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Top 10 Facts about MetLife Building


 

MetLife Building is a skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street in Manhattan, New York City. The building is 246 meters tall with 59 stories. On construction, MetLife among the tallest buildings in New York City. Years later, MetLife Building is one of the 100 tallest buildings in United States. As of November 202, it was the 35th tallest building in New York City and the 79th tallest building in United States of America.

The skyscraper is owned by Tishman Speyer and the Irvin Company. The construction of MetLife Building took place between 1959 and 1963. The building was designed utilizing the International Style. MetLife Building is home to many offices. Here are the Top 10 Facts about MetLife Building.

1. MetLife was designed by Richard Roth

The MetLife Building was designed in the International architectural style. The design was done by Richard Roth, Walter Gropius and Pietro Bellucchi.

The building was developed by Erwin S. Wolfson. A number of engineers and contractors were involved in the construction of the building. The space according to the design was meant to contain both commercial and office space.

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2. MetLife Building has a helipad

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The building’s design indicated the presence of a helipad on the east side of the roof. On the announcement of the planned existence of the helipad, many opposed the plan. They raised concerns about the safety concerns of helicopters flying by.

The helicopter service began on December 22nd in 1965. In 1977 an incident occurred. The blade of a helicopter detached killing four men who were waiting to board the helicopter. Helicopter services were thereby suspended on the same day and never resumed.

3. It was initially called Pan Am Building

After the building’s construction was completed, Pan Am founder Juan Trippe signed a 25-year lease costing 115.5 million dollars for 613,000 squares feet across 15 floors. In 1978, Pan Am started considering the moving of the headquarters from the building.

The Pan Am building was up for sale in May 1980. It was sold at 400 million dollars to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. This was the highest-priced sale of an office building in Manhattan. The high price was attributed to the rezoning of the surroundings area. The name of the building was therefore changed to MetLife Building.

4. The building’s octagonal design was highly criticized

The announcement of the octagonal design of the MetLife Building brought about a lot of controversy. Several architects found the drawings to be dissatisfying. Others were concerned that the building would burden the existing transit infrastructure.

The monolithic design was found to be obstructing vistas down Park Avenue. However, the building was built for the purposes of making money and not aesthetics.

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5. The building had the largest office spaces upon construction

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MetLife Building was advertised as the world’s largest commercial office space on opening. This was determined by square footage. MetLife Building offices had 2.4 million square feet of usable office space.

The building hosts many companies such as Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, the headquarters of Dreyfus Cooperation, Knight Vinke, the wealth and investment management division of Barclays and the Largest office of Greenberg Traurig.

6. MetLife has a giant mural at the lobby

German artist Josef Albers made a giant mural for the lobby of Pan Am Building named ‘Manhattan’. The mural would be seen by many commuters daily as they passed through the building lobby to Grand Central Terminal.

The mural was removed after MetLife acquired the building in 2000. After Tishman Speyer and Irvine Company acquired the MetLife Building in 2005, they set out to restore the mural. The new mural was unveiled in September 2019. It was placed on the same spot as the original mural.

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7. It was constructed before the rules concerning skyscrapers came up

The MetLife Building was the last building to be built before New York City changed its rules concerning skyscrapers. After its construction, skyscrapers were not allowed to place their logos on top of the crown.

After Pan Am sold the building to MetLife in1981, the Pan Am sign remained on the building for a decade. It was after this while that the MetLife sign was installed.

8. It has been featured in several films and movies

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The Magnificent MetLife has due to its grandeur been featured in several films and movies. Some of the recognizable shows that have featured glimpses of MetLife Building is Godzilla, Kingsman, Catch Me if You Can and Amageddon. The building also starred in the Pan Am Television Show.

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9. The building influenced other structures nearby

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For one, the building plan was used by Architect Der Scutt on the Trump Tower. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architect David Childs used features of the building to create vertical illuminations on the Time Warner Center. It is only normal for this to happen since MetLife Building became the tallest around upon completion of construction.

10. MetLife Building has undergone several renovations

Transformation of MetLife Building began in 2019. The renovations and redesigning were meant to improve and reimagine a two-level 50,000 square-foot lobby.

The lobby is expected to be welcoming, intuitive and an inspiring destination for all who work and visit. The aim is to give guests a world-class experience while promoting sustainability initiatives.