1221 Avenue of the Americas

Background

The building was part of the later Rockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the "XYZ Buildings". Their plans were first drawn in 1963 by the Rockefeller family's architect, Wallace Harrison, of the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz. Their letters correspond to their height. 1251 Avenue of the Americas is the "X" Building as it is the tallest at 750 ft (229 m) and 54 stories, and was the first completed, in 1971. The "Y" is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, which was the second tower completed (1973) and is the second in height (674 ft and 51 stories). The "Z" Building, the shortest and the youngest, is 1211 Avenue of the Americas with 45 stories (592 ft).

The building houses the New York practice of professional services and accountancy firm Deloitte and was previously the headquarters of McGraw-Hill Financial. Other tenants include Sirius XM Satellite Radio, whose headquarters and broadcast facility are in the building, and the law firms Mayer Brown and White & Case.

In December 2016, CPPIB sold a 45% stake in the building to CIC for $1 billion, which valued it at $2.3 billion.

In 2009, the structure earned a LEED green-building certification. A renovation of the plaza and retail space was announced in 2017, and the $50 million project was underway by 2022.

The sunken courtyard formerly contained a 49 ft metal triangle designed by Athelstan Spilhaus and fabricated by Tyler Elevator Products, arranged so the Sun aligns with its sides at solstices and equinoxes. 1221 Avenue of the Americas' entrance plaza, on Sixth Avenue, was renovated in 2023 at a cost of $50 million.

McGraw-Hill sundial jeh.JPG|Sunken courtyard 1221 AA maps jeh.jpg|World maps and sculpture Sun Triangle

1999 elevator incident

After entering an express elevator serving floors 39–50 at approximately 11:00 p.m. (EDT) Friday on October 15, 1999, Nicholas White, a Business Week employee whose office was in the building, became trapped in an elevator after a brief power dip caused it to stop between the 13th and 14th floors. White was not rescued until approximately 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 17, nearly 41 hours later, after security guards spotted him in the elevator surveillance cameras. In 2008, The New Yorker uploaded a video, originally called "Trapped in an Elevator for 41 Hours", which contained surveillance-camera footage of White being trapped in the elevator.

In popular culture

The buildings are featured in the title sequence of Saturday Night Live, seen from below looking up in the street from a car. It was used for the exteriors and lobby of Elias-Clarke's headquarters in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada and the interior shots for television show Suits. It is also the headquarters of Sirius XM Radio, and many radio shows broadcast from the building including The Howard Stern Show. The plaza and sculpture are also featured as part of the New York City Level of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

References

References

1. "Emporis building ID 114548". [[Emporis]].
2. Martin, Timothy W.. (July 8, 2015). "McGraw Hill Moves Downtown, Says Goodbye to Namesake Building". The Wall Street Journal.
3. "The McGraw-Hill Building II (1221 Sixth Ave.)".
4. (1999). "Manhattan Skyscrapers". [[Princeton Architectural Press]].
5. Krinsky, Carol H.. (1978). "Rockefeller Center". Oxford University Press.
6. (2005). "Manhattan Skyscrapers". Princeton Archit.Press.
7. "Deloitte New York, NY – Professional Services {{!}} Deloitte US".
8. (December 28, 2016). "CPPIB Sold 45% Stake in 1221 Avenue of the Americas to Chinese SWF".
9. Katz, Rayna. (January 4, 2017). "Chinese Buyer Snaps Up Chunk of Midtown Office Bldg.".
10. "1221 Avenue of the Americas". [[USGBC]].
11. Nonko, Emily. (November 7, 2017). "One of Midtown's sunken public plazas will get a modern revamp".
12. (March 28, 2022). "Manhattan public plaza, retail gateway receiving $50M renovation".
13. "McGraw-Hill Building Plaza".
14. Capps, Kriston. (June 2, 2024). "A Plaza Renovation Shows a Path Forward for Privately Owned Public Spaces".
15. Tierney, John. (October 28, 1999). "The Big City; Aftermath Of 40 Hours In an Elevator". The New York Times.
16. Paumgarten, Nick. (July 28, 2014). "Up and Then Down".
17. Conaway, Laura. (April 23, 2008). "Bad Break: Trapped in an Elevator for 41 Hours".
18. (March 22, 2023). "Video surfaces of man stuck in elevator for 41 hours".
19. Kennedy, Helen. (April 22, 2008). "Video surfaces of man stuck in elevator for 41 hours".
20. (March 26, 2021). "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2: NY City - All Park Goals, Gaps, and Challenges".