MetLife Building
Architecture
Architecture
------------

Designed in the [International style](/wiki/International_style_%28architecture%29 "International style (architecture)") by Richard Roth, [Walter Gropius](/wiki/Walter_Gropius "Walter Gropius"), and [Pietro Belluschi](/wiki/Pietro_Belluschi "Pietro Belluschi"), the MetLife Building was developed by Erwin S. Wolfson and completed in 1963 as the Pan Am Building. It is  tall with 59 stories, containing both commercial and office space. , the MetLife Building is the [42nd\-tallest building in New York City](/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City "List of tallest buildings in New York City") and [88th\-tallest in the United States](/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_the_United_States "List of tallest buildings in the United States").

The Diesel Construction Company was the general contractor for the building; at the time of construction, Wolfson had owned that company. Numerous other engineers and contractors were involved in the building's construction, including [Hideo Sasaki](/wiki/Hideo_Sasaki "Hideo Sasaki") as site planning consultant and landscape architect; [Jaros, Baum \& Bolles](/wiki/Jaros%2C_Baum_%26_Bolles "Jaros, Baum & Bolles") as [MEP](/wiki/Mechanical%2C_electrical%2C_and_plumbing "Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing") engineers; and James Ruderman as structural engineer. From the beginning, the building was intended for large firms, with  in office floor area. In total, it has  of gross floor area, according to [The Skyscraper Center](/wiki/The_Skyscraper_Center "The Skyscraper Center").

### Form

The [massing](/wiki/Massing "Massing") consists of a base and an octagonal tower. Contemporary sources describe the base as measuring nine stories tall, atop which rises 50 tower stories. However, the [Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat](/wiki/Council_on_Tall_Buildings_and_Urban_Habitat "Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat") gives a conflicting measurement of 10 base stories and 49 tower stories. Exterior planted areas were planned for the sidewalks and above the roof of the base.

The tower stories' floor plates are designed in an elongated octagonal lozenge, with the longer axis running parallel to 45th Street. The north and south [facades](/wiki/Facade "Facade") are divided into three broad segments, while the west and east facades are one segment each. The building's form may have been influenced by the 1961 Zoning Resolution, a major change to New York City [zoning](/wiki/Zoning "Zoning") code that was proposed just before construction started. The massing is similar to [Le Corbusier](/wiki/Le_Corbusier "Le Corbusier")'s unbuilt tower in [Algiers](/wiki/Algiers "Algiers"), proposed between 1938 and 1942, as well as the nearly contemporary [Pirelli Tower](/wiki/Pirelli_Tower "Pirelli Tower") in [Milan](/wiki/Milan "Milan") (completed in 1958\). The architects intended for the octagonal shape and exterior [curtain wall](/wiki/Curtain_wall_%28architecture%29 "Curtain wall (architecture)") to reduce the building's perceived sense of scale.

### Facade

[left\|200px\|thumb\|East facade from 44th Street](/wiki/File:MetLife_Building.jpg "MetLife Building.jpg")
The facade of the first two stories and mezzanines is clad with granite, aluminum, marble, and stainless steel with glass windows. On Depew Place, an alley running below the eastern leg of the Park Avenue Viaduct, fifteen loading docks were constructed for trucks to conduct deliveries and loading. On the Vanderbilt Avenue side, a marquee was installed over the entrance in the 1980s. The third through seventh stories are exclusively sheathed in granite, with window inserts. The eighth and ninth floors, which are slightly set back, are clad in aluminum.

The 10th through 59th stories of the MetLife Building contain one of the first [precast concrete](/wiki/Precast_concrete "Precast concrete") exterior walls in a building in New York City. The building includes about nine thousand light\-tan precast concrete [Mo\-Sai](/wiki/Mo-Sai "Mo-Sai") panels, each of which surrounds a window measuring  wide by  high. The panels themselves measure  wide by  high and weigh . Each panel is coated with a quartz aggregate to give texture to the facade. Vertical concrete [mullions](/wiki/Mullion "Mullion") project about  from the facade, separating the panels on every story. Flat concrete [spandrels](/wiki/Spandrel "Spandrel") separate the windows between stories. Though Walter Gropius had considered a precast concrete facade to be more solid than a glass curtain wall, this only made the building appear bulkier. Furthermore, the appearance of concrete degraded over time; this effect could be seen in structures such as the [Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum](/wiki/Solomon_R._Guggenheim_Museum "Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum") but was more pronounced on the MetLife Building's facade. During the building's construction, the manufacturer of the Mo\-Sai panels declared bankruptcy, forcing Diesel Construction to buy out that company to prevent delays in construction.

