11/02/88835812.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyht19591101">{{cite news |date=November 1, 1959 |title=New Wolfson Building To Have Large Gardens |page=92 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1346191143}}}}</ref> [[Jaros, Baum & Bolles]] as [[Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing|MEP]] engineers;<ref name="SkyscraperCenter">{{cite web |date=August 24, 2020 |title=MetLife Building – The Skyscraper Center |url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/metlife-building/909 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235325/http://skyscrapercenter.info/building/metlife-building/909 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |access-date=November 19, 2022 |website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat}}</ref><ref name="nyht19590517" /> and James Ruderman as structural engineer.<ref name="nyht19590517">{{cite news |last=Lyman |first=Richard |date=May 17, 1959 |title=New Towers Raise Role Of Engineer: Expert Controls Third of Outlay |page=1C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1323087094}}}}</ref> From the beginning, the building was intended for large firms, with {{Convert|2.4|e6ft2}} in office floor area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wolfson |first=Erwin S. |date=March 20, 1960 |title=Grand Central Project Planned for Big Firms |page=C4 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324052774}}}}</ref><ref name="AF p. 102">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1964|ps=.|p=102}}</ref> In total, it has {{convert|2,841,511|ft2}} of gross floor area, according to [[The Skyscraper Center]].<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />

=== Form ===
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">{{cite news |date=October 29, 1961 |title=Textured Masonry Sheathes New Office Buildings |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|115325278}}}}</ref><ref name="nyht19600501">{{cite news |date=May 1, 1960 |title=Commuters To Witness Tower Start: Will Get Closcup Of E. 42d St. Job |page=3C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324052003}}}}</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.">{{cite book |last1=Žaknić |first1=Ivan |title=100 of the world's tallest buildings |last2=Smith |first2=Matthew |last3=Rice |first3=Dolores B. |author4=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |date=1998 |publisher=Gingko Press |isbn=3-927258-60-1 |publication-place=Corte Madera, CA |page=108 |oclc=40110184}}</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>{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|pp=359–360}}</ref><ref name="nyht19590218">{{cite news |last=Wing |first=William G. |date=February 18, 1959 |title=New 'Grand Central City' Now Slated To Be 8 Sided |page=3 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324243197}}}}</ref> The north and south [[facade]]s 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">{{cite web |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=March 16, 2016 |title=How the MetLife Building Redefined Midtown Manhattan |url=https://www.archdaily.com/783927/how-the-metlife-building-redefined-midtown-manhattan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111182533/https://www.archdaily.com/783927/how-the-metlife-building-redefined-midtown-manhattan |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |website=ArchDaily}}</ref> as well as the nearly contemporary [[Pirelli Tower]] in [[Milan]] (completed in 1958).<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 360">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=360}}</ref><ref name="Nash 20052">{{cite book |last=Nash |first=Eric |title=Manhattan Skyscrapers |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-56898-652-4 |publication-place=New York |page=115 |oclc=407907000}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 98">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=98|ps=.}}</ref> The architects intended for the octagonal shape and exterior [[Curtain wall (architecture)|curtain wall]] to reduce the building's perceived sense of scale.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jencks |first=Charles |title=Modern movements in architecture. |date=June 1996 |publisher=Penguin |oclc=59631835}}</ref>

=== Facade ===
[[File:MetLife Building.jpg|left|200px|thumb|East facade from 44th Street]]
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">{{Cite news |date=June 26, 1960 |title=New Skyscrapers Are Designed To Ease Pedestrian Movement |language=en-US |pages=R1, R12 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/06/26/99746955.pdf |access-date=March 24, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235340/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/06/26/99746955.html |url-status=live}}</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">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=144}}</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">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=366}}</ref><ref name="AF 1962-02">{{cite magazine |date=Feb 1962 |title=Concrete Curtain |url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1962-02.pdf |magazine=Architectural Forum |volume=116 |pages=10 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624072433/https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1962-02.pdf |url-status=live}}</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 {{Convert|4|ft}} wide by {{Convert|8|ft}} high.<ref name="nyt19611029" /><ref name="Clausen p. 105">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=105|ps=.}}</ref> The panels themselves measure {{Convert|6|ft}} wide by {{Convert|13.67|ft|0}} high and weigh {{Convert|3500|lb}}.<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 [[mullion]]s project about {{Convert|13|in}} from the facade, separating the panels on every story.<ref name="Clausen p. 105" /> Flat concrete [[spandrel]]s 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">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=119|ps=.}}</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 {{convert|16|ft}} apart on centers. The precast concrete curtain wall is recessed behind the columns.<ref name="Clausen p. 109">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=109|ps=.}}</ref>

