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W. R. Grace Building facts for kids

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W. R. Grace Building
W. R. Grace Building, New York, NY 10018, USA - Jan 2013.jpg
Curved vertical facade fronting on 42nd Street
General information
Type Commercial offices
Location Sixth Avenue & 42nd Street
New York City, New York
Coordinates 40°45′17″N 73°58′57″W / 40.75472°N 73.98250°W / 40.75472; -73.98250
Construction started 1971
Completed 1974
Owner Brookfield Office Properties
Height
Roof 630 ft (190 m)
Technical details
Floor count 50
Floor area 1,478,531 sq ft (137,360.0 m2)
Design and construction
Architect Gordon Bunshaft
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

The W. R. Grace Building is a skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed principally by Gordon Bunshaft, and completed in 1974. The building was commissioned by the W.R. Grace Company, and was also used by the Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

The building is located at 1114 Sixth Avenue, but the main entrance is on 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It overlooks Bryant Park and the New York Public Library's main branch. The building size has approximately 1.518 million square feet (141,000 m2) that are rentable, and sits on a site approximately 100 by 442 feet (30 by 135 m).

The Grace Building is located on the former site of Stern's flagship department store and headquarters. Tenants include Bain & Company. The Michelin-starred restaurant Gabriel Kreuther is located in its lobby as well as a sister chocolate store.

Architecture

West 42nd Street - Bryant Park (buildings)
From left to right: HBO headquarters, W. R. Grace Building, Aeolian Building (houses the State University of New York College of Optometry), Salmon Tower Building and 500 Fifth Avenue (annotated image on Wikimedia Commons)

One of the aesthetic attributes of the building is the concave vertical slope of its north and south facades, on 42nd and 43rd Street. This is similar to another Bunshaft creation, the Solow Building, from which he used the initial, rejected façade design for the Grace Building. The sloping facade is also similar to the Chase Tower in Chicago. The exterior of the building is covered in white travertine, which forms a contrast against the black windows and makes the building appear brighter than those surrounding it.

  • W. R. Grace Building
  • Grace Bldg NY from entrance

    W. R. Grace Building, looking up in front of the entrance on 42nd Street

  • Grace Building New York

    Tower against the sky

  • Manhattan New York City 2008 PD 55

    View from intersection of 43rd Street and Sixth Avenue

  • WR Grace Plaza-Matt Bisanz

    View looking up from plaza

  • Grace Bldg NY from 5th and 40th

    View from 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, New York Public Library in foreground

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