Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Jump to content

270 Park Avenue (1960–2021)

Coordinates: 40°45′21″N 73°58′32″W / 40.75583°N 73.97556°W / 40.75583; -73.97556
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Union Carbide Building
270 Park Avenue
The facade of the Union Carbide Building at 270 Park Avenue, a glass-and-metal tower, as seen from Park Avenue
270 Park Avenue in April 2008
Map
General information
StatusDemolished
Architectural styleInternational
Location270 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, U.S.
Coordinates40°45′21″N 73°58′32″W / 40.75583°N 73.97556°W / 40.75583; -73.97556
Construction started1957[1]
Completed1960
Closed2018
Demolished2019–2021
Height
Architectural707 ft (215 m)
Technical details
Floor count52
Floor area1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)

270 Park Avenue, also known as the JPMorgan Chase Tower and the Union Carbide Building, was a skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1960 for chemical company Union Carbide, it was designed by the architects Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The 52-story, 707 ft (215 m) skyscraper later became the global headquarters for JPMorgan Chase. It was demolished in 2021 to make way for a taller skyscraper at the same address. At the time of its destruction, the Union Carbide Building was the tallest voluntarily demolished building in the world.

The building occupied a full city block bounded by Madison Avenue, 48th Street, Park Avenue, and 47th Street. It was composed of two sections: a 52-story tower facing Park Avenue to the east and a 12-story annex facing Madison Avenue to the west, both surrounded by public plazas. About two-thirds of 270 Park Avenue was built atop two levels of underground railroad tracks, which feed directly into Grand Central Terminal to the south. This not only prevented a basement from being built under most of the site but also required that the lobby be one story above ground level. Union Carbide's offices were designed around a grid of 5 by 5 ft (1.5 by 1.5 m) modules. The offices contained flexible furnishings and partitions, as well as luminous ceilings. The Union Carbide Building received mixed reviews during its existence, and the presence of the building's plazas helped influence the 1961 Zoning Resolution.

The site was occupied by the Hotel Marguery between 1917 and 1957. Union Carbide leased the land from New York Central Railroad (later Penn Central) and announced plans for the building in 1955. Union Carbide moved into its headquarters in 1960 and acquired the underlying land in 1976 after Penn Central went bankrupt. After three years of negotiations, Union Carbide agreed in 1978 to sell the building to Manufacturers Hanover Corporation. Manufacturers Hanover moved into 270 Park Avenue in 1980 and renovated the building. Through several mergers, Manufacturers Hanover became part of JPMorgan Chase, which announced plans to demolish the building in 2018. Despite preservationists' objections, the Union Carbide Building was demolished from 2019 to 2021.

Site

[edit]

270 Park Avenue was in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It occupied an entire city block bounded by Madison Avenue to the west, 48th Street to the north, Park Avenue to the east, and 47th Street to the south.[2][3] The land lot covered about 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) with a frontage of 200 ft (61 m) on either avenue and 400 ft (120 m) on either street.[2][4] Nearby buildings include the old New York Mercantile Library and 400 Madison Avenue to the west; Tower 49 to the northwest; 277 Park Avenue to the east; 245 Park Avenue to the southeast; and 383 Madison Avenue to the south.[2]

By the late 19th century, the Park Avenue railroad line ran in an open cut in the middle of Park Avenue. The line was covered with the construction of Grand Central Terminal in the early 20th century, spurring development in the surrounding area, Terminal City.[5] Among the developments were office buildings such as the Chanin Building, Bowery Savings Bank Building, and New York Central Building, as well as hotels like the Biltmore, Commodore, Waldorf Astoria, and Summit.[6] On the site of 270 Park Avenue, the developer Charles V. Paterno constructed the six-building Hotel Marguery complex,[1][7] which opened in 1917.[8] The stone-clad hotel was 12 stories high and designed in the Renaissance Revival style.[1][7] By 1920, the area had become what The New York Times called "a great civic centre".[9] At the time, the section of Park Avenue north of Grand Central Terminal contained many apartment houses for the rich.[10] Largely commercial International Style skyscrapers replaced many of the residential structures on Park Avenue during the 1950s and 1960s.[11][12]

Architecture

[edit]

The Union Carbide Building was designed by the architects Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) for the chemical company Union Carbide.[3][13][14] Bunshaft publicly took credit, even though de Blois was the main designer.[15][16][17] As early as the 1980s, The New York Times attributed the design mainly to de Blois.[18] This made the Union Carbide Building the world's tallest building designed by a woman for about fifty years after its completion.[19][20] After de Blois died in 2013, David W. Dunlap of the Times said that, even though SOM projects were collaborations between several designers, "there is little doubt that Ms. de Blois [...] was long denied her due".[17]

Several engineers and contractors were also involved in the building's construction. Weiskopf and Pickworth was hired as the structural engineer; George A. Fuller was the general contractor; Syska Hennessy were the lighting, mechanical, and electrical consultants; and Bolt, Beranek, and Newman Inc. were the acoustic consultants.[21] The Union Carbide Building, the Seagram Building, Lever House, and the Pepsi-Cola Building were part of a grouping of International Style structures developed on Park Avenue from 46th to 59th Street during the mid-20th century.[22]

Form and facade

[edit]
The facade of 270 Park Avenue as seen from the south in 2019. There are other buildings on either side of the structure.
Seen from the south in February 2019

Measuring 707 ft (215 m) tall,[23][24] the Union Carbide Building was the tallest structure on Park Avenue upon its completion in 1960,[25][26] as well as the tallest building erected in the city since 1933.[4][26] It was one of the last skyscrapers in New York City to be designed under the principles of the 1916 Zoning Resolution.[13] The main tower was 52 stories tall and faced Park Avenue; there was also a 12- or 13-story western annex that faced Madison Avenue.[4][27][28] The annex measured 189 ft (58 m) high.[4][29] The building was set back 50 ft (15 m) from the lot line along Park Avenue[27][30] and 23 ft (7.0 m) from the lot line on each side street.[27][29][a] The Madison Avenue annex was set back 13 ft (4.0 m) from Madison Avenue.[29][32] The ground-level entrances were recessed another 38 ft (12 m) behind the facade,[26][32] giving the appearance of a colonnade in front of the entrances.[33] The ground floor of the annex had a platform for truck deliveries, as well as some storefronts.[32]

The facade included a curtain wall of gray-tinted glass,[30][31] which covered 6.5 acres (280,000 sq ft; 26,000 m2) of the facade.[34] Each glass panel measured 0.25 in (6.4 mm) thick,[35] and the facade was composed of 6,824 panels.[23][36] The horizontal spandrels between each story were made of black metal,[34][35][36] covering 4.5 acres (200,000 sq ft; 18,000 m2) of the facade.[36] The spandrels were made of stainless steel on their outward faces; asbestos honeycomb in their cores; and aluminum sheeting on their inward faces.[37] Silver stainless steel vertical mullions, spaced 5 ft (1.5 m) apart, divided the facade into bays.[34] Each set of spandrels was manufactured simultaneously with half of the mullions next to them.[35] The mullions doubled as rails for the Union Carbide Building's window washing scaffold.[37]

The stainless steel was manufactured by General Bronze.[38] The spandrels and mullions were covered with products made by Electro Metallurgical Co., a subsidiary of Union Carbide.[39][40][41] Electro Metallurgical used a proprietary process called "Permyron" to blacken the spandrels.[26][41] This allowed the black-matte finish to remain on the spandrels permanently; at the time, black-matte finishes could wear off if they were applied using any other method.[41]