The MetLife Building originally bore {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall|1}} "Pan Am" displays on its north and south facades and {{convert|25|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall|1}} globe logos on the east and west facades.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schneider |first=Daniel B. |date=January 5, 1997 |title=F.Y.I. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/nyregion/fyi-015148.html |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130060308/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/05/nyregion/fyi-015148.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This was swapped with [[neon]] "MetLife" displays to the north and south in 1992.<ref name="chicagotribune.com 1992">{{cite web |last=Maxey |first=Brigitte |date=September 20, 1992 |title=Metlife to Ground Pan Am Logo in N.Y. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-09-20-9203260012-story.html |access-date=March 25, 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235331/https://www.chicagotribune.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=145}}</ref> These displays were changed again in 2017, being replaced with [[Light-emitting diode|LED]] letters to conserve energy.<ref name="Gannon 2017">{{cite web |last=Gannon |first=Devin |date=June 7, 2017 |title=The MetLife Building's letters are getting a makeover |url=https://www.6sqft.com/the-metlife-buildings-letters-are-getting-a-makeover/ |access-date=March 25, 2021 |website=6sqft |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414193539/https://www.6sqft.com/the-metlife-buildings-letters-are-getting-a-makeover/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Crain's New York Business 2017">{{cite web |last=Elstein |first=Aaron |date=June 7, 2017 |title=MetLife Building sign gets a face-lift for the first time in 24 years |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170607/REAL_ESTATE/170609917/metlife-building-at-200-park-avenue-sign-gets-a-face-lift-for-the-first-time-in-24-years |access-date=March 25, 2021 |website=Crain's New York Business |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305115802/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170607/REAL_ESTATE/170609917/metlife-building-at-200-park-avenue-sign-gets-a-face-lift-for-the-first-time-in-24-years |url-status=live}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=September 4, 1992 |title=Final Pan Am Departure |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/04/nyregion/final-pan-am-departure.html |access-date=July 27, 2017 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211045910/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/04/nyregion/final-pan-am-departure.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Modern New York City building code prohibits logos from being more than {{Convert|25|ft}} above the curb or occupying over {{Convert|200|ft2}} on a blockfront.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=February 14, 2008 |title=Big Selling Point for G.M. Tower: Naming Rights |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/nyregion/14name.html |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610085402/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/nyregion/14name.html |url-status=live}}</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 features ===
200 Park Avenue was built atop two levels of railroad tracks underground, which feed directly into Grand Central Terminal. The [[Substructure (engineering)|substructure]] of the building uses foundational columns that extend into the track levels, descending some {{Convert|55|ft}} below street level into the underlying bedrock.<ref name="nyt19590920" /><ref name="nyht19600501" /> The substructure includes more than 300 columns, each {{Convert|18.5|in}} across and clad with {{Convert|2|in}} 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 rail]]s, but had to be isolated from the other steel.<ref name="nyht19600501" /><ref name="nyt19610312">{{cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=March 12, 1961 |title=Framing Begins for Skyscraper: Columns Lowered Through Grand Central Terminal to Rest on Bedrock |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|115226480}}}}</ref> The new columns weighed between {{Convert|22|and|44|ST|LT t}}.<ref name="nyt19610312" /><ref>{{cite news |date=April 23, 1961 |title=Frame of Pan Am Tower Avoids, Train Vibration |page=D7 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325309076}}}}</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 {{Convert|36|ST|LT t}}.<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">{{cite news |date=September 20, 1959 |title=Skyscraper Here to Rise Like Vine: Old Building Will Linger While New One Is Begun at Grand Central |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|114649780}}}}</ref><ref name="nyht19600501" />

[[File:MetLife building rooftop view from The SUMMIT at One Vanderbilt.jpg|thumb|Rooftop view from [[One Vanderbilt]]|alt=Rooftop view of the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue as seen from One Vanderbilt]]

