110 East 59th Street (New York City, New York) | office building, skyscraper

 office building, skyscraper

432-foot, 37-story International-style office building completed in 1969. Designed by William Lescaze & Associates, it is L-shaped, with the main tower oriented north-south at the west side of the lot, and a lower wing to the east running along 58th Street. The facades were originally clad in alternating bands of grey brick and ribbon bands of windows. In 2016, all of the windows were replaced, and the brick spandrels were replaced with steel panels with thin horizontal grooves. There are entrances on both 59th & 58th Streets.

The north facade is much narrower, with just three bays, set back from the sidewalk. The lower two floors are recessed under the upper floors, which are supported by black granite piers. The east bay has a storefront, the center one has a revolving door flanked by two sets of glass double-doors, and the west bay has a pair of metal service doors.

The south facade on 58th Street similarly set back behind a small plaza, and the lower two floors recessed with black granite columns supporting the upper floors. The three western bays are set farther back, and form the base of the main tower slab. The next five bays to the east form the base for the lower eastern wing. The westernmost bay has a loading dock, separated from the rest of the plaza by a lower stone wall with plantings and two large flagpoles. The next bay has a revolving door flanked by two sets of glass doors, under a metal canopy, and the third bay from the west has a storefront. The easternmost bay has an entrance/exit to the underground parking garage, and the next bay has a pair of metal service doors. The third bay from the east has an entrance to a branch of the New York Public Library that occupies the two lower floors of the shorter east wing, with the other bays along the east wing having glass storefront windows and housing more of the library.

The east wing sets back above the 11th floor. At the roof line above the 14th floor there is a double-height mechanical level that wraps all the way around the building with black metal vents. It extends from the lower east-wing roof across the south face of the main tower as a recessed band, with black steel piers spanning the gap to the upper floors. The ground floor retail space on 59th Street is occupied by Yankees Clubhouse baseball gear, and on 58th Street by L.A. Gourmet sandwich shop. The 58th Street Branch of The New York Public Library occupies part of two floors of an office tower. The library has been open at its present site since 1969. This is a full-service adult branch with a small children's collection.