Early critics had mixed reviews of the building.
George Shepard Chappell, writing for The New Yorker in 1928 and 1929, called it "a dramatic stop sign at the end of the thoroughfare", and described the lobby's styles as ranging "from Pullman to Paramount".
Harry F. Cunningham reviewed the building much more harshly in a 1928 issue of The American Yearbook, calling the building "one of the greatest steps in the present backward tendency shown in American architecture" for its rejection of modernist styles In a book published in 1932, W. Parker Chase called the Helmsley Building "the most remarkable office building in the world", saying that the construction of the George Washington Bridge—then the world's longest suspension bridge—was about as complex as the Helmsley Building's construction.

Later reviews were more positive.
Nathan Silver wrote in his 1967 book Lost New York: "With its outline and decoration, [the Helmsley Building] was able to indicate clearly its relationship to the height of a man."
John Tauranac, in a guidebook published in 1978, said that the design was "absolutely glorious".
Paul Goldberger of The New York Times wrote in 1978 that the Helmsley Building "picks up on the architectural elements of Park Avenue, but transforms them into something more exuberant".
Christopher Gray, writing for the same newspaper, stated in 1996: "The middle section is handsome, but the top explodes like a Caribbean coral formation."
A partner at Kohn Pederson Fox said in 1984 that the gilding of the Helmsley Building "is rather excessive, and not architecturally appropriate".

The building's clock also received critical attention.
Architecture critic Royal Cortissoz called the clock "one of the most conspicuous sculptural decorations ever erected in the city".
The New York Daily News editorial team expressed disappointment that the clock was not more prominent, and that there was no clock tower.
Early critics had mixed reviews of the building. George Shepard Chappell, writing for The New Yorker in 1928 and 1929, called it "a dramatic stop sign at the end of the thoroughfare", and described the lobby's styles as ranging "from Pullman to Paramount". Harry F. Cunningham reviewed the building much more harshly in a 1928 issue of The American Yearbook, calling the building "one of the greatest steps in the present backward tendency shown in American architecture" for its rejection of modernist styles In a book published in 1932, W. Parker Chase called the Helmsley Building "the most remarkable office building in the world", saying that the construction of the George Washington Bridge—then the world's longest suspension bridge—was about as complex as the Helmsley Building's construction.
Later reviews were more positive. Nathan Silver wrote in his 1967 book Lost New York: "With its outline and decoration, [the Helmsley Building] was able to indicate clearly its relationship to the height of a man." John Tauranac, in a guidebook published in 1978, said that the design was "absolutely glorious". Paul Goldberger of The New York Times wrote in 1978 that the Helmsley Building "picks up on the architectural elements of Park Avenue, but transforms them into something more exuberant". Christopher Gray, writing for the same newspaper, stated in 1996: "The middle section is handsome, but the top explodes like a Caribbean coral formation." A partner at Kohn Pederson Fox said in 1984 that the gilding of the Helmsley Building "is rather excessive, and not architecturally appropriate".
The building's clock also received critical attention. Architecture critic Royal Cortissoz called the clock "one of the most conspicuous sculptural decorations ever erected in the city". The New York Daily News editorial team expressed disappointment that the clock was not more prominent, and that there was no clock tower.
Helmsley Building