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>{{Cite news |last=Auerbach |first=George |date=February 3, 1962 |title=Bridge Methods Used on Floors; 'Composite Action' Adapted for Pan Am Building |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/03/archives/bridge-methods-used-on-floors-composite-action-adapted-for-pan-am.html |access-date=December 25, 2018 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226035225/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/03/archives/bridge-methods-used-on-floors-composite-action-adapted-for-pan-am.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Steel panels were fabricated, rather than concrete floors, because steel panels were lighter and could be constructed regardless of unfavorable weather. Over {{Convert|56|acre|m2}} of steel panels are used in the floor plates, each of which contains wire and cable ducts.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 6, 1960 |title=Steel Floors Set in New Skyscraper |language=en-US |page=R4 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/03/06/99728586.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235334/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/03/06/99728586.html |url-status=live}}</ref> A standard floor slab could handle loads of {{Convert|50|lb/ft2}}.<ref name="nyht19600710">{{cite news |last=Lyman |first=Richard B. |date=July 10, 1960 |title=Tower Plans Large Phone Service Area: Wolfson Center To Aid Tenants |page=1C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324097951}}}}</ref> The building's steel frame weighs over {{Convert|45000|ST|LT t}} in total.<ref name="nyt19610312" /> The roof of the building contains [[NOAA Weather Radio]] Station KWO35, a [[National Weather Service]] radio station.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Weather Service New York, NY Tour NOAA Weather Radio Page |website=National Weather Service |date=July 19, 2016 |url=https://www.weather.gov/okx/Tour_NOAA_Wx_Radio |access-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321033115/https://www.weather.gov/okx/Tour_NOAA_Wx_Radio |url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1990,<ref>{{cite book |last=Frank |first=Saul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKk2OgAACAAJ |title=City Peregrines: A Ten-year Saga of New York City Falcons |publisher=Hancock House |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-88839-330-2 |series=Act Series}}</ref> there has also been a [[peregrine falcon]] nest on the building's roof.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gronewold |first=Nathanial |date=August 25, 2009 |title=Peregrine Falcons Back From the Brink, but Face New Threats in New York |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/25/25greenwire-peregrine-falcons-back-from-the-brink-but-face-21168.html?pagewanted=2 |access-date=November 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

