The Merit
As someone whose favourite style is arguably Art Deco, this building goes hard in the paint. There are so few buildings in this city, while still being pleasing to the eye, actually hit the mark on what they were trying to accomplish.
Window mullions aside... we have 3 different materials being used to excellent execution. Sandstone(or equivalent
), black granite and stainless steel. New York City itself would welcome this building with open arms.
They didn't play around with the details here. That centre little pinnacle that protrudes higher than the roof? Check
The horizontal stainless banding at the top laid over black granite? Check
Appropriate setbacks that make sense? Check
Even the ass end of this building exceeds just about anything else in town
In conclusion... this building is an absolute champion because they didn't seek to emulate Art Deco... it IS Art Deco. While I am not an expert on NYC Deco buildings, to me this checks all the categories and does it in a very classy way. The building seems so much taller than it actually is with the verticality of the building lines. The proportions and materials used are second to none and its a masterful execution of the concept.
My only critique would be that a few extra floors would have been nice. Nothing to crazy, but 1 extra floor to each setback, say 3 to 5 floors overall. It suffers from not being prominent enough on the skyline and it's easy to miss while driving down the 417 despite having a clear sight line.
10/10 all day, every day.