2 Grand Central Tower

 office building, skyscraper

551-foot, 43-story postmodernist office building complegted in 1985. Designed by Schuman, Lichtenstein, Claman & Efron, the tower is situated in the middle of the block, with but facades set back from the street behind small plazas that are lined with silver metal panels. The 3-story base of glass and silver metal panels is cut away from the upper floors, which are supported by four large round columns. There is a glass-and-metal canopy covering the entrances at the north facade, and a loading dock in the east bay of the south facade on 44th Street.

The upper floors have alternating bands of brownish-pink brick and dark-blue glass. The corners of the tower shift to rounded curves at various differing floors. The northern third of the tower projects out farther to the west on the west facade. The top nine floors on the southwest and northeast corners have broader curves. The rooftop mechanical penthouse on the northeast corner is faced in glass, with sweeping curves on the north, south, and west sides. Beside the lobby, the ground floor is occupied by Birdbath restaurant, and a Starbucks coffee.