====Helipad <span class="anchor" id="Helicopter service"></span>====
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>{{Cite news |last=Witkin |first=Richard |date=March 24, 1961 |title=Heliport Slated Atop Skyscraper: 59-story Pan Am Building, Behind Grand Central, to Take 2-engine Craft |language=en-US |page=33 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/03/24/118029848.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235440/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/03/24/118029848.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 310">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=310|ps=.}}</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>{{cite news |last=Fleason |first=Gene |date=August 30, 1961 |title=On 59-Story Rooftop --A Helicopter Station: New Straight-Up-and-Down Craft-- Pan Am Building |page=21 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325845863}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Witkin |first=Richard |date=September 21, 1962 |title=Pan Am Building to Get Heliport; 25-passenger Craft Would Operate 60 Stories Up With Added Power |language=en-US |page=31 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/09/21/83522514.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235343/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/09/21/83522514.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> Lawyers for the building's owners applied for permission to operate the heliport in August 1963,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 1, 1963 |title=Pan Am Building Moves For Heliport Approval |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/01/archives/pan-am-building-moves-for-heliport-approval.html |access-date=August 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165454/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/01/archives/pan-am-building-moves-for-heliport-approval.html |url-status=live }}</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">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=311|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1964 |title=Renewal is Voted in City Hall Area |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/12/renewal-is-voted-in-city-hall-area.html |access-date=August 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165456/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/12/renewal-is-voted-in-city-hall-area.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[New York City Board of Estimate]] gave final approval to the heliport in January 1965,<ref name="Clausen p. 312">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=312|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Witkin |first=Richard |date=January 15, 1965 |title=Pan Am Heliport is Voted by City; Estimate Board Unanimous – Fight by Citizens Group May Be Taken to Court City Sanctions Pan Am Heliport; Civic Group Weighs Court Fight |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/15/archives/pan-am-heliport-is-voted-by-city-estimate-board-unanimous-fight-by.html |access-date=August 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165453/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/15/archives/pan-am-heliport-is-voted-by-city-estimate-board-unanimous-fight-by.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and test flights began that March,<ref name="Clausen p. 312" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 3, 1965 |title=Copter Test Flights To Be Made Today At Pan Am Heliport |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/03/archives/copter-test-flights-to-be-made-today-at-pan-am-heliport.html |access-date=August 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165451/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/03/archives/copter-test-flights-to-be-made-today-at-pan-am-heliport.html |url-status=live }}</ref> amid continued opposition to the heliport.<ref name="Clausen p. 312" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Schanberg |first=Sydney H. |date=March 24, 1965 |title=Assembly Gets Bill to Block Use Of Pan Am Building's Heliport; Measure Would Ban Flights in Congested Area – Test Runs Started March 3 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/24/archives/assembly-gets-bill-to-block-use-of-pan-am-buildings-heliport.html |access-date=August 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811165502/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/03/24/archives/assembly-gets-bill-to-block-use-of-pan-am-buildings-heliport.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Helicopter service started on December 22, 1965.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Edward |date=December 22, 1965 |title=Heliport Opened Atop Skyscraper: Pan Am Building Terminal Starts Shuttles Today |language=en-US |page=26 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/12/22/95921350.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235356/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/12/22/95921350.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> The service was operated by [[New York Airways]], which flew [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight|Vertol 107]] [[helicopter]]s from the rooftop helipad to Pan Am's terminal at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] (JFK).<ref name="Schneider">{{Cite news |last=Schneider |first=Daniel B. |date=July 25, 1999 |title=F.Y.I. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/25/nyregion/fyi-729590.html |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812100032/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/25/nyregion/fyi-729590.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 314">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=314|ps=.}}</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">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=321|ps=.}}</ref> For a short period starting in March 1967, the company also offered service to [[Teterboro Airport]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Edward |date=February 17, 1967 |title=Teterboro Added to Copter Routes; Service, Beginning March 1, to Link Bergen, Kennedy and Pan Am Building |language=en-US |page=36 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/02/17/82593094.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235337/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1967/02/17/82593094.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> All helicopter service stopped on February 18, 1968, because of insufficient ridership,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Edward |date=February 16, 1968 |title=Helicopter Service From Roof Of Pan Am Building Suspended |language=en-US |page=1 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/02/16/77171397.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235337/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/02/16/77171397.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as disagreements over funding.<ref name="Clausen p. 321" /><ref>{{cite news |date=February 9, 1968 |title=Pan Am Building Helicopter Service May Be Suspended |page=8 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|133328368}}}}</ref><ref name="p915695121">{{cite news |last=Duggan |first=Dennis |date=February 9, 1968 |title=Money Squabble Threatens to Halt Copter Flights to Pan Am Building |page=25A |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|915695121}}}}</ref>

Though discussions to restart helicopter service were held in 1969,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lindsey |first=Robert |date=August 29, 1969 |title=Copter Service May Be Resumed From Atop the Pan Am Building |language=en-US |page=59 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/08/29/88860788.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235339/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/08/29/88860788.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> approval was not given until early 1977.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaiser |first=Charles |date=January 21, 1977 |title=Helicopter Flights Approved by Board |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/21/archives/helicopter-flights-approved-by-board-pan-am-building-service-is.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235332/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/21/archives/helicopter-flights-approved-by-board-pan-am-building-service-is.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 310" /> Service to JFK resumed that February using [[Sikorsky S-61]]s.<ref name="Schneider" /><ref name="Clausen p. 322">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=322|ps=.}}</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 [[Helicopter rotor|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>{{cite web |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]] |title=Aircraft Accident Report – New York Airways, Inc., Sikorsky S-61L, N619PA Pan Am Building Heliport, New York, New York, May 16, 1977 |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR77-09.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023757/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR77-09.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 27, 2021}}
* {{cite web |title=TRIS Online Record |id=Accession No: 01077007 |website=Research and Innovative Technology Administration |url=http://ntlsearch.bts.gov/tris/record/tris/01077007.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002060804/http://ntlsearch.bts.gov/repository/record/tris/01077007.html |archive-date=October 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McFadden |first=Robert D. |date=May 17, 1977 |title=5 Killed as Copter on Pan Am Building Throws Rotor Blade |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/17/archives/5-killed-as-copter-on-pan-am-building-throws-rotor-blade.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235416/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/17/archives/5-killed-as-copter-on-pan-am-building-throws-rotor-blade.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Helicopter service was suspended that day and never resumed.<ref name="Schneider" /><ref name="Clausen p. 324">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=324|ps=.}}</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">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=August 18, 1991 |title=Commercial Property: Pan Am Building; '200 Park Avenue' Preferred |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/18/realestate/commercial-property-pan-am-building-200-park-avenue-preferred.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928220708/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/18/realestate/commercial-property-pan-am-building-200-park-avenue-preferred.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Interior ===

