New York Central Building

What is perhaps most striking about this building is its superimposition over the Met Life building. Before construction of the MetLife (then the Pan Am Building) in 1963, the New York Central Building (now the Helmsley Building) at 230 Park Avenue (34 stories/560 feet) reigned supreme over the neighborhood and prestigious Park Avenue - it was the tallest structure in the Grand Central Terminal complex. Built in 1929 by the New York Central Railroad Company and designed by Warren and Wetmore, the building sits over the north end of Grand Central and the southern end of Park Avenue at 46th Street. Traffic was beginning to become a problem at the time of its planning and New York Central Railroad negotiated leases and easements for construction of the building - in exchange they wove both lanes of Park Avenue through the building (and over Grand Central), creating a mini-raceway from 46th to 40th Street connecting to Park Avenue South and making it NYC's favorite drive-through building. The large, cavernous openings for the two tunnels can be seen flanking the entranceway to the building, with an opulent, detailed lobby. The design echos elements of the Grand Central facade (click here) with ornamental clock and sculpture (click here). The chateau-like pyramidal roof is its most distinctive feature with round dormer windows and crowned with a lantern cupola and spire ...