Commercial Exchange Building (New York City, New York) | office building, high-rise, Art Deco (architecture), 1927_construction

 office building, high-rise, Art Deco (architecture), 1927_construction

262-foot, 24-story office building completed in 1927. Designed by Shampan & Shampan, it is L-shaped, wrapping around the tower at the northwest corner. The two main facades are clad in tan brick above a 3-story limestone base.

The west facade on the avenue has the main entrance in the north bay, with a bronze-and-glass revolving door and traditional door below a black granite band with gold number "307". Above is a large, arched transom and a flurry of Gothic detail, including paneled, projecting, engaged pilaster on the piers and intersecting foils in between. To the south is a glass-and-metal storefront with a set of glass double-doors set in the show-windows. The upper floors have three bays, with a wider center bay, in black metal framing. The base is capped by a thin cornice through which extend four engaged octagon pillars, each with an elaborate base and capital. Above the base the upper floors have three windows in the middle bay and two in the outer bays. The main piers are outlined with projecting bricks, and the brick spandrels between floors each have a trio of vertical brick bars.

A band between the 15th & 16th floors has small projecting pillars at the piers, and the 17th floor is clad in stone, with slightly-arched windows. A shallow setback above this floor is marked by large, half-octagonal projecting pillars at the four main piers. There are additional setbacks above the 18th, 20th, & 22nd floors, and a small gable at the roof line.

The north facade on 28th Street matches, except that the ground floor has a freight entrance at its west end with light-green metal doors. Attached to the east end is a 2-story extension of the base, with a pair of small storefronts at the ground floor, and a band of seven windows across the 2nd floor. The roof parapet on the extension is stepped up in the middle, and adorned by a shield flanked by ribbons.

The east elevation visible above the 2-story extension is clad in reddish-brown brick and has two bays of three windows at the front, with the rear having four bays of four windows and another 3-window bay.

The ground floor is occupied by Cava restaurant, Samsonic Trading Co., Mahir Floral, and Westside Vision.