The facade is recessed at the 21st and 46th stories, where there is mechanical space. These recesses create the impression of deep shadows. Both mechanical stories are surrounded by a [colonnade](/wiki/Colonnade "Colonnade") of columns, which are spaced  apart on centers. The precast concrete curtain wall is recessed behind the columns.

The MetLife Building originally bore  "Pan Am" displays on its north and south facades and  globe logos on the east and west facades. This was swapped with [neon](/wiki/Neon "Neon") "MetLife" displays to the north and south in 1992\. These displays were changed again in 2017, being replaced with [LED](/wiki/Light-emitting_diode "Light-emitting diode") letters to conserve energy. The Pan Am Building was the last tall tower erected in New York City before laws were enacted preventing corporate logos and names on the tops of buildings. Modern New York City building code prohibits logos from being more than  above the curb or occupying over  on a blockfront. The sign replacements had been permitted because the city government considered the new signs to be an "uninterrupted continuation of a use" that was allowed before the zoning laws were changed.

### Structural features

200 Park Avenue was built atop two levels of railroad tracks underground, which feed directly into Grand Central Terminal. The [substructure](/wiki/Substructure_%28engineering%29 "Substructure (engineering)") of the building uses foundational columns that extend into the track levels, descending some  below street level into the underlying bedrock. The substructure includes more than 300 columns, each  across and clad with  of concrete. Ninety\-nine columns were built specifically for the Pan Am Building; these columns were installed within several inches of existing steel members such as [third rails](/wiki/Third_rail "Third rail"), but had to be isolated from the other steel. The new columns weighed between . Approximately two hundred existing columns, which supported the former baggage building on the site, were reinforced. The work involved abridging the tops of many existing columns and installing horizontal beams weighing up to . A "triple decker sandwich" made of lead, asbestos, and sheet steel was installed under each level of tracks to provide insulation.

[thumb\|Rooftop view from [One Vanderbilt](/wiki/One_Vanderbilt "One Vanderbilt")\|alt\=Rooftop view of the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue as seen from One Vanderbilt](/wiki/File:MetLife_building_rooftop_view_from_The_SUMMIT_at_One_Vanderbilt.jpg "MetLife building rooftop view from The SUMMIT at One Vanderbilt.jpg")

The [superstructure](/wiki/Superstructure "Superstructure") was constructed similarly to bridge spans. To fabricate the floor slabs, builders used a process called composite action, in which [concrete](/wiki/Concrete "Concrete") was bonded with [structural steel](/wiki/Structural_steel "Structural steel") panels to create a stronger structure. Steel panels were fabricated, rather than concrete floors, because steel panels were lighter and could be constructed regardless of unfavorable weather. Over  of steel panels are used in the floor plates, each of which contains wire and cable ducts. A standard floor slab could handle loads of . The building's steel frame weighs over  in total. The roof of the building contains [NOAA Weather Radio](/wiki/NOAA_Weather_Radio "NOAA Weather Radio") Station KWO35, a [National Weather Service](/wiki/National_Weather_Service "National Weather Service") radio station.

#### Helipad

The initial plans for the Pan Am Building were altered in March 1961 to provide for a [helipad](/wiki/Helipad "Helipad") on the east side of the roof. The helipad garnered controversy immediately after it was announced, and opponents of the plan cited noise and safety concerns. The heliport's opening required approval from the [Federal Aviation Administration](/wiki/Federal_Aviation_Administration "Federal Aviation Administration") (FAA), the city government, and the [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey](/wiki/Port_Authority_of_New_York_and_New_Jersey "Port Authority of New York and New Jersey"). Lawyers for the building's owners applied for permission to operate the heliport in August 1963, and the [New York City Planning Commission](/wiki/New_York_City_Planning_Commission "New York City Planning Commission") confirmed in early 1964 that the owners had sought a permit for the heliport. The [New York City Board of Estimate](/wiki/New_York_City_Board_of_Estimate "New York City Board of Estimate") gave final approval to the heliport in January 1965, and test flights began that March, amid continued opposition to the heliport.

Helicopter service started on December 22, 1965\. The service was operated by [New York Airways](/wiki/New_York_Airways "New York Airways"), which flew [Vertol 107](/wiki/Boeing_Vertol_CH-46_Sea_Knight "Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight") [helicopters](/wiki/Helicopter "Helicopter") from the rooftop helipad to Pan Am's terminal at [John F. Kennedy International Airport](/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_International_Airport "John F. Kennedy International Airport") (JFK). There was a ticket office for the heliport at the base of the building. Passengers would check in at the ticket office, then take an express elevator to the 57th floor, an escalator to the heliport lounge, then another elevator to the roof. The flight to JFK lasted an average of six minutes and twenty seconds. The New York City government renewed the heliport's operating license in 1966, despite continued opposition to the heliport. For a short period starting in March 1967, the company also offered service to [Teterboro Airport](/wiki/Teterboro_Airport "Teterboro Airport"). All helicopter service stopped on February 18, 1968, because of insufficient ridership, as well as disagreements over funding.

