Solow Building - New York, NY - Skyscrapers on Waymarking.com

This 50-story office building with its distinctive sloping façades made of gray-tinted glass, is officially named the Solow building after its owner, Sheldon Solow. It was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of the firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and was built between 1968 and 1974. In spite of being criticized by architects for not fitting in with other buildings in the area, the Solow building was nevertheless well received by the public and commands some of the highest rents in the city. Tenants on the upper floors have some wonderful views of Central Park.

Another interesting characteristic of this location is a large red sculpture of the number ‘9’ that sits in front of the building on 57th St. It was designed by Ivan Chermayeff, stands ten ft. tall and weighs three tons. I’ve heard that building owner Sheldon Solow had to pay $1000 per year to the city of New York in order to rent the spot on the sidewalk where the sculpture stands. It’s now considered a New York City cultural artifact.

When the building first opened in the mid-1970s, Avon Products, the direct selling cosmetics company, was the primary tenant, occupying almost half of the floors. Back in my Avon days, I worked at '9 West' for a while and I've included a few photos from the 34th floor where my office was located.

Building Name: Solow Building Structure Height: 689 Number of Stories: 50 Year Built: 1974 Architect/Design Firm: Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Style: Post-Modern Use: Office Building Publicly accessible areas: Only the lobby area is accessible to the public. Hours: all Cost: no Address: 9 West 57th St. New York, NY Building Website: [Web Link] The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) link: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/14/2023 Ariberna visited it