The blog of Mister Mo

Located on Park Ave., the Seagram Building is the only building in NYC designed by the famous German–born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. MvdR became known as a proponent of the International Style. In its early manifestations, this style was characterized by asymmetrical composition, geometric shapes, absence of applied decoration and large windows often in horizontal bands. This 38 story building was the first fully modular office tower designed to accommodate standardized interior partitioning.

The former New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry Building stands on Broadway, at the crossroads with Liberty St. This building housed both the chamber’s meeting room and its remarkable picture collection which includes portraits of business leaders. Raised at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was restored in 1990-91 by its current owner (a Chinese bank). The chamber has moved to new headquarters on Madison Ave.

The Paramount Building is located on Broadway, in the heart of Times Square. It originally housed the Paramount Theater and served as the eastern headquarters for the Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, the forerunner of Paramount Pictures. It was designed by George and Cornelius Rapp and erected in 1927. It includes a clock tower, topped by a globe. They were both restored in 1997.

The 500 Fifth Avenue Building is located at the crossroads with W 42 St., near Bryant Park. This fifty-nine-story Art Deco skyscraper was built between 1929 and 1931. It was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. This firm was also responsible for the design of the Empire State Building which was built concurrently.