National Association Building | office building

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222-foot, 21-story office building completed in 1920. Designed by Starrett & Van Vleck, it was originally called the National Association Building, and has a through-way retail arcade & lobby connecting entrances on 44th & 43rd Streets. Both facades are clad in dark-red brick above 3-story limestone bases. The south facade is nine bays wide, while the north facade spans three bays.

The base of the south facade has rusticated piers atop a grey granite water table. The main entrance is in the 2nd bay from the west, with glass doors set under a round-arch with scrolled keystone. Garland flank the keystone, and are topped by a cornice with an egg-and-dart molding. The bay to the left and the two to the right have glass-and-metal storefronts topped by metal louvers (with signage attached). The next bay to the right has a secondary entrance with three doors; and the bay to the right of that has a service entrance with double metal doors set between sidelights. The eastern three bays consist of glass storefronts (the easternmost one also with a recessed door) flanking a bay with double doors topped by a triangular pediment. All of the five eastern bays have tripartite, multi-paned transoms at the tops; the end bays are wider than the others. Paneled stone spandrels separate the first two floors in all but the main entrance bay, where the cornice extends up to the 2nd floor.

The 2nd floor has tripartite windows with transoms in red metal frames, wider at the end bays. The bay above the main entrance has a projecting stone surround, and every bay has a scrolled keystone. The 3rd floor has paired windows in the middle bays and three windows in the end bays. A dentiled band course caps the base.

The 4th floor is transitional, with brick that is slightly lighter than that above, and scrolled limestone trim on the main piers and at the top and bottom of the band course running across the top of the floor. The upper floors have horizontal banding on the brick piers around the outer two bays on each side and red-painted metal frames on the windows. There is a setback above the 12th floor, where the paired windows in the two bays inside of the end bays are topped by arches brick lintels with keystones, surmounted by stone panels with swags that rise up slightly above the main roof line of the setback, which is capped by white stone coping.

The next five floors have paired windows in all nine bays, with brick paneled spandrels above the 17th floor, where the two outer bays on each side have stone balustrades marking a setback. The next two bays set back above the 18th floor, and the middle three bays extend up to the 19th floor, where a stone coping separates the crowning middle section of the 20th floor, which has paired windows in the center (below an arched brick lintel with keystone), flanked by two single-windows. Stone framing piers curve out of the bottom of the floor, and extend up to a crowning triangular pediment. Two square stone panels flank the arched lintel, and the pediment is decorated by a stone roundel flanked by garlands. To either side, the recessed walls of the facade (due to the setbacks) maintain the pattern of paired windows, with single-windows at the end bays. Horizontal banding continues on all the corners of the various sections. The final setback is at the level of the pediment, above the 20th floor, with the penthouse having large single-windows, banding of lighter brick, and metal coping at the roof line.

The north facade has a similar design, with paired windows in each of the three bays. The main entrance is offset right of center, with a tall stone enframement topped by a cornice with an egg-and-dart molding, and still bearing the inscription "NATIONAL ASSOCIATION BUILDING". There is a small service door to the right, and a storefront to the left. A pair of flagpoles are mounted at the top of the base on the banded outer piers. There are setbacks above the 10th, 12th, 17th, and 20th floors.

The building is roughly L-shaped, with walls wrapping around the lower building on 44th Street. These facades are clad in the same red brick, with bays of paired windows, except for the top floor which has larger single-windows.

The offices of The New Yorker magazine were in the building from 1935-1991. On 43rd Street the ground floor is occupied by Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and the Bryant Station U.S. post office, and on 44th Street by Sen Sakana restaurant.

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