Grand Central Plaza (New York City, New York)

USA / New Jersey / West New York / New York City, New York / Third Avenue, 622
 office building, skyscraper

542-foot, 38-story International-style office building completed in 1973. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons, it is clad in black steel and glass. The tower is situated mid-block, but has a Third Avenue address due to its connection to the plaza in front, which includes a long pedestrian walkway extending out to the avenue.

The tower is a rectangle in plan, with four wide bays on the north and south ends, and seven bays across the east and west sides. Each bay has six window panes, and the spandrels between floors have horizontal grooves just below their halfway points. The main entrance faces the plaza on the east side. At the 2-story base, the piers are wider than at the upper floors. The ground floor is recessed on the north and south ends, and mostly has large, tall show-windows, with a freight entrance at the west end on 41st Street. The 2nd floor is set off by silver metal bands, and has three large windows in each bay. The 11th and 29th floor are taller the the rest, with the two floors above both of these containing mechanical equipment, and having black metal vents in place of windows on the north, west, and south facades.

At the west end of the tower, on 41st Street, is an attached 11-story wing, set back from the building line, at 140 East 41st. It is clad in the same materials as the main tower, but the facade is organized as seven smaller bays of double-windows. There are no openings at the 2nd floor, and the ground floor has glass-and-metal storefronts. The west-facing facade of this wing has five bays of double-windows.

Mechanical equipment on the roof of the main tower is screened by a grey aluminum housing, set back from the roof edges. The 11-story western wing's ground floor is occupied by Dundu restaurant, and Alberto's bar.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   40°45'0"N   73°58'33"W

Comments

  • 1973 year built. Emery Roth & Sons.
This article was last modified 12 months ago