CBS Building

The CBS Building, also known as Black Rock, is the headquarters of the CBS broadcasting network at 51 West 52nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 38-story, 491-foot-tall (150 m) building, the only skyscraper designed by Eero Saarinen, was constructed from 1961 to 1964. The interior spaces and furnishings were designed by Saarinen and Florence Knoll Bassett. The building was also the headquarters of CBS Records (later Sony Music Entertainment) before the early 1990s.

CBS Building
General information
TypeOffice
Architectural styleModernist
Location51 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′40″N 73°58′44″W
Current tenantsCBS
Construction started1961
Completed1965
OwnerHarbor Group International
Height491 feet (150 m)
Technical details
Floor count38
Design and construction
Architect(s)Eero Saarinen
Structural engineerPaul Weidlinger
Main contractorGeorge A. Fuller Company
New York City Landmark
DesignatedOctober 21, 1997
Reference no.1971[1]

The building is on Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) between 52nd and 53rd Streets, although its main entrances are on the side streets. The "Black Rock" nickname is derived from the design of its facade, which consists of angled dark-gray granite piers alternating with dark-tinted glass. The facade was designed to make the building appear as a continuous slab. Inside, the building has a gross floor area of approximately 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2). The building's superstructure is made of reinforced concrete, and steel beams are only used below ground. Saarinen referred to the building as the "simplest skyscraper statement in New York".[2]

The design was finalized in 1961 and, despite Saarinen's death shortly afterward, construction started in 1962. The first employees moved into the building in late 1964 and it was completed the following year. The building initially served as the headquarters of CBS, which occupied all the above-ground space until the early 1990s, when CBS started leasing some stories to other tenants. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the CBS Building as a city landmark in 1997. CBS attempted to sell the building twice between 1998 and 2001, and ViacomCBS again attempted to sell it in early 2020. ViacomCBS announced it would sell the building for $760 million to Harbor Group International in August 2021.

Site

The CBS Building is at 51 West 52nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along the eastern side of Sixth Avenue (officially Avenue of the Americas[3]) between 52nd and 53rd Streets. The land lot covers 47,725 square feet (4,433.8 m2).[4][lower-alpha 1] The site has a frontage of 255 feet (78 m) on 52nd Street to the south, with a depth of 200 feet (61 m) between 52nd and 53rd Streets.[4] Nearby buildings include the Credit Lyonnais Building to the west, New York Hilton Midtown to the northwest, 53W53 to the north, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to the northeast, the 53rd Street Library and 21 Club to the east, and 75 Rockefeller Plaza to the southeast.[4] The CBS Building stands directly above a New York City Subway tunnel connecting the Sixth Avenue and 53rd Street subway lines.[5][6][lower-alpha 2]

The CBS Building, developed for broadcasting company CBS, was designed to occupy only 60 percent of its site.[8][9] It is three blocks north of Rockefeller Center, headquarters of CBS's rival NBC.[10][11] By the late 1950s, the midtown section of Sixth Avenue was being developed with office towers and hotels, including the Hilton hotel, the Time-Life Building, and the Equitable Building at 1285 Avenue of the Americas.[12][13][14] Just before the building's construction, the site was occupied by five apartment buildings of four stories each, as well as a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) parking lot. William Zeckendorf had acquired all of these structures but sold them to CBS before he could develop them.[12][15]

Architecture

The CBS Building was designed by Eero Saarinen,[10][16] with the George A. Fuller Company as the general contractor for the project.[14] Cosentini Associates was the mechanical engineer,[6] while Paul Weidlinger was the structural engineer.[6][17] Carson, Lundin, and Shaw planned the interior layout of the CBS Building, designing the mechanical systems and interior partitions.[18][19][20] Acoustical engineer Paul Veneklasen advised the firm on how to design different spaces in the building based on varying acoustical requirements for different divisions.[20] The furnishings were manufactured by Florence Knoll Bassett,[18][21][22][23] whom Saarinen had invited to the project shortly before his death in 1961.[24][25] CBS's design director Lou Dorfsman and president Frank Stanton worked with Knoll to arrange the art in the building.[25]

The building measures 135 by 160 feet (41 by 49 m)[26][27][28] and is 491 feet (150 m) tall with 38 stories.[29][30][31] It does not contain any setbacks on intermediate levels.[26] The building is recessed 25 feet (7.6 m) from the lot line on the north, west, and south and is recessed the same distance from an auxiliary building to the east.[15][28][2] A separate structure with a loading area was provided east of the building, allowing the main structure to be a standalone slab.[13][32] The CBS Building's massing related to that of earlier standalone buildings, such as Eliel Saarinen's unbuilt Tribune Tower design and Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building. However, the uniform treatment of the CBS Building's facade differed greatly from these earlier designs, which had been divided horizontally into three sections.[33]

Plaza

Surrounding the building is a plaza that is about 3.5 feet (1.1 m) below the Sixth Avenue sidewalk.[9] It is reached by a flight of five steps from Sixth Avenue.[9][30][34] The eastern part of the plaza is slightly lower, being six steps below 52nd Street and seven steps below 53rd Street.[9] The plaza contains Canadian black granite pavers, the same material used in the facade.[9][35] In contrast to the nearly contemporary Seagram Building, which had a decorative plaza with fountains and plants, the CBS Building's plaza was designed solely as a backdrop for the tower.[30] Consequently, the plaza was not designed with seating, and there were no storefronts at plaza level.[2] Before his death, Saarinen had written of his belief that a tower should stand as a solitary mass, detached from shorter buildings.[36][37]