==== Structural and mechanical features<span class="anchor" id="Utilities"></span> ====
[[File:Vanderbilt Av viaduct jeh.JPG|thumb|Vanderbilt Avenue entrance arcade]]
A central telephone office was installed on the 20th and 21st stories,<ref name="Clausen p. 118">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=118|ps=.}}</ref> serving 30,000 telephones within the building.<ref name="nyht19600710" /><ref name="Clausen pp. 117-118">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|pp=117–118|ps=.}}</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 {{Convert|150|to|300|lb/ft2}}, and floor heights were increased to provide clearance of at least {{Convert|13.5|ft}}.<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 {{Convert|3333|ST|LT t}}.<ref name="PA 1960-12">{{cite magazine |date=Dec 1960 |title=More Mosts for Pan Am; Big Cork Gets Big Sign |url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1960-12.pdf |magazine=Progressive Architecture |volume=41 |pages=60–61 |access-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624072412/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1960-12.pdf |url-status=live}}</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 {{Convert|20|e6lb}} 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">{{cite news |date=April 3, 1960 |title=Tall Offices To Have Big Icing Plant: Wolfson Tower Will Use Steam |page=3C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1324081209}}}}</ref> The ventilation systems could deliver {{Convert|5,000,000|ft3}} 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 "[[Baler#Industrial balers|baled]]" on-site to make easier to dispose of paper.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1963 |title=Pan Am Building Wastebaskets Collect 40,000 Pounds a Day; Removal System Described |language=en-US |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/09/01/140353582.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235336/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/09/01/140353582.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</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 {{Convert|1600|ft/min}}, the fastest elevators in the world at the time of their installation.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=February 29, 1960 |title=Westinghouse $8 Million Contract |page=8 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|132630206}}}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news |date=February 24, 1960 |title=Gets Biggest Elevator Order |page=37 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325119680}}}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 117">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=117|ps=.}}</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, {{as of|2021|lc=y}}, the building has 85 elevators.<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />

==== Lobby ====
[[File:MetLife lobby Mar 2021 11.jpg|thumb|Southern end of the lobby]]
The MetLife Building's base contains a lobby across its lowest two stories. At ground level is a {{Convert|76|ft|4=-wide|adj=mid}} 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 {{Convert|65|ft}} from the sidewalk. A {{Convert|103|ft|4=-wide|adj=mid}} entrance arcade is placed on Vanderbilt Avenue, with the doorways set about {{Convert|81|ft}} 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">{{cite news |date=June 26, 1960 |title=Big Building Plans to Cut Congestion: Wolfson Tower To Help Traffic |page=1C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1325739974}}}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 188">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=188|ps=.}}</ref> The lobby was also designed with plantings and a {{Convert|40|ft|4=-high|adj=mid}} 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>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 1962 |title=Escalators Coming to Grand Central |language=en-US |page=52 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/02/25/113419063.pdf |access-date=March 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235344/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/02/25/113419063.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</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">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=353|ps=.}}</ref> The building's original anchor tenant, Pan Am, had a ticket office under a {{convert|25|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} niche off the main lobby, measuring {{convert|135|ft}} long and {{convert|11|ft}} 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 {{convert|10000|ft2}}.<ref name="Clausen pp. 139-141">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|pp=139–141|ps=.}}</ref>