Plazas

[edit]

On all sides of the block, there was a plaza between the building and the lot line,[33][31] which comprised about 44 percent of the entire lot.[4] The plaza was made of pink terrazzo tiles,[33][31] which were patterned similarly to the sidewalk at the nearly contemporary 1271 Avenue of the Americas.[42] The plaza had a flagpole, a feature present in other buildings erected in New York City around the same time.[43] The terrazzo sidewalks tended to become slippery when it rained or snowed. The sidewalk in 270 Park Avenue's plaza was so slippery that, less than a year after the building was completed in 1960, acid etching was applied to the tiles to roughen their surfaces.[44] This was finally replaced in the 1980s with black granite,[45] which provided a rough-textured surface.[46] Two 120 ft-long (37 m) fountains, one each on 47th and 48th Streets, were also built during this renovation.[45]

At the center of the site, separating the main 52-story tower and the Madison Avenue annex, a 60 ft-wide (18 m) wide public plaza connected 47th and 48th Streets.[26][32] The central plaza served as a one-block extension of Vanderbilt Avenue, which ran from 42nd to 47th Street.[26][47] The site of the plaza had been intended as a northward extension of Vanderbilt Avenue to 49th Street; the New York Central Railroad had built this section of Vanderbilt Avenue in 1913, but it was never deeded to the government of New York City.[48] Inside the central plaza, SOM provided space for a future pedestrian connection to Grand Central Terminal several blocks south.[26] An entrance to the terminal, with an elevator, was ultimately instead built on the north side of 47th Street east of Madison Avenue.[49] Work on this entrance began in 1997 as part of the Grand Central North project[49][50] and was completed in 1999.[51]

Structural features

[edit]

About two-thirds of 270 Park Avenue was built atop two levels of underground railroad tracks, which feed directly into Grand Central Terminal to the south.[28][29][52] This prevented the building from using a conventional foundation that was sunk into the ground.[13] The building was erected above 24 tracks on the upper level and 17 tracks on the lower level.[53] Because of the differing track layouts, each level is supported by different sets of columns. To accommodate the Union Carbide Building, new beams had to be installed on the lower track level; the beams weighed up to 18.5 short tons (16.5 long tons; 16.8 t) and measured as little as 4 in (100 mm) thick.[28] In total, contractors installed 115 columns through the two levels of tracks, descending to the underlying layer of bedrock.[52] Asbestos pads and lead panels were also installed to reduce vibrations from trains.[29] The footings were as much as 60 ft (18 m) deep. Ninety-five steel stilts, which had supported 70 percent of the former Hotel Marguery, were replaced by heavier columns that could carry the newer building's weight.[53]

The basement columns were spaced every 20 ft (6.1 m) from north to south. The columns were spaced more irregularly from west to east, being placed to avoid tracks on the upper track level. The tracks below the easternmost section of the site are curved, so girders were used to transfer weight above the tracks.[54] The basement only extended underneath the 12-story-tall Madison Avenue annex.[55] As a result, the main tower's cooling equipment had to be installed on the roof. The air-conditioning system on the roof was composed of two 70,000 lb (32,000 kg) air conditioning chillers, which served the cooling system above the 30th story. Three chillers in the basement served the 30th story and below.[55]

Interior

[edit]

When completed, the Union Carbide Building had a gross floor area of 1.5×10^6 sq ft (140,000 m2), though the rentable floor area was only 1.16×10^6 sq ft (108,000 m2).[4] Each floor of the tower on Park Avenue covered 17,500 sq ft (1,630 m2), while each floor in the Madison Avenue annex covered 37,500 sq ft (3,480 m2).[4][29]

Lobby

[edit]

The lobby was designed by Natalie de Blois and Jack G. Dunbar of SOM.[14] The building had two entrance halls at ground level.[56] The elevator pits could not descend below the ground, or first, story due to the presence of the tracks.[26][54] To maximize the height of the elevator pits, SOM placed the elevator lobby on the second story.[30][33][57] Escalators from the ground story led to the second-story mezzanine,[57][56] flanking an elevator core with red wall cladding.[14][57] There were two sets of escalators: one from each entrance hall.[56]

The mezzanine covered 6,000 sq ft (560 m2)[58] and was 25 ft (7.6 m) high.[26][58] The walls of the lobby were made of corrugated stainless steel, with intermediate sections being painted black. In addition, black steel cladding was used on the columns.[54] The lobby columns were spaced every 20 ft (6.1 m) to match the support columns of the underlying tracks.[54][57] The mezzanine was initially a publicly accessible space with art and science exhibitions.[26][57] It was unpopular with the public, in part because it was far removed from the street and gave the impression of being a private space.[26] There was also a 24 ft-long (7.3 m) control panel for the elevators in the lobby,[58] as well as a 1,300-seat cafeteria and service rooms.[29] Blueprints indicate that there were 16 elevators in the main tower (divided into two sets of eight elevators), as well as 11 elevators in the annex.[37]

About 3,060 sq ft (284 m2) of the mezzanine was removed in the early 1980s when Manufacturers Hanover Corporation moved into the building.[59] After the renovation, the lobby stood three stories high with a ceiling made of stainless steel.[45] The elevator core was redecorated in bright red metal, and two elevators for the disabled were added between the lobby and the remaining portion of the mezzanine.[59]

Offices

[edit]

The office stories contained contemporary furnishings and flexible layouts.[57] Union Carbide wanted at least 60 percent of office space to be near a window.[21][60] As a result, SOM arranged the offices so about 65 percent of space was within 15 ft (4.6 m) of a window.[60][61][b] The offices were arranged in a grid of 5 by 5 ft (1.5 by 1.5 m) modules, inspired by the gauge of the railroad tracks below.[54][57] This arose from Union Carbide's requirement that office layouts be flexible enough to be rearranged overnight.[62] Bunshaft and de Blois had determined that the offices could have been arranged in modules measuring 2.5 by 5 ft (0.76 by 1.52 m).[29][54] However, the architects determined that a square module was more flexible.[54] The building as a whole was divided into bays of 20 by 40 ft (6.1 by 12.2 m).[14]

The ceilings covered 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2).[63] Union Carbide considered six types of ceiling designs during the planning process and ultimately used a luminous ceiling.[62] This consisted of a grid of stainless steel beams, with three layers of plastic sheeting as well as angled reflectors.[25][64] The stainless steel beams were used because they could be prefabricated to a high degree of precision and because they were resistant to scratches.[25] Each beam had a runner on one side, allowing conditioned air to travel efficiently along the ceiling.[25][63][65] The runners were placed only on one side to prevent sound from traveling between offices. The runners provided air to offices that were further than 15 feet from a window.[66] The offices at the building's perimeter were served directly by air-conditioning units beneath each window.[61] Light fixtures were placed behind the plastic ceiling panels.[25][60][67] There were no plenum spaces above the ceiling, since the runner system had made it unnecessary.[60] In the 1980s, the plastic ceilings were replaced with translucent acoustic panels.[59]

