North American Plywood Building (New York City, New York)

 office building, skyscraper, 1972_construction, International style architecture

518-foot, 41-story International-style office building completed in 1972. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons, it is clad in black steel and brown-tinted glass. The building is L-shaped, with a small wing extending to the west at the south end. The east facade facing the avenue spans seven bays (each with four window panes and spandrels), the south facade on 49th Street spans six bays, and the north facade on 50th Street has four. There is a large setback on the north, east, and south elevations above the 13th floor, with each facade dropping off one bay at the upper floors that rise without further setbacks to the flat roof.

The ground floor has deeply-recessed glass entrances in the middle three bays on the avenue. The other four bays have glass-and-metal storefronts. There are additional storefronts along the south facade, and the eastern bays of the north facade; the westernmost bay has a loading dock. There are large, black metal vents at the mechanical floors just below the roof line. Besides the lobby, the ground floor is occupied by a Citibank branch, and Staples copy & print shop.

jpday.com/property/800-3rd-avenue/