| 1251 Avenue of the Americas | |
|---|---|
 The base of 1251 Avenue of the Americas | |
 Interactive map of 1251 Avenue of the Americas | |
| Former names | Exxon Building |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | New Formalism |
| Location | 1251 Avenue of the Americas,New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°45′36″N73°58′53″W / 40.76000°N 73.98139°W /40.76000; -73.98139 |
| Construction started | 1965 |
| Completed | 1968 |
| Opening | 1971 |
| Owner | Mitsui Fudosan |
| Height | |
| Roof | 750 feet (230 m) |
| Top floor | 715 feet (218 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 54 |
| Floor area | 2,101,115 sq ft (195,200 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 36 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Wallace Harrison |
| Structural engineer | Edwards & Hjorth |
| Main contractor | George A. Fuller Co. |
| References | |
| [1] | |
1251 Avenue of the Americas (formerly known as theExxon Building) is askyscraper onSixth Avenue (also known as Avenue of the Americas), between 49th and 50th Streets, in theMidtown Manhattan neighborhood ofNew York City. It is owned byMitsui Fudosan. The structure is built in theinternational style[2] and looks like a simple cuboid devoid of any ornamentation. The facade consists of alternating narrow, vertical stripes of glass and limestone. The glass stripes are created by windows and opaquespandrels, forming continuous areas that are washed by machines sliding down the facade. A seven-floor base wraps around the western portion of the building, and there is a sunken plaza with a large two-tier pool and fountains facing Sixth Avenue. In the plaza stands the bronze statue namedOut to Lunch[3] byJohn Seward Johnson II—of the same series as the one that once stood outside270 Park Avenue.[4]
The building was part of the laterRockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the"XYZ Buildings".[5] Their plans were first drawn in 1963 by theRockefeller family's architect,Wallace Harrison, of the architectural firmHarrison & Abramovitz.[6] 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" is1221 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, is1211 Avenue of the Americas with 45 stories (592 ft).[7] 1251 is the second-tallest building in the whole of Rockefeller Center, after30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Despite being one of the 100tallest buildings in the United States, 1251 Avenue of the Americas is almost impossible to see from more than just a few blocks away as it is flanked on all sides by buildings over 500 feet tall. The result is that even though 1251 Avenue of the Americas is approximately as tall as the tallest buildings in cities such asBoston orMinneapolis, it has almost no presence on theNew York City skyline.
In 1989,Exxon announced that it was moving its headquarters and around 300 employees fromNew York City to theLas Colinas area ofIrving, Texas. Exxon sold the Exxon Building, its former headquarters, to a unit ofMitsui Real Estate Development Co. Ltd. in 1986 for $610 million. John Walsh, president of Exxon subsidiary Friendswood Development Company, stated that Exxon left New York because the costs were too high. Its New York offices moved toBrooklyn; it no longer retains a presence in Rockefeller Center.[8]
In May 2013, the structure received silver certification under theU.S. Green Building Council'sLEED for Existing Buildings Rating System.[9]
Inside, on the western end of 1251's atrium hangs an artist-authorized replica of a tapestryPablo Picasso created for the balletMercure, the original of which hangs in theMusée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, France. It was created specifically for the building, as per the plaque beneath it.