The floor surfaces were covered with 15 acres (650,000 sq ft; 61,000 m2) of carpets.[68] Each office was separated by a full-height partition, which was aligned with the ceiling grid.[65][69] The tops of most partitions were made of clear glass panels, giving the impression of an uninterrupted ceiling.[61][69] For offices in which the lights could be turned off, these were replaced with mirrored panels.[69] The partitions could also be moved easily if needed.[67] SOM designed objects, furniture, and decor for Union Carbide's offices, and Union Carbide used its office as a showcase for its plastic and metal products.[70] Filing cabinets and clustered workstations were also designed around modules, which was unusual for the time.[26] At the time of the building's construction, only about 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) was reserved for data processing equipment.[71]

Union Carbide's executive offices occupied the corners of the building. These contained decorative details such as marble and wood panels, as well as plants, paintings, and sculptures.[72] On the eleventh floor of the Madison Avenue annex was an employee lounge for Union Carbide.[4] When Manufacturers Hanover took over, the eighth and ninth floors were remodeled into an executive suite with both modern and antique art, as well as an internal connecting staircase. Senior officers had wooden desks with brass fixtures. In addition, the original partitions were replaced with glass walls.[59] When the building was renovated, one-fourth of employees had a workstation, but by the 1990s, almost all employees had workstations.[71] After Manufacturers Hanover took over, there was a 200-seat executive dining room on the 49th floor. In addition, the 50th story contained 16 private dining rooms, as well as three rooms for the chairman and the presidents of the bank's national and international divisions.[73]

History

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Planning

[edit]
The main entrance to the building on Park Avenue. The double-height lobby can be seen behind several cars on Park Avenue. The Chase logo is visible behind the glass facade of the lobby.
Entrance to the building

Union Carbide had announced its intent in 1952 to move its headquarters from New York City to the suburb of Elmsford in Westchester County, New York, to accommodate a growing staff.[74][75] The corporation ultimately decided to stay in the city, and, in August 1955, its executives decided to lease the Hotel Marguery site at 270 Park Avenue as the company's world headquarters.[76][77] At the time, the Marguery's operators had been looking to sell the building for the past decade.[78][76] Union Carbide leased the location from the New York Central Railroad, paying $250,000 per year plus the property's real estate taxes (estimated to be $1.5 million per year) for a term of at least 22 years.[76] In addition, the company paid the railroad $10 million for the option to acquire the land outright in the future.[76][79] The developer William Zeckendorf said the lease "marks the beginning of the end to the brief vogue for corporate rustication", in which large corporations had preferred to move out of the city.[80]

Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois proposed three designs for the building.[21][78] One plan would have entailed constructing a nine-story base on the entire site, above which a 48-story tower would occupy 25 percent of the site to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution. A second plan called for a ziggurat-like tower with multiple setbacks, which would have been larger than the final plan.[78][81] A third plan called for the tower to rise at the rear of the site along Madison Avenue, avoiding the railroad tracks.[69][78][81] Though the ziggurat plan would have been 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) larger than the 48-story tower, Union Carbide rejected the proposal because the interior offices would have been too dark.[78][81] Union Carbide also did not want to build a tower on Madison Avenue because this would have forced the shops to be placed along Park Avenue, away from the shopping district on Madison Avenue.[69]

A version of the base-and-tower plan was ultimately selected.[69] It called for a 41-story, 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) office building along Park Avenue, with a 13-story section along Madison Avenue, to be completed by 1958.[82][80] In July 1956, Bunshaft and de Blois increased the size of the building to 52 floors; the tower's cost increased to $46 million.[83][84]

Construction

[edit]

Demolition of the former hotel began in early 1957 and was completed by late August.[53][85] General Bronze received a contract for the stainless steel in January 1958.[38] Work on the building's foundation was delayed slightly the following month due to a labor strike.[86] As some materials had to be delivered by railroad, material deliveries were coordinated closely to avoid delays on the commuter rail lines entering Grand Central.[28][52] Construction was complicated by the fact that there were only six railroad platforms on the upper level that extended to 47th Street, and materials had to come through these platforms.[53] Additionally, there was no space for materials to be stored on site, requiring contractors to use staging areas that, in some cases, were several miles away. Train service was largely uninterrupted, except for one incident in which a plank fell onto a train car.[52] Contractors worked overnight so the structural steel could be installed immediately after they were delivered via railroad.[87]

A refrigerant compressor for an air-conditioning chiller, weighing 43,000 lb (20,000 kg), was installed on the roof in July 1959; at the time, no other similarly heavy object had been hoisted to a higher altitude.[55][88] By early 1960, the facade was nearly complete and workers were unwrapping the metal panels from their plastic packaging.[36] The Union Carbide Building was one of several office buildings with over 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of space that were constructed in New York City during the late 1950s and early 1960s.[89][90]

Completion and early years

[edit]

Union Carbide had initially planned to occupy its entire building,[82][78] but, by 1958, it intended to lease out some of its offices.[30] The electronics company Magnavox leased a store,[91] as did a Manufacturers Hanover bank branch,[92] a florist, and a barber.[93] Office tenants included the consultants McKinsey & Company,[94] Reader's Digest magazine,[95] the Stanford Research Institute,[96] and several steel companies.[93] The first 700 Union Carbide employees moved into the building on April 18, 1960, as the upper floors were being finished.[96] By September 1960, the Union Carbide Building was fully occupied. Seventeen office tenants had leased the 14th through 23rd floors, and four commercial tenants occupied the ground level.[93] Union Carbide occupied the other 41 floors, which accommodated over 4,000 employees.[97] In total, Union Carbide leased out 27,000 sq ft (2,500 m2) of storefronts at an average rate of $20/sq ft ($220/m2), as well as 117,000 sq ft (10,900 m2) of office space at an average rate of $7.50/sq ft ($80.7/m2).[98]

Union Carbide used the lobby for exhibits, such as an exhibition on the history of atoms,[99] a showcase of school buildings,[100] an exhibit of Japanese art,[101] a showcase of battery-powered devices,[102] and an exhibit on nuclear power.[103] After Reader's Digest moved out of the building in 1963, McKinsey & Company expanded into the magazine's former offices.[97] In the 1970s, the Japanese conglomerate C. Itoh & Co. was among the tenants leasing space in the building.[104] The building was one of five damaged by bombings on the same day in October 1974. The Puerto Rican separatist group Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña claimed responsibility, saying they had bombed the structures to get the U.S. government to free political prisoners and recognize Puerto Rico's independence.[105] The building continued to host exhibits in the 1970s, including a showcase of cartoons[106] and a show about national parks in the U.S.[107]

Sale

[edit]
The facade of 270 Park Avenue's stories as seen from Park Avenue
View from Park Avenue

The New York Central Railroad (which owned the site) had experienced financial decline during the 1960s, merging with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 to form the Penn Central Railroad.[108] Penn Central continued to face financial issues and failed to make mortgage payments. By late 1970, the Union Carbide Building was facing foreclosure, as were several other buildings that Penn Central owned around Grand Central Terminal.[109] After Penn Central went bankrupt that year, the company sought to sell its properties, including the land below the Union Carbide Building.[110][111] The buildings were placed for auction in October 1971. Union Carbide submitted a bid for its own building, and Corporate Properties also offered to buy the structure and nine others for $87.9 million.[112] The proceedings were delayed for several years.[113]