Though discussions to restart helicopter service were held in 1969, approval was not given until early 1977\. Service to JFK resumed that February using [Sikorsky S\-61s](/wiki/Sikorsky_S-61 "Sikorsky S-61"). On May 16, 1977, about one minute after an S\-61L landed and its 20 passengers disembarked, the right front [landing gear](/wiki/Landing_gear "Landing gear") collapsed, causing the aircraft to topple onto its side with the [rotors](/wiki/Helicopter_rotor "Helicopter rotor") still turning. One of the blades detached, killing four men who were waiting to board and a fifth person at ground level; two other people were seriously injured.
 *  Helicopter service was suspended that day and never resumed. The already\-controversial building received further negative attention as a result of the incident, and both New York Airways and Pan Am suffered financially in subsequent years. During its short periods of operation, the heliport was largely perceived as a nuisance and danger, but its presence was also seen as satisfying what [David W. Dunlap](/wiki/David_W._Dunlap "David W. Dunlap") described as "the consummate technological fantasy of airborne travel through skyscraping pinnacles".

### Interior

#### Structural and mechanical features

[thumb\|Vanderbilt Avenue entrance arcade](/wiki/File:Vanderbilt_Av_viaduct_jeh.JPG "Vanderbilt Av viaduct jeh.JPG")
A central telephone office was installed on the 20th and 21st stories, serving 30,000 telephones within the building. The system, costing $11 million, was the first of its kind in an office building in the United States. The central office, operated by [New York Telephone](/wiki/New_York_Telephone "New York Telephone"), eliminated the need for tenants to have individual telephone offices and equipment rooms. To avoid interfering with the subterranean railroad tracks, the telephone conduits were routed through the roof of the railroad tunnel. On the two floors where the telephone office was installed, the floor slabs were strengthened to handle loads of , and floor heights were increased to provide clearance of at least .

A refrigeration plant, described at the time of construction as the world's largest such plant, was installed on the roof with three steam\-powered units each weighing . The plant was placed on the roof because the building has no usable basement, as all the subterranean space is part of Grand Central Terminal. The plant could melt up to  of ice each day and could use 200,000 pounds of steam every hour. Large fan rooms were placed on the mechanical stories at the 21st and 46th floors, dispersing air to the other floors, and two individual air supply systems were placed on each story. The ventilation systems could deliver  every minute. The pipes and ducts had to serve all the building's floors, with an electrical system and water pressure system capable of serving all the building's stories. At ground level was a room where wastepaper could be "[baled](/wiki/Baler%23Industrial_balers "Baler#Industrial balers")" on\-site to make easier to dispose of paper.

[Westinghouse Electric Corporation](/wiki/Westinghouse_Electric_Corporation "Westinghouse Electric Corporation") also manufactured 65 elevators and 21 escalators for 200 Park Avenue, which at the time of construction was the largest\-ever order for elevators. One bank of six elevators was able to travel , the fastest elevators in the world at the time of their installation. Five elevators were reserved for freight. The elevators rise from the second\-story lobby because the elevator pits could not descend below the first story due to the presence of the tracks. The upper stories were served by 59 elevators. According to the Skyscraper Center, , the building has 85 elevators.

#### Lobby

[thumb\|Southern end of the lobby](/wiki/File:MetLife_lobby_Mar_2021_11.jpg "MetLife lobby Mar 2021 11.jpg")
The MetLife Building's base contains a lobby across its lowest two stories. At ground level is a  pedestrian passageway, enabling traffic flow between the Helmsley Building's pedestrian arcades and Grand Central Terminal. The 45th Street entrance to the passageway is set back  from the sidewalk. A  entrance arcade is placed on Vanderbilt Avenue, with the doorways set about  back from the sidewalk there. The building's main office lobby is placed at the second story, at the level of the viaduct. The lobby was also designed with plantings and a  enclosed plaza. The lobby contains 18 escalators in total. Four escalators lead to the [Main Concourse](/wiki/Main_Concourse "Main Concourse") at the southern end of the passageway, while fourteen more lead from the passageway to the office lobby.

Gropius was responsible for the original design of the lobby, which was largely austere. The building's original anchor tenant, Pan Am, had a ticket office under a  niche off the main lobby, measuring  long and  high, with circular counters and a wall with a relief map of the world. It was the world's largest airline ticket office at the time of its opening, covering .

