The Hippodrome Building & Garage (New York City, New York)

 office building, International style architecture

286-foot, 20-story International-style office building originally completed in 1952 as a 5-story structure. Designed by Kahn & Jacobs, it was built in stages from 1951-1961 on the site of the old Hippodrome Theater, which was a large and elaborate building, and a neighborhood landmark until demolished in the early 1950s. In 1958, the original 5-story building height was increased to eight floor. In 1963, it was enlarged again to its current height. Kahn & Jacobs were also the architects for these additions. The Hippodrome was completely modernized during 2006 to 2014 and now includes a glass curtain wall, a two-story lobby finished in marble and limestone and all new building infrastructure.

The curtain wall has green-tinted glass windows and pale-green glass panels at the piers alternating with grey glass spandrels and narrow aluminum framing. it spans nine bays on the north and south facades, and seven on the west facade along the avenue. The main entrance is in the center bay on the avenue, with small secondary doors in the two flanking bays. The rest if the ground floor is lined with glass storefronts, except for the three easternmost bays on 44th Street and the four eastern bays of 43rd Street, which have a loading dock and entrances and exits to the large parking garage, which holds 648 cars. Silver aluminum louvers run above the eastern bays. The three eastern bays at the 2nd floor on the north facade also have metal louvers; the rest of the 2nd floor has opaque, pale-green panels in place of the more transparent windows elsewhere.

There is a large setback above the 7th floor on the north, west, and south sides. There are landscaped terraces on the setback roof sections. The smaller upper tower section continues the same curtain design, and is topped by a tall mechanical equipment screen of silver aluminum. The ground floor is occupied by Gregorys Coffee, Proper Food restaurant, an AT&T Store, a Chase Bank branch, Hippodrome Cleaners, a TD Bank branch, Fidelity Investments, a FedEx Office & Ship Center, and Bluestone Lane coffee shop.

www.hippodrome.com/