By early 1975, the Union Carbide Company was planning to move out of New York City. Union Carbide started negotiating to sell the building to a bank, Manufacturers Hanover Trust, which itself had been looking to expand from its headquarters at 350 Park Avenue.[114] When the land lease under the Union Carbide Building expired at the end of 1975, Penn Central did not want to renew the lease because the rental income was too low.[113] Union Carbide confirmed the next year that it would move its 3,500 employees at the building to Danbury, Connecticut. It had been difficult for Union Carbide to attract employees to the Park Avenue headquarters because of quality-of-life concerns in New York City, high cost of living, and the building's remoteness from the suburbs where many employees lived.[115] Officials from the city and state of New York unsuccessfully tried to persuade the company to keep its offices in New York City. This was part of a trend that started in the 1960s, in which dozens of large companies moved from the city to Connecticut.[116]

Union Carbide acquired the land from Penn Central in 1976 for $11 million and signed a letter of intent with Manufacturers Hanover the next January.[117] Although Union Carbide was planning to move away, the transaction made it easier to sell the building, as the structure itself and its land were now under common ownership.[118] The company leased some land under the building to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operated the underlying railroad tracks.[117] In June 1978, Manufacturers Hanover agreed to buy 270 Park Avenue for $110 million, though the sale would not be finalized until 1980. The price was to be paid over 30 years, and Manufacturers Hanover would receive an after-tax capital gain of $49 million.[117][119] The space appealed to Manufacturers Hanover because of its proximity to Grand Central Terminal and because buying and renovating the existing structure was cheaper than erecting a new building.[59] 270 Park Avenue continued to serve as the headquarters for Union Carbide until 1981.[120]

Manufacturers Hanover and JPMorgan Chase ownership

[edit]

1980s and 1990s

[edit]

Manufacturers Hanover began moving employees into 270 Park Avenue in early 1981, with plans to complete the move by the end of 1982.[121] This timeline was then pushed back to early 1983.[122] Because Manufacturers Hanover had sold its old headquarters at 350 Park Avenue, the firm temporarily leased its previous space at 350 Park Avenue from the new owner.[121] After the move was complete, Manufacturers Hanover spent $75 million to renovate the building into its world headquarters.[59] SOM designed the changes, which included removing the mezzanine level; renovating the plaza, where it added two fountains; and refurbishing of interior flooring, ceilings, and fixtures. Following the renovations, Manufacturers Hanover occupied the entire building with over 3,000 employees, with the exception of 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) on the sixth and seventh floors, which was leased to C. Itoh & Co.[59] In 1989, Manufacturers Hanover further consolidated its operations, moving its institutional trust and agency offices from 600 Fifth Avenue to 270 Park Avenue.[123]

Meanwhile, Grand Central Terminal had about 2×10^6 sq ft (190,000 m2) of unused air rights, which its owners (a subsidiary of the former Penn Central) sought to sell off. Since the terminal was a city landmark, its owners could not use the air rights to expand the terminal; many potential development sites could not receive Grand Central's air rights because they were too far away.[124][c] In 1991, the New York City Planning Commission issued a report on the proposed Grand Central Subdistrict, which would allow Penn Central to transfer air rights to any building in the subdistrict. Among those sites was 270 Park Avenue, which could potentially receive 353,000 sq ft (32,800 m2) to expand its Madison Avenue annex by up to 12 stories. However, the building already had a floor area ratio of 17.2, more than the maximum allowed for the lot.[126]

In 1991, Chemical Bank acquired Manufacturers Hanover and moved to 270 Park Avenue from its old headquarters across the street, 277 Park Avenue;[127][128] at the time, Chemical's lease at 277 Park was expiring.[129] As part of the move, J. Seward Johnson Jr.'s 1983 sculpture Taxi!, which had been in front of 277 Park, was moved across the street to 270 Park.[130] Both banks occupied space in multiple buildings in New York City, though some operations were shrunk.[127] Tishman Technologies also built trading floors for Chemical.[131] In 1995, Chemical merged with Chase Manhattan Corporation,[132] which moved from One Chase Manhattan Plaza (now 28 Liberty Street) the next year.[133][134] The building's offices had been overcrowded even before Chase and Chemical merged, but the merger prompted Chase to plan a skyscraper at the adjacent 383 Madison Avenue (which ultimately became the Bear Stearns Building).[134] After the merger, Chase installed new workstations to accommodate 860 traders and 500 secondary staff.[135]

2000s and 2010s

[edit]

J.P. Morgan & Co. had merged with Chase Manhattan in 2000 to form JPMorgan Chase, which moved from 60 Wall Street.[13] This further strained 270 Park Avenue's capacity, prompting JPMorgan Chase to lease space at 245 Park Avenue;[136] in Newport, Jersey City;[137][138] and at 1166 Avenue of the Americas.[139][140] J.P. Morgan & Co. sold 60 Wall to Deutsche Bank and had originally planned to move to 270 Park by early 2002;[141] the move was accelerated after Deutsche Bank Building was damaged in the September 11 attacks in 2001.[142] The building served as JPMorgan Chase's world headquarters.[143] The building had mechanical backup facilities, allowing it to remain powered during emergencies such as the Northeast blackout of 2003, when all other buildings on Park Avenue went dark.[144] After acquiring Bear Stearns in 2008, JPMorgan Chase moved its investment banking division into 383 Madison.[145]

A 2011 renovation—the most extensive in the building's history—added a green roof, cooling systems, and a rainwater collection tank,[146] leading the U.S. Green Building Council to certify the structure as LEED Platinum in 2012.[147][148] By the late 2010s, the building accommodated 6,000 employees in a space originally designed for 3,500.[149] By 2014, JPMorgan Chase was looking to develop a new corporate campus in the Hudson Yards development, moving from 270 Park and 383 Madison.[150] The bank dropped its plans after failing to secure tax exemptions from the city and state governments.[151][152] In 2016, SL Green Realty proposed that JPMorgan Chase swap 270 Park and 383 Madison with One Vanderbilt, a skyscraper that SL Green was building five blocks south. Though JPMorgan Chase considered the proposal, the two firms never entered into formal negotiations.[153]

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) denied a request in 2013 to designate 270 Park Avenue as a landmark, which would have prevented the structure's demolition without the commission's approval.[154] As part of the Midtown East rezoning, the LPC designated twelve buildings in the Terminal City area as city landmarks in 2016 but again declined to consider protecting 270 Park Avenue.[148][155][156] An LPC spokesperson said that several buildings by SOM were already landmarks, including the Manufacturers Trust Company Building and 28 Liberty Street, as were several International-style buildings in the area, including the Seagram Building and Lever House. Except for Citigroup Center, the 12 landmarks designated in 2016 were built before World War II.[156] Landmarks were required to be at least 30 years old, and the Union Carbide Building had become eligible for landmark status in the 1990s.[71]

Demolition

[edit]
An image of 270 Park Avenue being demolished in 2019. Some windows have been removed, and there is scaffolding around the upper stories, which are being deconstructed.
Demolition progress in late 2019

In February 2018, JPMorgan Chase announced it would replace the former Union Carbide Building with another skyscraper; this was the first major project to be announced as part of the Midtown East rezoning in the 2010s.[149][157] The Midtown East rezoning had allowed JPMorgan Chase to buy 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) of air rights from Grand Central Terminal and St. Bartholomew's Church, transfer the air rights to 270 Park Avenue's site, and erect a much larger structure.[146] The announcement prompted objections from the architectural community.[15][154][156] The American Institute of Architects' New York affiliate expressed concern that the demolition and reconstruction of 270 Park Avenue would be energy-intensive,[15] especially as the building had achieved LEED status less than a decade earlier.[158] Preservationists attempted once more to protect the building, but the city government had already expressed its support for JPMorgan Chase's new building.[154] Curbed described the Union Carbide Building in 2018 as being among New York City's most endangered structures.[159]

