Corning Glass Works Building

 office building, skyscraper, International style architecture

358-foot, 28-story International-style office building completed in 1958. Designed by Harrison, Abramovitz & Abbe for the Corning Glass Company, it was intended to function as a demonstration of the Corning Glass Company's principal product, and was recognized for having achieved a high point of refinement in the design of glass curtain-wall office towers. The building is L-shaped, wrapping around the building to the south, with the main, upper, east-west oriented slab rising at the northwest corner of the block.

The main entrance is nearly at the east end on 56th Street, deeply recessed behind a pair of stainless-steel columns, with two revolving doors and two sets of glass double-doors in a glass wall. A stainless-steel band cover the recessed area, and a stainless-steel canopy swoops out from between the columns. At the far east end is a glass-and-steel storefront with a long and narrow steel canopy extending out over the sidewalk. To the west, glass and silver metal storefronts extend to the avenue, above a black polished granite water table. There is another steel canopy over the main storefront entrance.

Above and extending to the east of this entrance the upper floors are clad in a curtain wall of green glass. This section sets back above the 8th floor. To the west there is an elongated cube-like form of clearer glass above the ground floor, occupying the northwest corner and ending at the 4th floor. Narrow, vertical LED light strips run up and down this section, which has another storefront entrance facing 5th Avenue. To the south the base rises just higher than the cube at the corner, clad in darker glass, with a wide retail entrance at the ground floor. There is a small setback above this section to the main tower slab.

The main tower has alternating band of slightly lighter and darker green-tinted glass at the windows and spandrels, with thin steel mullions. There is a mechanical floor near the top, at the 26th floor, with metal vents in place of windows.

The shorter, 9-story wing that extends south to 55th Street has the same glass curtain wall. At the ground floor, topped by a stainless-steel band, it has an entrance to the underground parking garage, and two storefronts flanking a secondary entrance that has a steel canopy that is rounded on the front.

Between 1993 and 1994, the internationally renowned design firm Gwathmey Siegel renovated the dramatic 2-story lobby and common areas. The lobby features rotating art exhibitions and a permanent mural by Josef Albers. The ground-floor commercial spaces are occupied by Dolce & Gabbana and Armani/5th Avenue at the main tower (as well as Armani Ristorante), Oxxford Clothes at the small space east of the main entrance, and Escada clothing store and Europa Cafe on 55th Street.