Barclays Capital US Headquarters (New York City, New York) | office building, bank, skyscraper, 2001_construction

 office building, bank, skyscraper, 2001_construction

575-foot, 38-story postmodern office building completed in 2001. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, it was originally intended for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter as an extension of Rockefeller Center. As a result of their financial losses following September 11, the building was acquired from that firm before they ever took occupancy, and named the Lehman Brothers Building. After the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the building was sold to Barclays PLC, now being used by Barclays Capital.

The tower is clad in metal, glass, and stone. The first three floors of the base are double-height, and span seven bays along the avenue, with eight bays along 49th Street. At the ground floor most of the bays have grey granite infill, slightly recessed between the grey granite piers, and contain glass-and-metal tripartite storefront windows, above a low, black granite water table. The center bay on the avenue has recessed glass infill in a black granite frame, with the main entrance consisting of three sets of glass doors. The south end bay and the west end bay on 49th Street are open to a subway entrance. The 3rd bay from the west on both 49th & 50th Street have additional recessed entrances, with glass doors in a black granite frame. The easternmost bay on 49th Street and the two east bays on 50th Street have loading docks. Each of the storefront bays is topped by a grey steel lintel panel bearing stainless-steel lettering with the names of various international cities. From north to south on the avenue, these are: CHICAGO, FRANKFURT, LONDON, NEW YORK, HONG KONG, and TOYKO, from west to east on the south facade, MIAMI, SINGAPORE, PARIS, ROME, STOCKHOLM, and MILAN, and from west to east on the north facade, MADRID, SAN FRANCISCO, ATLANTA, BOSTON, and LOS ANGELES.

Above the ground floor the base is clad in a curtain wall of clear glass windows, pale-green glass spandrels, and thin stainless-steel mullions. The west two bays on the north and south facades have three bands of digital LED screens in place of the glass spandrels above and below the 2nd & 3rd floors, and also running the full width of the west facade, interrupted by a video board above the main entrance that spans both floors.

The base sets back above the 3rd floor, with another setback at the west end above the 7uth floor. On the south facade, the upper floors of the base are clad in the same manner as the lower three floors, while at the west end they have a curtain wall solely of silver-blue glass with a blue BARCLAYS sign mounted near the south end. Above the second setback the main tower has a double-notched southwest corner. On the east facade facing a plaza, the tower rises shear to the top floors. It is clad with grey granite piers, clear glass windows (paired in each bay), and pale-green glass spandrels between the piers. The other facades are clad in the same manner, except for the notched corner, which has a curtain wall of silver glass with horizontal black metal mullion every other floor.

On the west and south elevations, the facade sections with the granite piers ends at the 31st and 28th floors, respectively, in narrow setbacks. On the north facade, there is a slightly projecting section as well that ends at the 25th floor. The 28th-floor setback wraps around to the east facade, and the 31st-floor setback wraps onto the north facade. Below the setbacks, two bands of double-height mechanical floors wraps the building, with black metal vents replacing the windows between the piers. Above the setbacks, the top floors of the tower continue the curtain wall scheme of the notched corner, now across all four facades.

At the top is a 75’x 75′ x 75′ cubic illuminated crown, with blue BARCLAYS signs on all four facades. The blue glass cube shields mechanical equipment, visible behind the glass. Besides the lobby and Barclays space, the ground floor is occupied by Hale & Hearty soups, New York Yankees Clubhouse, Super Runners Shop, Charles Tyrwhitt shirts, and Laederach chocolatier.