In January 2019, JPMorgan Chase applied to the New York City Department of Buildings for a demolition permit.[160][161] Howard I. Shapiro & Associates was hired to demolish the building.[160] That May, the New York City Council unanimously approved JPMorgan Chase's new headquarters.[162][163] To secure approvals, JPMorgan Chase was required to fund public improvements for the area, including repairs to Grand Central's train shed directly under the site, as well as new public space in its new building.[163][164] The new building would be almost twice the height of the Union Carbide Building at 1,388 ft (423 m) tall. This raised concerns that the new building would require deeper foundations that could interfere with the MTA's East Side Access tunnels and Grand Central Terminal's rail yards.[165]

In July 2019, the MTA and JPMorgan Chase signed an agreement in which the bank agreed to ensure that the destruction of 270 Park Avenue would not disrupt the timeline of East Side Access.[166] The MTA had planned to repair the Grand Central Terminal train shed's concrete and steel as part of the 2020–2024 MTA Capital Program.[167][168] The first portion of the train shed to be repaired was underneath 270 Park Avenue, since the agency wished to conduct the repair work alongside new developments where possible.[168] Due to the building's proximity to numerous skyscrapers, it could not be demolished by implosion or via wrecking ball. Instead, after hazardous materials were removed, the building was to be deconstructed in pieces.[158]

Scaffolding had been erected around the building by late 2019.[169] All decorations, windows, doors, and other fixtures were removed before demolition.[158] Workers also had to conduct asbestos abatement while demolishing the building.[170] The building had been deconstructed to the 30th story in October 2020, when an electrical fire forced a temporary evacuation of the site.[171] The building's demolition was completed in mid-2021.[172] At the time, the Union Carbide Building was the tallest building in the world to be voluntarily demolished, overtaking the Singer Building, which had been demolished in 1968.[173][d] It was also the third-tallest building ever to be destroyed, after the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which collapsed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.[149]

Impact

[edit]

Reception

[edit]

When the building was completed, Architectural Record said that "the detailing is a further step in the direction of simplification and clarity of statement" compared to previous designs by SOM.[21] New York Times critic Ada Louise Huxtable, writing in 1960, said that 270 Park Avenue, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, and 28 Liberty Street all had a "still too-rare esthetic excellence".[175] The Fifth Avenue Association called the Union Carbide Building the best edifice constructed on Park Avenue between 1960 and 1961.[31] The design was frequently likened to the Seagram Building,[13][14] and a writer for The Wall Street Journal said: "There is no doubt that glass has been firmly associated with the post-World War II luxury office building."[22] After Chase and Chemical's merger in 1995, the journalist David W. Dunlap wrote that the Seagram Building, Lever House, and the Union Carbide Building along Park Avenue "epitomized New York at the peak of its economic might and worldwide prowess".[71] Anthony Paletta of The Wall Street Journal said in 2013 that "the Union Carbide Building is a bracing exemplar of postwar corporate modernism".[176]

Although the Union Carbide Building was similar in scale to the Seagram Building several blocks north, critics regarded Union Carbide as significantly bulkier.[26] Architectural Forum criticized the plaza on Park Avenue, saying: "While one or two setbacks of this sort along a street might offer welcome relief, an entire street of variously set-back buildings is likely to be an urban disaster."[26][81] The architectural historian William Jordy wrote in 1970 that "the Seagram is a greater architectural achievement than Union Carbide" when one compared "the difference between the architecture of genius and the best of the architecture of bureaucracy" on Park Avenue.[177] The author Eric Nash wrote that "the Union Carbide is flawed architecturally", with an uninviting plaza and a "derivative" facade.[14] According to author Dirk Stichweh, the Union Carbide design was neither as good nor as widely acclaimed as the Seagram design.[13]

When the building's demolition was announced, Justin Davidson of New York magazine characterized the structure as "appearing gracious and vibrant, the incarnation of white-collar America".[16] Alexandra Lange of Curbed wrote that 270 Park Avenue had been "a superlative example of what Ada Louise Huxtable named 'The Park Avenue School of Architecture' in 1957: sleek, shiny buildings that to her seemed like the city shaking off masonry, somnolence, the past, and marching up Park into the future."[57] The architect Annabelle Selldorf said in 2020: "The Landmarks Preservation Commission can only protect so many buildings, which means some children are left behind, and Union Carbide is one of them. But it's a loss."[178] The journalist Roberta Gratz wrote: "The planned destruction of 270 Park exemplifies how a vital aspect of the urbanism on which this city has evolved and excelled over decades is now being dangerously eroded."[155] Similarly, Reese Lewis of the Brooklyn Rail said in 2024 that, despite the Union Carbide Building's significance, it had been demolished "at a moment when it is so inappropriate to do so".[179]

Zoning influence

[edit]

