The MetLife Building, formerly known as the PanAm Building, is a fifty-nine story skyscraper located at 200 Park Avenue between East 43rd and East 45th Street. It was designed in the years 1958-1963 by Emery Roth & Sons, Walter Gropius, and Pietro Belluschi. This building is located above Grand Central Terminal and was originally the headquarters for Pan American World Airways. This building is one of the most recognizable and notable skyscrapers in Manhattan.
The MetLife Building is very tall in stature and commercial in design with large floors accumulating to over three million square feet of floor space. At the time this building was built, it was the largest commercial office space in the world. On top of this building having such a large area of space, it was also conveniently located right above Grand Central Terminal; one of New York City’s most accessed train stations. Since the building was the headquarters for a major worldwide airservice enterprise, it has a helicopter pad on the roof, offering a quick seven to ten minute flight to John F. Kennedy Airport.
This building has a very unique shape; it looks like a elongated octagon, being stretched towards the east and west. It also has a six story parking garage connected to it, so not only is easily accessible via mass transit but also by driving. I find this building very visually elegant in both its exterior and interior. The MetLife building has been and always will be a historic New York City landmark.
I agree and the building does stand out to me also because of its position related to the other NYC buildings in the area. You should add one of the terms we discussed in class and compare the building to yourself.