SkyscraperPage Forum - NEW YORK | Solow Building | 689 FT | 50 FLOORS

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NEW YORK | Solow Building | 689 FT | 50 FLOORS | 1974

I really like how the building looks from Central Park. :D
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...l_May_2010.JPG
Myself

This is one of my faves, nice to see somebody started a thread for her!

So does that make Mrs. Grace the him?

^^^

here's info on the building in case some don't know anything about it...

from Wikipedia:

"The Solow Building, located at 9 West 57th Street, is a Manhattan skyscraper designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's Gordon Bunshaft and built in 1974.

It is located just west of Fifth Avenue, sandwiched between the 57th and 58th Street, next to such prominent buildings as the Bergdorf Goodman department store and the Plaza Hotel.

Consisting of 50 stories and 689 ft. (210 m), the building's only competitor by height in the neighborhood is the GM Building, located one block north and east. Floors above the 23rd floor offer a virtually unobstructed view of northern Manhattan and a complete view of Central Park.

One of the notable aesthetic attributes of the building is the concave vertical slope of its north and south facades, on 57th and 58th Street. This is similar to another of Bunshaft's creations, the W. R. Grace Building, which is no coincidence, as he had used the initial, rejected façade design for the Solow Building in his design for the Grace Building"

^ Yeah I know, I'm an expert on buildings. Especially Mr. Grace and Mrs. Solow, as some people refer :)

^^^
i love this building..so corporate.....i also love the "9" sculpture in front of the entrance...

read this article ..very informative :)

http://www.thecityreview.com/57w9.html

http://www.thecityreview.com/solow3.gif

Quote:

By Carter B. Horsley

One of the most controversial buildings in midtown and also one of the most successful midtown real estate ventures, 9 West 57th Street is largely responsible for the subsequent redevelopment of the Plaza District into the city's most prestigious office precinct. The General Motors Building (see The City Review article) had led the way, of course, when it was erected in 1968, but it merely ruined the elegant ambiance of Grand Army Plaza by razing the Savoy Plaza Hotel.

This giant office tower, developed by Sheldon Solow, his first major commercial building venture, set new standards of elegance with the sleekest curtain wall facade in the city.

Although it was completed at the start of a major real estate depression in the city, Solow had preleased much of the building, first to Monsanto Chemical and then to Avon Products. Solow made enough money quickly on the building to maintain a lavish, large office high up in the building overlooking Central Park and an enormous and excellent Joan Miro painting and launch other ambitious projects in the city and not be perturbed that no retail tenant has ever opened up shop in 20 years in his 60,000-square foot retail basement concourse that has its own escalator access in the middle of both the facades on 57th and 58th Streets, shown above and below, respectively...

Unlike the W.R Grace, this buildings actually makes you feel like wanting to slide of the facade.

I love this building, and always go look at it when I'm in NYC. I have fond memories of visiting my friend's dad's office there many years ago. The views of central park where absolutely amazing.

Yup, Grace is the brother of the pair:)
Solow's facade is so sleek that yes, it does make you wanna slide down it, lol!
And I love the X-Bracing on the sides, it reminds me of corset lacing.

One of my favourites. Cool 70s corporate architecture with a slick, futuristic feel.

One of my favorite Midtown skyscrapers. It has the perfect proportions (although it does seem overbearing from some angles, namely Central Park), and the dark glass against the white cladding makes for a nice contrast.

By the way, this building is in the banner, did you not notice?

http://i39.tinypic.com/34xp0xz.jpg

One of my favorite buildings anywhere. It has no bad angles.

http://www.vollmayer.com/resources/N...ilding+72P.jpg

http://www.vollmayer.com/10.html

this is one gorgeous building that deserves this thread. the exterior cladding has inspired many buildings to do the same. even Calgary has two buildings with similar looking cladding. the structure itself is top rate and this tower more than holds its own when surrounded by so many other Manhattan masterpieces. i rate this one a solid 10/10

Always one of my modern favorites when I visit New York.

It was absolutely huge, stunning, and imposing when I stood at the base last year. The curving emphasizes that feeling.
I'm really partial to black-tinted skyscrapers, so it's one of my favourites in NYC.

One of my favorites and is truly an imposing building standing at the base of it yet the curve makes it graceful at the same time.

Is this the mother of sleekness? :) It has to be... mmmhh!