475 Park Avenue South (New York City, New York)

 office building, skyscraper, 1969_construction, International style architecture

459-foot, 35-story International-style office building completed in 1969. Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates, it originally has a facade of dark-grey metal and glass. An extensive re-cladding project began shortly after 2000, but remained on hold for several years, with green-colored building wrap on the vertical piers, where the old cladding had already been removed. Finally in late 2010, new plans were announced for a design by Pelli Clarke Pelli, with fritted glass designed to look like metal from afar. The renovation’s genius comes through when the building is viewed from up close; the exterior is, in fact, entirely glass. The renovation resumed in 2013, and was completed in 2015.

The tower is set back behind a small plaza on the west side. There is a chamfered corner at the northwest, and a shorter 12-story section with its own chamfered corners attached to the north side of the tower, with an entrance to the underground parking garage at the east end. The ground floor is occupied by a TD Bank branch.