NEW YORK | One Penn Plaza | 750 FT / 229 M | 57 FLOORS | 1972

[Amanita]

So here's two more pics I took while I was in NYC. These were taken from the Empire State Building observation deck, and I pretty much maxed out the digital zoom on my camera to get them. If you look closely at one, you can see somebody walking around up there, the lucky thing! And can anyone tell me what those huge fans up there are for? Are they used only for venting stuff out, or do they serve as air intakes? I'm also surprised at the use of so much brick on the roof of a modern office tower, it seems somewhat archaic. And that black roof itself- that must get some hot during the summer!

[DrNest]

This is definitely one of the Manhattan skyscrapers that should get a lot more coverage considering it's location in the skyline than it does.
Personally I love looking at it when I'm there.

[Amanita]

I thought I'd throw this in here for fun- I did it last night, it's kind of a spoof of the whole "Twilight: Team Edward/Team Jacob" thing.

I give you "Team Kahn and Jacobs"!
(FYI, Kahn and Jacobs were the architects of One Penn Plaza)

[Amanita]

Here's something neat I found- The New York City Department of Buildings has an online building database, with some interesting info- certificates of occupancy, complaints filed against buildings, and so on.

Here's one I found on One Penn Plaza- "Building swaying, cause unknown".
I guess the inspectors checked it out and found no problems, I guess the dumbass who filed the complaint doesn't understand that skyscrapers like One Penn are supposed to sway when the wind picks up.

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/Ov...key=0000235233

On a not so humorous note, I also found record of a steam explosion in the building's basement, in feb 2001. Yikes! Oddly enough, a similar accident would befall One New York Plaza later that year. I guess 2001 was a crappy year to be a skyscraper in New York City!

[hunser]

1 Penn von wwward0 auf Flickr

[ThatOneGuy]

As of yet I haven't found a single black skyscraper I haven't liked.

[marvelfannumber1]

Originally Posted by ThatOneGuy

As of yet I haven't found a single black skyscraper I haven't liked.

Not even One liberty plaza?

[Amanita]

I like One Liberty, it looks like it could kick ass and take names. One Penn`s another tall dark and handsome type, but sleeker.

Did anyone read that bogus department of buildings complaint? Wow, calling up and freaking out because the building was swaying, I`m guessing on a good and windy day. Some people are such dumbasses, or just have no clue about engineering.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by marvelfannumber1

Not even One liberty plaza?

Only if it's cleaned/repainted, which they are doing.

[Amanita]

I'm glad One Liberty's getting repainted, the poor thing looked pretty rough the last time I was in town.

[CarlosV]

Originally Posted by Amanita

Nice shot, Carlos..ever think of getting a few of One Penn Plaza? I noticed its base in the foreground of this shot

sure, just happened to be on my way from the gym.......

In my opinion up close the building is not ageing too well i'm afraid.....just looks like it needs a little TLC..


DSC00125 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00126 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00127 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00128 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00129copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00130 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00131 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00132 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr


.


DSC00135 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

.


DSC00136 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

[Amanita]

VERY nice! That last one kicks a lot of ass, especially.

I wonder why some of the windows appear to be mismatched? That's about the only major change I would make if this were my skyscraper, and I was giving it the makeover treatment. I'd give those aluminum pinstripes regular polishing too, to keep them looking spiffy. I wonder what they would look like if replaced with the same beautifully reflective alloy that was used on the WTC?

I've noticed that on the part of the crown near the cooling towers, it appears to be open, you can see right through it. I wonder if there's an engineering/mechanical reason for this? If not, I'm not sure why they left it like that.
If I were giving this building the makeover treatment, I don't know what I would do with the crown- I love those roof signs that were added sometime in the 90's, they give the building some added color, not to mention increasing its skyline presence at night. So messing with those is right out. Not cool at all!
If the open part of the crown could be closed in without compromising the function of the equipment up there, I'd probably do that, just so the whole thing matched.

I wonder how the building might look with some sort of decorative lighting scheme, such as floodlights at its re-entrant corners? I wouldn't make them color changing like Empire State- some color combos might clash badly with the roof signs. But plain white or red corner illumination might look pretty cool.

[Yackemflaber69]

very beautiful building 10/10

[Amanita]

Here's some more pics I took on my most recent NYC visit:

First, the view from my hotel window:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



Looking down from the Empire State:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



The roof- Wish I was up there!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



Can't I take it home with me?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



Lobby detail:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3121754...57637979676796



And last but certainly not least, I wore my One Penn costume on Halloween this year, and had myself some fun. One Penn Plaza's staff had a ball too, and even let us take pictures!
http://ladyamanita.deviantart.com/ar...shed-410760123

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

I think it'd be amazing to see this tower get a new set of sleek black windows, piercing black that are reflective and then replace the mullions with something like the detailed mullions of the new Chow Thai Fook Centre in Guangzhou.


http://www.kpf.com/projects/Project258/16059_hr.jpg

Id even close up the crown a bit more and create a more prominent crown using different materials. One Penn is looking a bit dated and needs a spruce up, especially given its location and prominence.

[ThatOneGuy]

I think it's fine as it is.

[Amanita]

I'd be all for replacing the windows that don't match, causing that patchwork effect where some windows are nice and reflective while others are see-through. Just as long as it keeps its sleek black coloring. I also like the horizontal banding, which was intentional, being the result of the difference between vision and spandrel glass. So I wouldn't mess with that- it's just the mismatched bits of vision glass that could use fixing.

As for the crown, I wouldn't do much at all- if there was a way to enclose the open part around the cooling towers without interfering with their function, I'd do that, just to make it more uniform. As for the mullions, the detailed ones pictured above look cool, but I'd settle for giving the ones already there a good polishing.

[jg6544]

This building and the MSG/Penn Station complex are just butt-ugly. I'd be all in favor of imploding them and just leaving holes in the ground, but for the fact that Penn Station provides a useful service.

[ThatOneGuy]

Yes, implode what you personally think is ugly. What a horrible, selfish comment.

[Amanita]

Yeah, what a butthole-ish thing to say. Never mind that it's one of the best office spaces in the city, and has a pretty good occupancy rate. And from a security worker's perspective, apparently it treats its guards (and pays them) a lot better than most office buildings. As a result, some of the staff have been there for years- it pays to treat your workers well!
The security, maintenance, and management staff of One Penn Plaza care a lot about their building, and are proud of it, and it shows.

Seriously, I hate people who think like this. Dislike something, sure. But saying it needs to be blown up just because YOU think it's ugly? That's just plain hella ignorant.