330 West 42nd Street
Encyclopedia
330 West 42nd Street is also known as the McGraw Hill Building. The original McGraw-Hill building was located at 469 Tenth Avenue. This second McGraw-Hill building, on 42nd Street (33 stories, 485 ft / 148 m) was completed in 1931, the same year as the completion of the Empire State Building
. The architect was Raymond Hood
. The exterior walls of the building are panels of blue-green terra-cotta ceramic tiles, alternating with green-metal-framed windows, with a strongly horizontal orientation. The building was the only New York building shown in the influential International Style
exhibition in 1932, and it's also been cited as a landmark of Art Deco
design.
Located on West 42nd Street
, between Eighth
and Ninth
Avenues, one of the two blocks that also houses the Port Authority Bus Terminal
, the McGraw-Hill Building had been the tallest building in the Hell's Kitchen
neighborhood for decades. It lost that status with the building of One Worldwide Plaza
. It is still visible from a distance, but is dwarfed by the newly constructed Orion Building on the same block, a 58-story tall residential complex, also with a green exterior.
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1989.
This address was also given by Jack Kirby
in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) as the mailing address to which fans could write to the titular character, as the offices of Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics
, were located in the building.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. The architect was Raymond Hood
Raymond Hood
Raymond Mathewson Hood was an early-mid twentieth century architect who worked in the Art Deco style. He was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, educated at Brown University, MIT, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At the latter institution he met John Mead Howells, with whom Hood later partnered...
. The exterior walls of the building are panels of blue-green terra-cotta ceramic tiles, alternating with green-metal-framed windows, with a strongly horizontal orientation. The building was the only New York building shown in the influential International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
exhibition in 1932, and it's also been cited as a landmark of 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...
design.
Located on West 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, between Eighth
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...
and Ninth
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...
Avenues, one of the two blocks that also houses the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...
, the McGraw-Hill Building had been the tallest building in the Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
neighborhood for decades. It lost that status with the building of One Worldwide Plaza
One Worldwide Plaza
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...
. It is still visible from a distance, but is dwarfed by the newly constructed Orion Building on the same block, a 58-story tall residential complex, also with a green exterior.
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1989.
This address was also given by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941) as the mailing address to which fans could write to the titular character, as the offices of Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, were located in the building.