500 Fifth Avenue

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• The flat crown was once a prominent building feature, but is now just an exposed cooling tower.
• There is a dramatic contrast between plinth and shaft.
• Inside, the lobby is almost shorn of ornaments.
• The walls inside consist of pink-gray matched marble with little trim, under recessed lights.
• The only historicist touch is a pair of griffins that support the lobby clock.
• This was designed by the same architects who did the Empire State Building, in the same year, and on an equally prominent site.