Socony-Mobil Building

Socony-Mobil Building
General information
Type Office
Architectural style International and Moderne Style
Location 150 E. 42nd Street
New York
NY 10152
United States
Construction started 1954
Completed 1956
Cost US$45,000,000
Management CBRE Group
Height
Antenna spire 572 ft (174 m)
Roof 572 ft (174 m)
Technical details
Floor count 42
Floor area 102,192 m2 (1,099,990 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect Harrison & Abramovitz, John B. Perkin
Developer Peter B. Ruffin (Galbreath Corporation)
References
[1][2]

The Socony-Mobil Building is a skyscraper at 150 East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that was built in 1956. The 42-story New York City Landmark building stands 572 feet (174 m) tall and is known for its exterior walls that are completely clad with stainless steel.[3]

History

The building, designed by prominent New York architects Harrison & Abramovitz, was completed in 1956.[2] Mobil Oil Corporation was the anchor tenant, occupying half of the building from 1956 to 1987.[4] The company had their previous headquarters on 26 Broadway.

In 2003 its facade was designated as a Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, considered as "one of New York City's most striking skyscrapers".[5][6] It was first skyscraper to have its exterior wall completely clad with stainless steel.[3] When opened, it was also the largest air-conditioned building in the world.[7]

The building was acquired in April 2016 by real state investor David Werner for $900 million.[8] It was previously owned by Hiro Real Estate Co., a Japanese investment firm.,[9] who put it on the market two years ago.[10]

Architecture

At the center of the block, atop a three-story base, is a 42-story tower, oriented from east to west, flanked by thirteen story wings.[6]

According to Cobb, the facade consists of approximately 750,000 pounds (340,000 kg) of 0.038-inch (0.97 mm) thick chromium nickel stainless steel Type 302, pleated to enable the wind to keep it clean.[3] Up to 7,000 panels embossed with pyramidal forms in high relief,[5] are combined with blue opaque glass windows.[11] A contemporary office building that also made generous use of this material was the Inland Steel Building in Chicago, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1956–1957.[6]

According to architectural historian Christopher Gray, "By using steel panels on the 1.6 million square foot building, the team gained several inches of floor space on the inside wall, greatly reduced labor costs on the skin, and saved weight—the panels weighed two pounds per square foot as opposed to 48 pounds per square foot for brick". It remains the largest stainless-clad skyscraper in the world.[12]

A considerable amount of stainless steel was also used in the lobby and for the elevator doors. The panels were press formed into a trihedral pattern to prevent waviness and to break up reflections. The appearance of the Socony-Mobil Building led critics to call it "The Waffle Building." However, in 2003, the buttelike building near Grand Central Terminal was named "one of New York's most striking skyscrapers" by the Landmarks Preservation Committee.

The building was cleaned for the first time in 1995.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Socony-Mobil Building at Emporis
  2. 1 2 "Socony-Mobil Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Database.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cobb 2010, p. 204.
  4. ↑ Matthew A. Postal; Andrew Dolkart; New York Landmarks Preservation Commission (3 December 2008). Guide to New York City Landmarks. John Wiley & Sons. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
  5. 1 2 "POSTINGS: The Socony-Mobil Building on 42nd Street; A Landmark, Measles and All". The New York Times. 2003-03-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  6. 1 2 3 "Socony-Mobil Building" (PDF). Landmarks Preservation Commission. 25 February 2003.
  7. ↑ National Research Council (U.S.). Building Research Institute (1957). Windows and Glass in the Exterior of Buildings: A Research Correlation Conference Conducted by the Building Research Institute, November 14 and 15, 1956, at the Chamber of Commerce of the United States in Washington. National Academies. p. 118. NAP:15299.
  8. ↑ Grant, Peter (2014-04-17). "New York Investor Swoops In and Snags 42-Story Trophy Mobil Building". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  9. ↑ Gupta, Rapti (17 April 2016). "Socony-Mobil building in New York City sells for $900 million". Realty Today. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Levitt, David M. (18 March 2014). "NYC's Socony-Mobil Tower Said on Market for $900 Million". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel (1 September 2011). The Landmarks of New York, Fifth Edition: An Illustrated Record of the City's Historic Buildings. SUNY Press. p. 652. ISBN 978-1-4384-3771-2.
  12. ↑ Nancy B. Solomon (2008). Architecture: Celebrating the Past, Designing the Future. Visual Reference Publications. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-58471-162-9.

Sources

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Coordinates: 40°45′02.98″N 73°58′33.33″W / 40.7508278°N 73.9759250°W / 40.7508278; -73.9759250

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