3 Park Avenue

Architecture

The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, designers of the Empire State Building. Rosenwasser/Grossman Consulting Engineers, P.C. is listed as the structural engineering firm for the building in 2014. The 42-story building consists of a combination of commercial tenants and several specialty schools including Unity Center for Urban Technologies, Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language, Success Academy High School for the Liberal Arts, and Murray Hill Academy. The Norman Thomas High School was formerly located in the building. The Emporis website documents 12 elevators within the building, a virtual address of "101–111 East 33rd Street" and an architectural height of 169.47 m.

The building is notable for its diagonal alignment and the bright light colored bricks used for its construction and the same bricks are used for the small plaza at the building's main entrance. A sculpture titled "Obelisk to Peace", created by Irving Marantz in 1972, is situated at the main entrance and is a height of 23 ft, made from bronze and is set on a polished granite base. The sculpture was Marantz's last outdoor work before his death.

The entrance to the school is on the East 33rd Street side of the building, where arcade and plaza space (which surrounds the three sides of the building facing the street) exists; although a bench is situated at the entrance, New York State Penal Law prohibits trespassing. In 2000, the space on the 34th Street side was almost identical to the 33rd Street arcade and plaza, but lacked a bench and sign.

History

Prior to the construction of 3 Park Avenue, the site contained the armory of the 71st Regiment, New York National Guard. The first armory of the 71st Regiment burnt down in 1902 and a replacement was completed in 1905 on a slightly larger section of land. The architectural firm of Clinton and Russell designed the second armory and in 1935 it was described as "Manhattan's ugly old brownstone" by Time magazine, which was a reflection of a wider perception of the structure. The armory was eventually demolished during the 1960s and a decade passed before the site was redeveloped.

In 2000, the building was owned by Three Park Avenue Building Company LP. By 2014, the property formed part of the Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation's portfolio in June 2014.

The building's lobby was renovated in 2001. In 2016, Cohen Brothers retained César Pelli's Pelli Clarke Pelli architects to design a renovation of the lobby. Changes included new metal canopies, gray granite, and columns at the exterior plaza, renovations of the 25,000 sqft of retail space, and new wood paneling, glass walls, lighting, and elevator cabs for the lobby. In December 2018, Citibank provided $182 million in debt to refinance the building. Between 2019 and 2023, the occupancy rate decreased from 85% to 54% after two major tenants, TransPerfect and Icon Capital, moved out. As a result, in 2024, the building's $182 million loan went into special servicing.

Tenants

, the list of tenants in the building includes:

• IEEE Communications Society – 17th floor
• adMarketplace – 27th floor
• Mimeo, Inc – 22nd Floor
• Major League Gaming – 32nd floor
• JCDecaux North America – 33rd floor

In popular culture

The building is featured in the 2005 HBO documentary Left of the Dial, a film about the Air America radio station, a previous tenant of the building.

References

References

1. Klose, Olivia. (December 14, 2010). "500 Fifth Avenue". New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
2. (2000–2014). "3 Park Avenue". Emporis GMBH.
3. Kayden, Jerold S.. (November 6, 2000). "Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience". John Wiley & Sons.
4. (January 27, 2007). "A Sienese Gem Lost".
5. (June 19, 2014). "Portfolio – Three Park Avenue".
6. La Guerre, Liam. (November 17, 2016). "Under Construction: New Lobby and Façade Designs For 3 Park Avenue". Commercial Observer.
7. Grossman, Matt. (December 14, 2018). "Cohen Brothers Scores $182M Refi for 3 Park Avenue". Commercial Observer.
8. Elstein, Aaron. (September 20, 2023). "3 Park Avenue facing downgrade after vacancies jump".
9. Long, Ciara. (October 16, 2024). "Charles Cohen Faces Fresh Trouble On Park Avenue".
10. Pascus, Brian. (October 17, 2024). "Cohen Brothers' $182M CMBS Loan on 3 Park Avenue in Special Servicing".
11. (June 19, 2014). "ComSoc Staff".
12. (June 18, 2014). "Contact Us".
13. (June 18, 2014). "Careers". Major League Gaming, Inc.
14. Bhasin, Kim. (March 2, 2012). "See What Happens When Major League Gaming Flies In The World's Best Starcraft Players To Battle It Out In NYC". Business Insider Inc.
15. (June 19, 2014). "Contact Us".
16. Gilbert, Matthew. (March 31, 2005). "'Left of the Dial' documentary takes the wrong direction". The New York Times Company.