===== Renovations =====
During a 1980s renovation by [[Warren Platner]], some {{Convert|15000|ft2}} of retail space were constructed in the lobby.<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|pp=143–144}}</ref><ref name="nyt19850227">{{Cite news |last=Depalma |first=Anthony |date=February 27, 1985 |title=About Real Estate; Pan Am Lobby Is Upgraded in Effort to Raise Rents |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/27/business/about-real-estate-pan-am-lobby-is-upgraded-in-effort-to-raise-rents.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709194128/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/27/business/about-real-estate-pan-am-lobby-is-upgraded-in-effort-to-raise-rents.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Also installed was a staircase at the center of the lobby on 45th Street, which consisted of alternating [[travertine]] and gray-granite [[Stair riser|risers]].<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 144" /><ref name="nyt19861211">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Goldberger |date=December 11, 1986 |title=Critic's Notebook; A Change of Makeup for Pan Am Building Lobby |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/11/arts/critic-s-notebook-a-change-of-makeup-for-pan-am-building-lobby.html |access-date=June 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609222919/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/11/arts/critic-s-notebook-a-change-of-makeup-for-pan-am-building-lobby.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The staircase ranged from {{Convert|10|ft}} wide at the ground floor to {{Convert|20|ft}} at an intermediate landing, where it split into two flights and reached a width of {{Convert|30|ft}} 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>{{Cite magazine |date=Winter 1985–1986 |title=A Grand Staircase is Focal Point in Pan Am Renovation |magazine=Metals in Construction |pages=16–17}}</ref><ref name="Clausen p. 351">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=351|ps=.}}</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>{{cite web |title=Accounting giant BDO takes 145,000 s/f at 200 Park |website=Real Estate Weekly |date=October 11, 2021 |url=https://rew-online.com/accounting-giant-bdo-takes-145000-s-f-at-200-park/ |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110024739/https://rew-online.com/accounting-giant-bdo-takes-145000-s-f-at-200-park/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Artwork =====
The Pan Am Building's lobby was planned with several works of art,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt19630707">{{Cite news |date=July 7, 1963 |title=Pan Am Lobby Gets Look of Art Gallery; Art Adorns Pan Am Building Lobby |language=en-US |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/07/07/107177441.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235338/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/07/07/107177441.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</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">{{Cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Margalit |last2=Robinson |first2=George |date=September 28, 2003 |title=F.Y.I. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/nyregion/fyi-451878.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226213643/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/nyregion/fyi-451878.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AR 1962-02">{{cite magazine |date=Feb 1962 |title=Lippold Sculpture Planned for Pan Am Building |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1962-02.pdf |magazine=Architectural Record |volume=131 |pages=240 |number=2 |access-date=March 26, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624072421/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1962-02.pdf |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Gilroy |first=Harry |date=April 25, 1963 |title=Sculptor Becomes A High-Wire Artist In Pan Am Lobby |language=en-US |page=35 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/04/25/82060046.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235433/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/04/25/82060046.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> It measures {{convert|80|ft}} wide, and {{convert|40|ft}} deep.<ref name="Clausen p. 151">{{harvnb|Clausen|2005|p=151|ps=.}}</ref> The composer [[John Cage]], a friend of Lippold's, had initially proposed a musical program to complement ''Flight'',<ref name="nyt20030928" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Vanel |first=Herve |year=2008 |title=John Cage's Muzak-Plus: The Fu(rni)ture of Music |magazine=Representations |publisher=University of California Press |volume=102 |issue=1 |pages=94–128 |doi=10.1525/rep.2008.102.1.94 |issn=0734-6018}}</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>{{Cite news |last=Ericson |first=Raymond |date=August 12, 1962 |title=Music World: No Sound at All |language=en-US |page=X9 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/12/121579380.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235341/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/12/121579380.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the Pan Am Building's opening, the entrance from the Main Concourse was topped by [[Manhattan (Josef Albers mural)|''Manhattan'']], a {{Convert|28|by|55|ft|adj=on}} mosaic mural of red, white, and black panels by [[Josef Albers]].<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 8, 1963 |title=Mural in Pan Am Building Lobby Gets Face Washed |language=en-US |page=166 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/12/08/89617253.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235337/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/12/08/89617253.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> That work was removed in a 2001 renovation,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=July 9, 2001 |title=A Familiar Mural Finds Itself Without a Wall |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/09/arts/a-familiar-mural-finds-itself-without-a-wall.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308132533/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/09/arts/a-familiar-mural-finds-itself-without-a-wall.html |url-status=live}}</ref> though Albers had left exact specifications for reproducing the work,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 145" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vogel |first=Carol |date=February 21, 2003 |title=Inside Art |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/arts/inside-art.html |access-date=June 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609233223/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/arts/inside-art.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and a replica was installed in 2019.<ref name="nyt20190923">{{Cite news |last=Coleman |first=Nancy |date=September 23, 2019 |title=Once Removed and Destroyed, a Modernist Mural Makes Its Return |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/arts/design/josef-albers-modernist-mural-metlife.html |access-date=March 26, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520210846/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/arts/design/josef-albers-modernist-mural-metlife.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 23, 2019 |title=Josef Albers's Manhattan returns to its rightful place in the MetLife building |url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/manhattan-returns-to-its-rightful-place-outside-grand-central-station |access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=The Art Newspaper |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309032510/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/manhattan-returns-to-its-rightful-place-outside-grand-central-station |url-status=live}}</ref>