##### Renovations

During a 1980s renovation by [Warren Platner](/wiki/Warren_Platner "Warren Platner"), some  of retail space were constructed in the lobby. Also installed was a staircase at the center of the lobby on 45th Street, which consisted of alternating [travertine](/wiki/Travertine "Travertine") and gray\-granite [risers](/wiki/Stair_riser "Stair riser"). The staircase ranged from  wide at the ground floor to  at an intermediate landing, where it split into two flights and reached a width of  at the mezzanine. There were four triangular planters at the bottom of the staircase, which complemented an orange carpet with flower motifs at the mezzanine. The lobby also contained unusual semicircular discs that were either mounted atop poles or suspended from the ceiling. In addition, a security desk was added and the storefronts were expanded.

In an early\-2000s renovation by [Kohn Pedersen Fox](/wiki/Kohn_Pedersen_Fox "Kohn Pedersen Fox"), the lobby received tile and black travertine floors, the storefronts were moved to the side, and the central staircase was removed. The storefronts were removed in the late 2010s, when the lobby was re\-clad in light\-colored travertine. The renovated lobby has an oak\-floored reception lounge overlooking the entrance.

##### Artwork

The Pan Am Building's lobby was planned with several works of art, which comprised most of the original lobby's decoration. One such artwork is *Flight,* a triple\-story wire sculpture by [Richard Lippold](/wiki/Richard_Lippold "Richard Lippold"). The sculpture contains a sphere, representing the earth; a seven\-pointed star, representing the seven continents and seas; and gold wires representing aircraft flight patterns. It measures  wide, and  deep. The composer [John Cage](/wiki/John_Cage "John Cage"), a friend of Lippold's, had initially proposed a musical program to complement *Flight*, consisting of ten loudspeakers, which would have played works by [Muzak](/wiki/Muzak "Muzak") whenever people walked in and out of the lobby. Lippold canceled the idea and management instead agreed to play classical music in the lobby.

At the Pan Am Building's opening, the entrance from the Main Concourse was topped by [*Manhattan*](/wiki/Manhattan_%28Josef_Albers_mural%29 "Manhattan (Josef Albers mural)"), a  mosaic mural of red, white, and black panels by [Josef Albers](/wiki/Josef_Albers "Josef Albers"). That work was removed in a 2001 renovation, though Albers had left exact specifications for reproducing the work, and a replica was installed in 2019\.

Suspended over the 45th Street entrance was a mural by [György Kepes](/wiki/Gy%C3%B6rgy_Kepes "György Kepes"), consisting of two aluminum screens with concentric squares. Kepes's mural measured  wide and was placed on the balcony; it was removed in the 1980s. At Vanderbilt Avenue, [Robert Berks](/wiki/Robert_Berks "Robert Berks") sculpted a bronze [bust](/wiki/Bust_%28sculpture%29 "Bust (sculpture)") depicting the building's developer, Erwin S. Wolfson.

#### Other interior spaces

The MetLife Building was designed with a six\-level parking garage with room for 400 cars. The garage contains entrances and exits from both roadways of the Park Avenue Viaduct. According to owner [Tishman Speyer](/wiki/Tishman_Speyer "Tishman Speyer"), , the building's garage contains 248 spots across four levels.

A variety of commercial and office spaces were included in the Pan Am Building when it opened. [Pan Am](/wiki/Pan_Am "Pan Am"), the airline for which the building was originally named, contained a ticketing office at 45th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, similar in design to [Eero Saarinen](/wiki/Eero_Saarinen "Eero Saarinen")'s [TWA Flight Center](/wiki/TWA_Flight_Center "TWA Flight Center") at JFK Airport. Office stories in the octagonal slab typically have between  of usable space, with elevators and stairs at the center, as well as uneven column spacing. This arrangement allows a large amount of window\-office space for tenants, as each story contains  of outer perimeter walls. Different companies with full\-floor leases designed their spaces in various manners. Some tenants placed private offices along the perimeter, with important executive offices at the far corners of the story. Other tenants placed open spaces at the west and east ends of the floor or in the center.

The Sky Club, a private luncheon club, had been on the 56th floor of the Pan Am Building. For several years the Sky Club had contained a private restaurant. Aircraft pioneer [Juan Trippe](/wiki/Juan_Trippe "Juan Trippe"), founder of Pan Am, was a member of this club. Trippe had commissioned a mural of [clipper](/wiki/Clipper "Clipper") ships for the walls of the Sky Club; it was sent to Tucker's Point resort in [Bermuda](/wiki/Bermuda "Bermuda") after the club shuttered. On the 57th and 58th stories was the Copter Club, which was used by passengers of the short\-lived helicopter service.


Can you describe a typical full-floor lease space in the building?