Socony-Mobil Building

Socony-Mobil Building
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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

The Socony-Mobil Building is a skyscraper at 150 East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 42-story building stands 572 feet (174 m) tall.

History

The building was completed in 1956. Mobil Oil Corporation was the anchor tenant, occupying half of the building from 1956 to 1987. 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". It was first skyscraper in the world, to have its exterior wall completely clad with stainless steel. When opened, it was also the largest air-conditioned building in the world.

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

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.

The facade consists of approximately 750,000 pounds (340,000 kg) of 0.037-inch (0.00094 m) thick chromium nickel stainless steel Type 302, pleated to enable the wind to keep it clean. Up to 7,000 panels embossed with pyramidal forms in high relief, are combined with blue opaque glass windows. 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.

According to architectural historian Chnstopher 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.

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.

See also

• Regional Enterprise Tower