One Worldwide Plaza
Encyclopedia
One Worldwide Plaza is part of a three-building, mixed-use commercial and residential complex completed in 1989, in the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
, known collectively as Worldwide Plaza. One Worldwide Plaza is a commercial office tower on Eighth Avenue
. Two Worldwide Plaza is a residential condominium tower west of the center of the block, and Three Worldwide Plaza is a low-rise condominium residential building with street level stores on Ninth Avenue
, to the west of the towers. The complex occupies an entire city block, bounded by Eighth Avenue
, Ninth Avenue
, 49th Street, and 50th Street
. Located on the west side of Eighth Avenue, One Worldwide Plaza is built on the site of New York City's third Madison Square Garden
. The 50th Street subway
station is underneath.
of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Worldwide Plaza complex was developed by William Zeckendorf, Jr. The building of One Worldwide Plaza was documented in a Channel 4
/ PBS
mini-series and a companion book Skyscraper: The Making of a Building by Karl Sabbagh
(ISBN 978-0140152845).
One Worldwide Plaza is a 49-story, 1.5 million square feet (139,355 m²), 778 feet (237.1 m) tall office skyscraper. The building has three separate entrances to accommodate the various tenants in the building, which include the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore
and, formerly, the international advertising agency of Ogilvy & Mather
. The base of the building is made of granite
and precast concrete
. The tower facade is made of brick. The building is crowned by a copper roof and glass pyramid known as "David's Diamond" after the architect, David Childs.
A mid-block public plaza separates One Worldwide Plaza from the residential buildings of Two Worldwide Plaza and Three Worldwide Plaza. The public plaza is a bonus space granted under New York City Department of City Planning
. The creation and maintenance of the public plaza resulted in permission to build additional floors in the office tower. The landscaping of the plaza contains over 40 trees and numerous plantings, and a cafe. Public seating is available year round. The center of the plaza is highlighted by a fountain created by Sidney Simon called "The Four Seasons". Four female statues, each modelled by Molly Ackerman and representing a season, hold up a globe.
A theater space beneath the public plaza, was originally a six-screen movie theater but is now occupied by five off-Broadway theaters known as New World Stages
. Access is gained by two kiosk buildings: one on 49th Street and the other on 50th Street.
In July 2009, Deutsche Bank
agreed to sell Worldwide Plaza for just $600 million after a previous sale of $1.74bn in February 2007, a 66% drop in value in just 2 years. Developer George Comfort & Sons was the buyer, and the purchase was the biggest after the NYC downturn, which followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers
. Harry B. Macklowe
had lost the building to Deutsche in 2008.
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...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, known collectively as Worldwide Plaza. One Worldwide Plaza is a commercial office tower on Eighth Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
. Two Worldwide Plaza is a residential condominium tower west of the center of the block, and Three Worldwide Plaza is a low-rise condominium residential building with street level stores on Ninth Avenue
Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)
Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs downtown along its full length...
, to the west of the towers. The complex occupies an entire city block, bounded by Eighth Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
, Ninth Avenue
Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)
Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs downtown along its full length...
, 49th Street, and 50th Street
50th Street (Manhattan)
50th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street runs eastbound from 12th Avenue, across the full width of the island, ending at Beekman Place and carries the M50 bus line, which returns on 49th Street...
. Located on the west side of Eighth Avenue, One Worldwide Plaza is built on the site of New York City's third Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden (1925)
Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena in New York City, the third of that name. It was built in 1925 and closed in 1968, and was located on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan on the site of the city's trolley car barns. It was the first Garden that was not located near...
. The 50th Street subway
50th Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
50th Street is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line and IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway, located at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.- Station layout :...
station is underneath.
Description
Designed by David ChildsDavid Childs
David M. Childs is the Consulting Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. He is best known for his redesign of the new One World Trade Center in New York....
of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the Worldwide Plaza complex was developed by William Zeckendorf, Jr. The building of One Worldwide Plaza was documented in a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
/ PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
mini-series and a companion book Skyscraper: The Making of a Building by Karl Sabbagh
Karl Sabbagh
Karl Sabbagh is a Palestinian-British writer, journalist and television producer. His work is mainly non-fiction: he has written books about historical events and produced documentaries for both British and American broadcasters....
(ISBN 978-0140152845).
One Worldwide Plaza is a 49-story, 1.5 million square feet (139,355 m²), 778 feet (237.1 m) tall office skyscraper. The building has three separate entrances to accommodate the various tenants in the building, which include the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is a prominent American law firm based in New York City, with an additional office in London. The second oldest firm in the country, Cravath was founded in 1819 and consistently ranks first among the world's most prestigious law firms according to a survey of partners,...
and, formerly, the international advertising agency of Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather
Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Manhattan and owned by the WPP Group. The company operates 497 offices in 125 countries with approximately 16,000 employees.-History:...
. The base of the building is made of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and precast concrete
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
. The tower facade is made of brick. The building is crowned by a copper roof and glass pyramid known as "David's Diamond" after the architect, David Childs.
New York City Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning is a governmental agency of New York City responsible for setting the framework of city's physical and socioeconomic planning...
. The creation and maintenance of the public plaza resulted in permission to build additional floors in the office tower. The landscaping of the plaza contains over 40 trees and numerous plantings, and a cafe. Public seating is available year round. The center of the plaza is highlighted by a fountain created by Sidney Simon called "The Four Seasons". Four female statues, each modelled by Molly Ackerman and representing a season, hold up a globe.
A theater space beneath the public plaza, was originally a six-screen movie theater but is now occupied by five off-Broadway theaters known as New World Stages
New World Stages
New World Stages, originally Dodger Stages, is an Off-Broadway venue. The architects were Beyer, Blinder, and Belle. The theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova.It is currently home to 6 shows:* Rent...
. Access is gained by two kiosk buildings: one on 49th Street and the other on 50th Street.
In July 2009, Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
agreed to sell Worldwide Plaza for just $600 million after a previous sale of $1.74bn in February 2007, a 66% drop in value in just 2 years. Developer George Comfort & Sons was the buyer, and the purchase was the biggest after the NYC downturn, which followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
. Harry B. Macklowe
Harry B. Macklowe
Harry B. Macklowe is a New York City real estate developer and investor.His firm, Macklowe Properties owns a number of New York landmarks including 400 Madison Ave., 540 Madison Ave. and Two Grand Central Tower....
had lost the building to Deutsche in 2008.
External links
- "One Worldwide Plaza" on in-arch.net
- New World Stages
- Images