The presence of the building's plazas helped influence the 1961 Zoning Resolution, a zoning ordinance that allowed New York City developers to increase their edifices' maximum floor areas in exchange for adding open space in front of their buildings. This was in sharp contrast to the "wedding cake" model of the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which had required setbacks at regular intervals.[180] Before the 1961 zoning codes had been implemented, 270 Park Avenue was one of several New York City buildings that had been erected as a slab behind a plaza; other such buildings included the Seagram Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, and 28 Liberty Street.[181] Twenty acres (8.1 ha) of plazas were built in New York City in the decade after the zoning-code revision.[182]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Some sources cite the tower as being recessed 33 ft (10 m) from 47th and 48th Streets.[31][32] SOM itself said the tower was recessed 33 feet from Park Avenue,[29] in contrast with the 50-foot figure given by other sources.[27][30]
  2. ^ Architectural Record 1960b, p. 156, gives a figure of 64 percent.
  3. ^ Typically, New York City zoning sets a maximum floor area for each land lot, after which developers must buy air rights to increase their floor area. Owners of buildings that contain less than their maximum floor area can sell air rights to developers who own adjacent sites. Without a zoning subdistrict, building owners can only transfer air rights between buildings if the sites are adjacent or across the street, and/or if the same owner owns a contiguous string of land lots between these sites.[125] Grand Central Terminal contains less than its maximum floor area. In Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City (1978), the United States Supreme Court had ruled that the city government had the right to designate the terminal as a landmark, even if the designation prevented Penn Central from using its air rights.[124]
  4. ^ In 2022, it was surpassed by the AXA Tower in Singapore, which was 770 ft (230 m) tall.[174]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "JPMorgan Chase Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c "200 Park Avenue, 10017". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 115.
  5. ^ Fitch, James Marston; Waite, Diana S. (1974). Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center: A Historic-critical Estimate of Their Significance. Albany, New York: The Division. p. 6.
  6. ^ Caratzas, Michael (November 22, 2016). 400 Madison Avenue (PDF) (Report). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Completing Big Apartment" (PDF). The New York Times. June 17, 1917. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Pollak, Michael (July 15, 2007). "Shutting It Off, Already". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Another Building For Terminal Zone; 12-Story Commercial Structure to be Erected Opposite the Commodore Hotel". The New York Times. September 14, 1920. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  10. ^ Gray, Christopher (August 19, 2010). "Covering Its Tracks Paid Off Handsomely". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Schlichting, Kurt C. (2001). Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Architecture and Engineering in New York. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 180–181. ISBN 978-0-8018-6510-7. OCLC 51480811.
  12. ^ Gray, Christopher (May 14, 1989). "Is It Time to Redevelop Park Avenue Again?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Stichweh, Dirk (2016). New York Skyscrapers. Prestel Publishing. p. 123. ISBN 978-3-7913-8226-5. OCLC 923852487.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Nash, Eric (2005). Manhattan Skyscrapers. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-56898-652-4. OCLC 407907000.
  15. ^ a b c McGrath, Katherine (February 28, 2018). "The Architecture Community Speaks Out Against Demolition of This NYC Gem". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Davidson, Justin (February 22, 2018). "The Death of a Skyscraper". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (July 31, 2013). "An Architect Whose Work Stood Out, Even if She Did Not". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  18. ^ Anderson, Susan Heller; Carroll, Maurice (November 12, 1984). "Briefing; Making of Midtown: The Woman's Touch". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  19. ^ Salmon, Felix (April 23, 2022). "JPMorgan unveils design of new headquarters". Axios. Archived from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  20. ^ Cohen, Michelle (May 21, 2018). "Demolition permits filed for world's tallest teardown at 270 Park Avenue". 6sqft. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Architectural Record 1960b, p. 156.
  22. ^ a b Penn, Stanley W. (February 16, 1964). "Glass Buildings: Is Fashion Over?". The Wall Street Journal. p. 14. ProQuest 132975788.
  23. ^ a b "JPMorgan Chase Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 16, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "JPMorgan Chase Tower – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. January 22, 2019. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d e Lyman, Richard B. (February 14, 1960). "Big Office Towers Use Novel Floors, Ceilings". New York Herald Tribune. p. D1. ProQuest 1323161523.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 353.
  27. ^ a b c d Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, pp. 352–353.
  28. ^ a b c d Lyman, Richard B. (August 3, 1958). "Unusual Crane Devised For Underground Job". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1C. ProQuest 1323356511.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Hitchcock & Danz 1963, p. 135.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Union Carbide Lists Plans for Park Avenue Offices, Ready by 1960: New Landscaped 52-Story Building To Cost $46 Million, Contain 1.5 Million Square Feet". The Wall Street Journal. February 4, 1947. p. 15. ProQuest 132379754.
  31. ^ a b c d e Bartnett, Edmond J. (April 29, 1962). "2 Airline Offices and America and Asia Houses Honored; 'Beautiful and Restrained'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  32. ^ a b c d e Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 116.
  33. ^ a b c d "Carbide unwrapped" (PDF). Architectural Forum. Vol. 113, no. 3. September 1960. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  34. ^ a b c "Steel in Color: New Process Provides Black Panels for Building's Face". The New York Times. April 6, 1958. p. R7. ProQuest 114610845.
  35. ^ a b c Architectural Forum 1960a, p. 125.
  36. ^ a b c d Loory, Stuart H. (May 22, 1960). "Newest Park Ave. Building Is Taking Off Its 'Wraps'". New York Herald Tribune. p. 25. ProQuest 1324085074.
  37. ^ a b c Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Hitchcock & Danz 1963, p. 136.
  38. ^ a b "General Bronze Gets Large Union Carbide Building Job". The Wall Street Journal. January 3, 1958. p. 9. ProQuest 132457027.
  39. ^ "Glass to Enclose 52-story Building" (PDF). The New York Times. February 5, 1957. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  40. ^ "Colored Stainless Steel Shown by Carbide Unit". New York Herald Tribune. March 29, 1958. p. A4. ProQuest 1337827565.
  41. ^ a b c "New Metal Coloring Process Perfected" (PDF). Progressive Architecture. Vol. 36, no. 5. May 1958. p. 85. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  42. ^ "Sidewalks Part of Skyscrapers; Architects Include Adjacent Walks in Design of Building". The New York Times. August 25, 1963. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  43. ^ Horsley, Carter B. (November 3, 1963). "New Facade Too Smooth For Old Jutting Outriggers; High-Flying Flags Are Grounded in Buildings' Plazas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  44. ^ Blumenthal, Deborah (January 4, 1981). "Pedestrians Find 'New' Sidewalks Are Often Slippery". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  45. ^ a b c Cerra, Frances (March 27, 1983). "Postings; Pink Terrazzo Out, Black Granite in". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  46. ^ Fowler, Glenn (December 18, 1983). "The New Sidewalks of New York". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  47. ^ Robbins, William (October 22, 1967). "New Annex Over Rails Tests a Builder's Skill; Annex Tests A Man's Skill". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  48. ^ Gray, Christopher (September 16, 2007). "The Vanished Chatham Walk". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  49. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (December 28, 1997). "The Changing Face of Park Avenue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  50. ^ "No light yet at end of tunnel". The Journal News. January 18, 1999. p. 9. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  51. ^ Ames, Lynne (October 10, 1999). "The View From/Manhattan; A Shorter Commute". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  52. ^ a b c d Mulligan, Hugh A. (May 25, 1958). "Today's Skyscrapers Can Be Built Without Throwing Traffic Into Snarl". Press and Sun-Bulletin. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  53. ^ a b c d Ross, Don (August 12, 1957). "New Stilts to Support Carbide Bldg". New York Herald Tribune. p. A1. ProQuest 1327619942.
  54. ^ a b c d e f g Architectural Record 1960b, p. 159.
  55. ^ a b c "43,000 Pounds Set a Hoisting Mark; Cooling Unit Lifted to 51st Floor of Carbide Building for Engineering First". The New York Times. June 25, 1959. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  56. ^ a b c Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Hitchcock & Danz 1963, p. 137.
