skyscrapers (DOC)

							Skyscrapers in NYC
Notable Skyscrapers
The 1916 Zoning Resolution required setback in new buildings, and restricted towers to a percentage of
the lot size, to allow sunlight to reach the streets below.[11]
The Empire State Building, a 102-story contemporary Art Deco style building, was designed by Shreve,
Lamb and Harmon and finished in 1931. The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State
and is currently the tallest building in the city.
Completed in 1930, the Chrysler Building is a distinctive symbol of New York, standing 1,048 feet (319
m) high on the east side of Manhattan. Originally built for the Chrysler Corporation, the building is
presently co-owned by TMW Real Estate (75%) and Tishman Speyer Properties (25%). The Chrysler
Building was the first structure in the world to surpass the 1,000 foot threshold.
The GE Building is a slim Art Deco skyscraper and the focal point of Rockefeller Center. At 850 ft (259
m) with 70 floors, it is the seventh tallest building in New York and the 30th tallest in the United States.
Built in 1933 and originally called the RCA Building, it is one of the most famous and recognized
skyscrapers in New York. The frieze above the main entrance was executed by Lee Lawrie and depicts
Wisdom, along with a phrase from scripture that reads "Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of
thy times", originally found in the Book of Isaiah, 33:6.
The International Style was a groundbreaking exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art that completely
changed the face of architecture in New York and the world. Mies Van Der Rohe, a focus of the show,
later built the Seagram Building on 5th Ave at 53rd Street. One of the most important buildings for
modern architecture, the Seagram Building transformed its midtown site, the development of tall
buildings, and the history of architecture. Other architects replicated details from Seagram within New
York and around the world for decades following its completion in the late 1950s. The bronze extrusions
attached to the mullions are exemplary of this trend in tall building design and can be seen in many cities.
The World Trade Center's Iconic Twin Towers became the city's tallest buildings from 1973 to their final
destruction in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. In the tower's short life, they became a New
York City icon and were a symbol for America's Economy and Power. The towers rose 1,368 feet (417 m)
and 1,362 feet (415 m) respectively, both 110 Floors. The North Tower's 360 foot antenna housed most of
the city's communications, while the South Tower was home to a popular observation deck.
Citigroup Center is 59-story high rise office tower located at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue in
Midtown Manhattan. It is considered one of the most important post-war skyscrapers to be in erected in
New York City. The striking desigm of the steeply slanted roof as well as the sleek aluminum-clad facade
made the skyscraper an instant architectural icon. The sloping roof houses the building's mechanical and
ventilation systems. The designers settled on an aluminum-clad facade to reduce the weight load on the
building's foundation and support structures, however this did not come without a price. When the
building was erected in 1977 it was discovered that the light-weight facade made the building vulnerable
to swaying under high wind conditions. Concerned that the building might tip over in very high winds the
building's engineers installed a "tuned mass damper" in the roof which acts as a counter-balance to the
building's swaying.

Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan
at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at 319 m (1,047 ft) high,[1] it was
briefly the world's tallest building before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. However,
the Chrysler Building remains the world's tallest brick building.[2][3] After the destruction of the World
Trade Center, it was again the second tallest building in New York City until December 2007, when the
spire was raised on the 365.8 m (1,200 ft) Bank of America bulding, pushing the Chrysler Building into
third position. In addition, the New York Times Building, which opened in 2007, is exactly tied with the
Chrysler Building in height, making the two buildings tied for 3rd position.[4] Despite the change in
height ranking in New York, the Chrysler Building is still a classic example of Art Deco architecture and
considered by many, at least among contemporary architects, to be one of the finest buildings in New
York City.

Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story art deco skyscraper in New York City, New York at the
intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of
New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931
until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the
destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building became for the second time the
tallest building in New York City.
The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the
Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks
of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board
of Estimate.[6] It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

40 Wall Street
40 Wall Street is a 70-story skyscraper originally known as The Bank of the Manhattan Company
building, but then became known by the numerical address when its founding tenant merged with the
Chase National Bank to form the Chase Manhattan Bank. It later became The Trump Building[2]. The
building, located between Nassau Street and William Street in Manhattan, New York City, was completed
in 1930 after only 11 months of construction.

Technical Facts

Building        Location      Height Constructed     Architect
40 Wall Street 40 Wall Stree 927 ft. 1930 H.Craig Severance
Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue      1,250 ft 1931 Shreve, Lamb and Harmon
Chrysler Building      405 Lexington Avenue 925 ft. 1930 William Van Alen