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Originally Posted by SkyHigher
I don't agree with you at all.
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I'm sure you don't.
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Using the Chrysler Building comparison isn't really the same either. Both that building and Empire were in a competition even before they were built and they are of similar skyscraper design. Empire won that battle.
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Wrong again, but using your example, the Metlife would have won this battle. Are you not aware of what year the Metlife began construction?
As far as the Chrysler Building, it was in direct competition with 40 Wall Street. The spire, which pushed it within striking reach of the Empire State, wasn't unveiled until the end (leading the ESB to take it's own push even higher).
Chrysler will always play second fiddle but it is a masterpiece of it's own. All in all they have a history. Now if the Metlife North building was similar in design to those buildings then yes I could see the comparisons. But it is just too bulky for it to have the same love and respect Empire has. It has very little charm in comparison. [/QUOTE]
Prior to the Empire State and the Chrysler buildings, New York had a history or world's tallest that were well proportioned masterpieces of their own, the ESB brought nothing new. It was the Empire State's scale and dominance above all those towers that made it the symbol it became, the gigantisism of its time. Metlife would have dwarfed it to become the symbol of the New York skyline and it's scale of gigantism. Nothing would come close for decades, not just in New York, but around the world.
By the way, the clock tower itself was once world's tallest, a title Metlife was hoping to regain. I'm glad the city is now breathing new life into this area.
https://slgreen.com/properties/1-madison-avenue
1 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
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A synthesis of technologies, engineering, design and architecture, One Madison Avenue is positioned to become the most significant adaptive reuse project of 21st Century New York.
First built in 1893 to designs by Napoleon Le Brun & Sons, One Madison Avenue was one of the city’s largest office buildings, spanning the full block between Park and Madison Avenues and East 23rd and East 24th Streets. In 1909 the building gained its famed clock tower (now a separate building) which was for a time the tallest building in the world. When completed, the campus was an international sensation in the architectural community, for its rapid construction as well as its soaring design.
During the post-war period, the original building was completely rebuilt in a late Art Moderne style in 1953 to designs by D. Everett Waid. President of the American Institute of Architects from 1924-1926, Waid was the house architect for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and oversaw a renovation of its entire campus along with a new building at 11 Madison to the north.
One Madison Avenue’s new architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox with Hines and Vocon, are building on this history to create a new architectural paradigm. Rising from the completely renovated and rebuilt limestone podium of the original structure, One Madison Avenue’s new 26-story tower will be a glittering jewel box of elegance, efficiency and infrastructure, incorporating two spectacular full garden floors, a glittering new lobby and street entrance, state-of-the-art systems and amenities throughout. Views of the surrounding skyline and Madison Square Park will enhance open, airy interiors with flexible plans, efficient spaces and a projected LEED Gold v4.0 rating.
One of the city’s loveliest public spaces, Madison Square Park opened in 1836 and has been the at the center of New York society ever since. Extensively restored in the late 20th century the park is now the convergent point for some of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods, including Chelsea, Gramercy, Nomad and the Flatiron District. Unique shopping, Michelin-star dining and cultural resources abound, while the central location and transport options make commuting simple.
With a projected completion date of 2024, the finished structure will join the MetLife clock tower, 11 Madison and the Flatiron Building as one of the many distinguished buildings that front Madison Square and ensure One Madison Square as a dynamic address for the new century.
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