  57. ^ a b c d e f g h Lange, Alexandra (February 22, 2018). "Why SOM's modernist Union Carbide building is worth saving". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  58. ^ a b c Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 117.
  59. ^ a b c d e f g Goodman, George (October 30, 1983). "Manufacturers Hanover Remodels Its Skyscraper". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  60. ^ a b c d Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 118.
  61. ^ a b c Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Hitchcock & Danz 1963, p. 141.
  62. ^ a b Architectural Record 1960a, p. 220.
  63. ^ a b Architectural Record 1960a, p. 221.
  64. ^ Architectural Record 1960a, p. 224.
  65. ^ a b Architectural Forum 1960a, p. 127.
  66. ^ Architectural Record 1960a, p. 225.
  67. ^ a b Architectural Record 1960b, p. 161.
  68. ^ "15 Acres of Carpeting Set". The New York Times. March 27, 1960. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  69. ^ a b c d e f Architectural Record 1960b, p. 160.
  70. ^ Architectural Record 1960b, p. 162.
  71. ^ a b c d Dunlap, David W. (April 7, 1996). "Preserving the Legacy Of Modernist Design". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  72. ^ Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Hitchcock & Danz 1963, p. 143.
  73. ^ Miller, Bryan (August 19, 1983). "Banker Invest in Elegant Office Lunches". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  74. ^ "Union Carbide Buying Butler Estate in Westchester, N.Y.". The Wall Street Journal. June 19, 1952. p. 6. ProQuest 132010441.
  75. ^ "Chemical Concern is 'Mystery' Mover; Union Carbide and Carbon Is Seeking Westchester Estate for Office Staff Here". The New York Times. June 19, 1952. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  76. ^ a b c d Bradley, John A. (August 21, 1955). "Marguery Deal Nets Big Profit" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  77. ^ "Union Carbide Plans $40-Million Home". The Washington Post, Times Herald. August 17, 1955. p. 23. ProQuest 148692083.
  78. ^ a b c d e f Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 352.
  79. ^ "Rheem Co. Leases Marguery Offices" (PDF). The New York Times. May 31, 1951. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  80. ^ a b "41-Story Park Av. Building Planned by Union Carbide". New York Herald Tribune. August 17, 1955. p. 1. ProQuest 1326991776.
  81. ^ a b c d Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 120.
  82. ^ a b Bradley, John (August 17, 1955). "New Skyscraper Set For Park Ave" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  83. ^ "Taller Building Due For Marguery Site" (PDF). The New York Times. July 28, 1956. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  84. ^ "Marguery's Site Gets New Plan: Office Building Of 52 Stories". New York Herald Tribune. July 28, 1956. p. A1. ProQuest 1337527888.
  85. ^ "Final Razing Begins at Marguery Hotel" (PDF). The New York Times. July 26, 1957. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  86. ^ Bedolis, Robert A. (February 4, 1958). "Teamsters At Building Jobs Strike: Major Projects In City Tied Up". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ProQuest 1326272825.
  87. ^ Ennis, Thomas W. (July 6, 1958). "Night Work Vital to City Builders: Tight Construction Schedule Requires Holiday and Week-end Labor". The New York Times. p. R1. ProQuest 114361522.
  88. ^ "Around Town". New York Daily News. July 19, 1959. p. 6. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  89. ^ Ennis, Thomas W. (January 4, 1959). "New Office Space to Set Mark in '59: 16 Skyscrapers Slated to Be Completed in Manhattan as Boom Continues". The New York Times. p. R1. ProQuest 114752377.
  90. ^ "Output of Office Space To Set Mark During '59". New York Herald Tribune. January 11, 1959. p. 1C. ProQuest 1323216935.
  91. ^ "Magnavox Leases Music Salon Space At 270 Park Ave". The New York Times. August 25, 1959. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  92. ^ "Hanover Bank to Open New Office". The Wall Street Journal. April 11, 1960. p. 7. ProQuest 132615315.
  93. ^ a b c "Union Carbide Building Fully Rented Say Owners". New York Herald Tribune. September 1, 1960. p. 22. ProQuest 1327121450.
  94. ^ "Office Space Taken in Carbide Building". The New York Times. September 16, 1959. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  95. ^ "Magazine Leases In Office Bldg.: Reader's Digest Takes 3 Floors". New York Herald Tribune. October 29, 1959. p. 30. ProQuest 1323997659.
  96. ^ a b "Research Group Gets Space Here; Stanford Institute Leases Office at 270 Park Ave. – Other Rental Deals". The New York Times. May 26, 1960. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  97. ^ a b "Tenant Enlarges Park Ave. Office" (PDF). The New York Times. July 4, 1963. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  98. ^ Architectural Forum 1960b, p. 119.
  99. ^ "Atoms, King-Size". The New York Times. November 27, 1960. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  100. ^ "Models of Schools Go on Exhibit Here". The New York Times. August 1, 1967. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  101. ^ Canaday, John (April 3, 1966). "Nice Try Too Bad It Didn't Work". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  102. ^ "Home Devices Have Batteries". The New York Times. March 3, 1964. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  103. ^ "Columbia Gets Atomic Science Prize". The New York Times. May 19, 1968. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  104. ^ "14 Shopping Centers Planned". The New York Times. August 13, 1972. p. R6. ProQuest 119513835.
  105. ^ Lissner, Will (October 27, 1974). "Terrorists Here Set Off 5 Bombs at Business Sites". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  106. ^ Russell, John (December 3, 1975). "2 Centuries of Cartoonists' Thrusts Hit Home Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  107. ^ Webster, Bayard (March 15, 1978). "Preserving a Piece of the Prairie". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  108. ^ Hammer, Alexander R. (January 31, 1968). "Court Here Lets Railroads Consolidate Tomorrow". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  109. ^ "Ruling on Penn Central Unit's Bid to Defer $45.7 Million of Taxes Postponed by Judge". The Wall Street Journal. September 18, 1970. p. 5. ProQuest 133466044.
  110. ^ Bedingfield, Robert E. (June 3, 1971). "Pennsy Will Sell 23 Valuable Sites in Mid-Manhattan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  111. ^ "Pennsy to Sell $1 Billion of Manhattan Property: 10-Block Midtown Area Among Most Valuable in U.S.". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1971. p. E12. ProQuest 156716148.
  112. ^ "Bids Trail Hopes On Penn Central Manhattan Sites: Observers Note Weak State Of Market, Legal Tangles, And Long Terms of Leases Judge Mulls Trustees' Plea". The Wall Street Journal. October 18, 1971. p. 6. ProQuest 133561272.
  113. ^ a b Horsley, Carter B. (February 8, 1976). "First Sale For Pennsy In Midtown: 230 Park". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  114. ^ Horsley, Carter (April 24, 1975). "Union Carbide Seeking to Sell Building and Move Out of City" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  115. ^ Sterne, Michael (March 20, 1976). "Union Carbide, 3,500 on Staff, to Quit City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  116. ^ "Union Carbide, Spurning New York City's Appeal, Will Move to Connecticut". The New York Times. May 12, 1977. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  117. ^ a b c Milletti, Mario (June 29, 1978). "Manufacturers Hanover to Buy Union Carbide's Building". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  118. ^ "News of the Realty Trade". The New York Times. August 29, 1976. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  119. ^ "FHA Loan Interest Rate On Mortgages Raised". Newsday. June 29, 1978. p. 36. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  120. ^ Tomasson, Robert (September 27, 1981). "An Industrial Giant Relocates Its Extended Family". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  121. ^ a b Hayes, Thomas C. (August 25, 1981). "Head Office Of Hanover Bank Sold". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  122. ^ Oser, Alan S. (September 30, 1981). "Real Estate; Hicksville Site of New Offices". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  123. ^ Kennedy, Shawn G. (December 24, 1989). "Commercial Property: Office Sublets; Soft Manhattan Market Brings Rental Opportunities". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  124. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (September 23, 1990). "Commercial Property: Grand Central Terminal; A New Look at a 1910 Proposal for Using Air Rights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  125. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (August 6, 2006). "Theater District Will Get Taller, if Not Richer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  126. ^ Dunlap, David W. (December 8, 1991). "Commercial Property: Grand Central; Adding to the Area Where Air Rights Can Be Used". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  127. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (July 28, 1991). "Commercial Property: The Office Market; The Gloom Persists On Offices". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  128. ^ Hilder, David B.; Lowenstein, Roger (July 16, 1991). "Combined Assets: Merger of Two Banks In New York Is Seen As the Start of a Wave – Chemical-Manufacturers Deal Helps Both to Cut Costs, Seems to Please Regulators – A Threat to Citicorp, Chase". The Wall Street Journal. p. 1. ProQuest 307998349.