Suspended over the 45th Street entrance was a mural by [[György Kepes]], consisting of two aluminum screens<ref name="LIFE p. 14">{{cite magazine |date=August 9, 1963 |title=Art in Buildings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IlIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14%C2%A0 |magazine=LIFE |publisher=Time Inc |page=14 |issn=0024-3019 |access-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813180847/https://books.google.com/books?id=IlIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA14%C2%A0 |url-status=live }}</ref> with concentric squares.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 366" /><ref name="nyt19630707" /> Kepes's mural measured {{convert|40|ft}} 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 (sculpture)|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 spaces ====
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>{{cite news |date=August 11, 1960 |title=6-Level Garage Planned in Central City |page=26 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1327121307}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1960 |title=Garage Is Leased at Central City; 400-Car Unit to Be Part of 59-Story Skyscraper – Other Rental Deals |language=en-US |page=41 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/08/11/99778446.pdf |access-date=March 24, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501235339/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1960/08/11/99778446.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> According to former minority owner [[Tishman Speyer]], {{As of|2021|lc=y}}, the building's garage contains 248 spots across four levels.<ref>{{cite web |title=200 Park Avenue – Commercial Real Estate NYC |url=https://tishmanspeyer.com/properties/200-park-avenue |access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=Tishman Speyer |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507075419/https://tishmanspeyer.com/properties/200-park-avenue |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|However, according to [[The Skyscraper Center]], there are 315 parking spaces.<ref name="SkyscraperCenter" />}}

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 {{Convert|32000|to|36000|ft2}} 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 {{Convert|780|ft}} of outer perimeter walls.<ref name="AF p. 103">{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1964|ps=.|p=103}}</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>{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1964|ps=.|pp=104, 108}}</ref> Other tenants placed open spaces at the west and east ends of the floor<ref>{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1964|ps=.|pp=104–105}}</ref> or in the center.<ref>{{harvnb|Architectural Forum|1964|ps=.|p=107}}</ref>

The Sky Club, a private luncheon club, had been on the 56th floor of the Pan Am Building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGrath |first=Charles |date=May 26, 2005 |title=A Lunch Club for the Higher-Ups |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/a-lunch-club-for-the-higherups.html |access-date=March 23, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909135452/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/26/garden/a-lunch-club-for-the-higherups.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2009 |title=The Demise of Sky-High Dining |url=https://observer.com/2009/08/the-demise-of-skyhigh-dining/ |access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303154807/https://observer.com/2009/08/the-demise-of-skyhigh-dining/ |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite news |last=McDowell |first=Edwin |date=April 11, 2000 |title=Reviving High Life, 67 Floors Up; Chrysler Building Redoes the Cloud Club's Old Space |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/11/nyregion/reviving-high-life-67-floors-up-chrysler-building-redoes-cloud-club-s-old-space.html |access-date=March 23, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112905/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/11/nyregion/reviving-high-life-67-floors-up-chrysler-building-redoes-cloud-club-s-old-space.html |url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite web |date=April 24, 2010 |title=Tucker's Point |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703876404575200191239091952 |access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=The Wall Street Journal |language=en |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023073646/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703876404575200191239091952 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Point |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/bermuda/restaurants/the-point |access-date=March 26, 2021 |website=Travel + Leisure |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929152036/https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/bermuda/restaurants/the-point |url-status=live}}</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" />