10 East 40th Street
Encyclopedia
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a Midtown Manhattan neighborhood in New York City, USA. Around 1987 many real estate promoters of the neighborhood and newer residents described the boundaries as within East 34th Street, East 42nd Street, Madison Avenue, and the East River; in 1999, Frank P...
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, taking the width of the block between 39th and 40th streets. Designed by Ludlow & Peabody and built by Jesse H. Jones, it was finished in 1929 and is considered part of the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
school of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. When it was built, it was the fourth-tallest tower in the world.
It was previously known as the Chase Tower, after its first tenant, Chase Brass & Copper
Chase Brass and Copper Company
Chase Brass is a leading manufacturer of brass rods in the U.S. Located in Montpelier, Ohio, Chase employs nearly 200 hourly employees who are represented by the United Steelworkers Union Local 7248, and 85 salaried employees....
. Its owner until his death in 1938 was Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt
Frederick William Vanderbilt was a member of the Vanderbilt family. He was a director of the New York Central Railroad for 61 years, and also a director of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and of the Chicago and North Western Railroad.-Biography:A son of William Henry Vanderbilt, Frederick...
. On November 14, 2007, the building became the final site to be removed from Thomas Edison's
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
original direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
grid in New York City.
Today, some refer to the building as "the Napa Building", a reference to its long-time tenant Napa Group, Inc., the world's leading provider of software for the short-term adjustable rate marketplace.
It is 620 feet (189 m) high, with 48 floors, and contains 350,000 square feet (33,000 m²) of office or mixed-use space. In September 2002, the building's lobby was renovated, restoring the 15 feet (4.6 m) ceilings.
It houses the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
consulate.