  129. ^ Oser, Alan S. (February 7, 1993). "Perspectives: Chemical's Consolidation; Merger Adds Space to the Office Market". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  130. ^ Pollak, Michael (February 27, 2005). "Still Hailing That Taxi". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  131. ^ Gross, Daniel (April 15, 1996). "Nailing some business". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 11, no. 16. p. 19. ProQuest 219129897.
  132. ^ Hansell, Saul (August 29, 1995). "Banking's New Giant: the Deal; Chase and Chemical Agree to Merge in $10 Billion Deal Creating Largest U.S. Bank". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  133. ^ Hilburg, Jonathan (February 21, 2018). "Natalie Griffin de Blois's Midtown skyscraper slated for demolition by Chase". The Architect's Newspaper. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  134. ^ a b Feldman, Amy (October 14, 1996). "Chase weighing HQ at embattled Madison address". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 12, no. 42. p. 3. ProQuest 219150223.
  135. ^ Simms, Monica (October 1998). "Chase preps New York floor to be the worldwide model". Broadcasting, Telecasting. pp. 12, 18. ProQuest 206629835.
  136. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (December 2, 2000). "Chase Says It Has Deal for Park Avenue Spot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  137. ^ Goff, Lisa (October 16, 2000). "Luring an elusive tenant across the Hudson River". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 16, no. 42. p. 60. ProQuest 219188431.
  138. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (June 2, 2000). "Chase to Lease Office Space In Jersey City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  139. ^ Bloomberg News (March 16, 2000). "Chase Signs Midtown Lease". Newsday. p. 58. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  140. ^ Bloomberg News (March 15, 2000). "Metro Business; Chase Manhattan To Lease 14 Floors". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  141. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (December 6, 2002). "Deutsche Bank Is Moving To Lower Manhattan Tower". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  142. ^ Wisniewski, Mary (September 18, 2001). "Ahead of Schedule, J.P. Morgan Moves to Midtown". The Bond Buyer. p. 27. ProQuest 407225571.
  143. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (June 14, 2007). "Chase Bank Announces Plan to Build Tower at Ground Zero". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  144. ^ "While Most of New York City Is Dark, J.P. Morgan Chase Office Keeps Running". Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. August 16, 2003. p. 1. ProQuest 461477031.
  145. ^ Dealbook (December 3, 2008). "Banks' Upheaval Leaves Manhattan Awash in Open Office Space". DealBook. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  146. ^ a b Hughes, C.J. (September 2018). "Leveling a building but not a legacy". The Real Deal New York. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  147. ^ "JPMorgan Chase gets LEED Platinum for 270 Park Avenue headquarters". NYREJ. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  148. ^ a b Lynch, Patrick (February 22, 2018). "SOM's Iconic 270 Park Avenue At Risk of Becoming the Tallest Building Ever to Be Demolished". ArchDaily. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  149. ^ a b c Bagli, Charles V. (February 21, 2018). "Out With the Old Building, in With the New for JPMorgan Chase". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  150. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (October 17, 2014). "JPMorgan Chase Seeks Incentives to Build New Headquarters in Manhattan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  151. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (October 29, 2014). "JPMorgan Chase Drops Plan to Build 2 West Side Towers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  152. ^ "J.P. Morgan Chase Decides Against West Side Move". The Wall Street Journal. October 30, 2014. p. A25. ProQuest 1618021304.
  153. ^ Grant, Peter (December 10, 2016). "S.L. Green Proposes to Trade Its One Vanderbilt for Two Other Towers". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  154. ^ a b c Anuta, Joe (March 5, 2018). "Landmark decision". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 34, no. 10. p. 23. ProQuest 2011722675.
  155. ^ a b Kim, Elizabeth (January 8, 2020). "270 Park Avenue, A Quintessential Modernist Skyscraper, Is Being Slowly Destroyed By Chase Bank". Gothamist. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  156. ^ a b c Plitt, Amy (February 21, 2018). "City's plan to demolish & replace SOM-designed 270 Park Avenue sparks criticism". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  157. ^ Plitt, Amy (February 21, 2018). "Midtown East rezoning's first major project is 70-story HQ for JPMorgan Chase". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2022; Morris, Keiko; Lombardo, Cara (February 22, 2018). "JPMorgan Chase to Build Giant New Midtown NYC Headquarters". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  158. ^ a b c Brenzel, Kathryn (March 8, 2018). "The world's largest voluntary demolition will be done in pieces. Here's how 270 Park will disappear". The Real Deal New York. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  159. ^ Plitt, Amy (October 19, 2018). "NYC's most endangered buildings". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  160. ^ a b Plitt, Amy (January 17, 2019). "Demolition permits filed for modernist Union Carbide Building". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  161. ^ Kim, Elizabeth (January 25, 2019). "Chase Moves To Demolish 'Gracious And Vibrant' Office Tower At 270 Park Avenue". Gothamist. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022; "In Case You Missed It". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 35, no. 5. February 4, 2019. p. 4. ProQuest 2176806017.
  162. ^ Small, Eddie (May 8, 2019). "City Council gives green light for JMorgan's new headquarters in Midtown East". The Real Deal. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  163. ^ a b Deffenbaugh, Ryan (May 13, 2019). "Council approves plan for JPMorgan tower". Crain's New York Business. Vol. 35, no. 19. p. 4. ProQuest 2226047250.
  164. ^ Katz, Lily (March 26, 2019). "JPMorgan Agrees to Fund Transit Upgrades Near Its New Manhattan Headquarters". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  165. ^ Geiger, Daniel (December 13, 2018). "JPMorgan tower could interfere with MTA megaproject". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  166. ^ "Capital Program Oversight Committee Meeting" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 22, 2019. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  167. ^ Anuta, Joe (December 5, 2018). "MTA mulling big repairs to Grand Central train shed". Crain's New York Business. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  168. ^ a b Berger, Paul (November 10, 2019). "Midtown Manhattan Braces for MTA's Massive 20-Year Construction Job". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  169. ^ Simmons, Shawn (October 21, 2019). "'Leaked' visuals claim to show the future of 270 Park Avenue...and it's tall". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  170. ^ Slowey, Kim (January 28, 2019). "JPMorgan Chase's NYC HQ demo to be world's tallest". Construction Dive. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  171. ^ "Electrical Fire at Half-Demolished Manhattan Skyscraper Forces Evacuation". NBC New York. October 29, 2020. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  172. ^ Davidson, Justin (May 17, 2021). "What If New York Stopped Knocking Down Buildings?". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  173. ^ "World's tallest demolished buildings" (PDF). CTBUH Journal. No. II. April 27, 2018. pp. 48–49. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  174. ^ "AXA Tower". The Skyscraper Center. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  175. ^ Huxtable, Ada Louise (October 30, 1960). "The Significance of Our New Skyscrapers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  176. ^ Paletta, Anthony (February 25, 2013). "Reinventing Midtown". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  177. ^ Pierson, William Harvey; Jordy, William H. (1986). American Buildings and Their Architects: The impact of European modernism in the mid-twentieth century. Vol. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-19-504219-1. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  178. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (April 22, 2020). "Classic Skyscrapers Define New York. Take a Virtual Tour". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  179. ^ Lewis, Reese (September 3, 2024). "270 Park Ave and the Condition of Total Contradiction". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  180. ^ Kayden, Jerold S.; The Municipal Art Society of New York (2000). Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience. Wiley. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-471-36257-9. OCLC 43657162..
  181. ^ Higgins & Quasebarth (February 24, 2006). The Seagram Building (PDF) (Report). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022..
  182. ^ Mertins, Detlef (2014). Mies. Phaidon Press. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-7148-3962-2. OCLC 872051711.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=270_Park_Avenue_(1960–2021)&oldid=1255913551"