630 Third Avenue

 office building  Add category

244-foot, 22-story International-style office building completed in 1958. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons, it is clad in limestone with horizontal bands of windows. The east facade on the avenue is divided into six wide bays, each with eight window panes. The stone piers between the bays at the 2nd floor give way to silver metal piers at the upper floors, and the individual windows are divided by grey metal mullions. At the ground floor the metal-and-glass entrance is recessed in the south bay, with the next bay to the north having a grid of glass squares in grey metal framing, angling back toward the recessed entrance. Both of these bays are covered by a sloping, silver metal canopy. The piers at the ground floor are faced in tan marble, and the remaining bays have metal-and-glass storefronts. There is a large setback above the 12th floor, with another above the 17th, and a final setback at the 22nd-floor's roof line to a tall mechanical penthouse.

The north facade on 41st Street spans five bays, each again with eight windows, except for the narrower westernmost bay, which has six windows. At the ground floor the eastern two bays have additional storefront windows, the center bay has a freight entrance with roll-down metal gate, the next bay is similar to the storefronts but with opaque glass and metal louvers at the east end, and the western bay has a service entrance with a recessed metal door behind stainless steel gates. There is also a large setback above the 12th floor on this facade, as well as at the 17th and 22nd floors.

The south facade consists of a light blue-grey painted wall at the lower five floors, abutting the walkway to the plaza behind the building. Above, there are five bays; the three eastern bays have eight windows each, and 2nd-to-westernmost bay has six. The west bay is quite different; it is set back, and clad in white brick instead of stone, with bands of grey brick between floors. There is a single opening at its east edge, with recessed alcoves fronted by metal railings. The eastern bay drops off at the east facade's first setback, and the next bay drops off at the 2nd setback; the mechanical penthouse continues above the main roof line.

The west facade facing the plaza matches the main north and east facades at its northern half, with three bays of windows; the northern two each have eight panes, and the southern one has four, all beginning at the 5th floor; below there is a black-painted wall, the lower half of which is covered with climbing ivy and divided into bays by curving steel piers. The south half of this facade is windowless and clad in white brick, with horizontal bands of grey brick between floors. The ground floor is occupied by Spear physical therapy, and Dig restaurant.