At the time of the building's construction, New York City planners were considering enacting the 1961 Zoning Resolution, which would allow skyscrapers to have a slab-like shape and additional floor area in exchange for the inclusion of ground-level open spaces.[38] When he was designing the CBS Building, Saarinen had calculated that each story would need to have a floor area of about 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) to be profitable, even though the new zoning would have only allowed 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) on each floor.[39][40] The plaza around the CBS Building was one of the influences of the 1961 legislation.[39][41][42] In the 1980s, an additional plaza was built to the east, connecting 52nd and 53rd Streets and separating the CBS Building from the then-new EF Hutton building at 31 West 52nd Street.[43]

Facade

The facade consists of 5-foot-wide (1.5 m) concrete vertical piers clad with Canadian black granite, alternating with 5-foot-wide vertical bays of dark-tinted glass.[26][27][28][44] The design of the facade was intended to "keep glass areas to a desirable minimum", according to the general contractors,[14] while also permitting natural light from multiple angles.[33] John Dinkeloo, one of Saarinen's associates, also believed that dark stone was better than glass at showing strength.[45] At the time of the building's construction, granite was generally associated with strength, while concrete was largely considered comparatively weak.[46] The combination of black-granite piers and dark glass make the CBS Building appear as a granite slab from some angles.[45][47] The facade led to its nickname "Black Rock",[36][47][48][49] though CBS cites the building's proximity to Rockefeller Center as another influence for the nickname.[48] The piers are triangular,[50][51] which Architectural Record said made the piers appear as a "continuous accordion pleated granite faced wall" when perceived from a certain angle.[51] Architectural writer Ada Louise Huxtable characterized this effect as "trompe-l'oeil",[36][52] and Dinkeloo called it an example of "op architecture".[45]

The piers extend outward 45 degrees from the building line in a "V" shape, thereby creating a 90-degree angle at the tip of the "V".[26][44] Each of the CBS Building's corners consists of two "V"-shaped piers, which appear as a massive load-bearing chamfer,[53] though this effect was purely aesthetic.[46][54] The northwest-corner pier bore no load; a section of that pier was designed to be removable so large mechanical equipment could be lifted into and out of the building.[54] Unlike at other contemporary skyscrapers with load-bearing walls, where the walls on the lower stories are thicker than those on the upper stories, the piers in the CBS Building are a uniform width on all stories.[27][51][55] During the construction process, CBS executives and Saarinen's team considered using synthetic granite for the facade, but CBS president William S. Paley ultimately decided to use genuine granite, since it was more durable.[36][56]

The piers divide the west and east facades vertically into 12 bays, while the north and south facades are divided into 15 bays.[28][57][58] The glass panes contain bronze-finished aluminum frames that are about 18 feet (5.5 m) tall at the ground story and 9 feet (2.7 m) tall on upper stories.[58][59] The panes are separated vertically by 6-inch-tall (150 mm) windowsills between each story. The windows are recessed 2 inches (51 mm) from the piers on the exterior and 18 inches (460 mm) on the interior.[59] For insulation, 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of polyurethane foam was sprayed across the facade. According to the insulation contractor, the CBS Building was the first New York City high-rise to use polyurethane as insulation.[17]

The Sixth Avenue side was originally designed without entrances.

To make the building appear imposing, Saarinen did not include an entrance from Sixth Avenue in his design. Saarinen did not want to modify the piers on Sixth Avenue to create a main entrance there, and he also refused to use entasis (applying a convex curve for aesthetic purposes).[55] The main entrances were instead placed on the 52nd and 53rd Street sides, though small doors were later installed on Sixth Avenue.[13][53][2] On 52nd Street, the entrances are in the seven center bays and consist of single, double, and revolving doors; the easternmost set of doors leads to the ground-level restaurant. There are also seven entrances on 53rd Street, but the entrance to the restaurant on that side is separated from the other entrance doorways by a window. On the east facade are doorways that lead directly into the restaurant space.[53] On the second story, a mechanical floor,[32][59] there are metal grilles instead of glass panes.[58][59] Similar grates are placed at the top story, also a mechanical floor.[59]

Structural features

The CBS Building has a superstructure made of reinforced concrete;[28][44][60] it was the city's first skyscraper with a concrete superstructure to be built after World War II.[38] Paul Weidlinger of Saarinen's engineering team said: "Too many people were saying 'it cannot be done' and we were itching to show them."[40][44] Saarinen's team had considered making a superstructure of steel, as well as superstructure with a mixture of steel concrete, before deciding on an all-concrete structure after evaluating the cost of each option.[61] During the planning process, the price of steel had surpassed the price of concrete, influencing the team's decision.[39][40] The concrete used in the CBS Building's floor slabs was 25 percent lighter than that used in conventional concrete slabs.[28]

Because the exterior piers are spaced so closely together, they double as load-bearing walls.[6][27][32][33] This contrasted with other contemporary skyscrapers, where internal columns typically carried the structural loads.[33] Within each pier, insulation is placed between the granite cladding and the reinforced concrete, allowing the concrete piers to retain the same temperature as the building's mechanical core.[6] The piers contain electrical wiring and air-conditioning and heating ducts.[13][15][51][62] Only the intake pipes and ducts are within the piers; the return pipes and ducts are within the core.[59] In addition, each pier supports floor beams, which connect to a structural core at the center of the building. On the inner face of each pier is an "L"-shaped beam, which carries the floor plates.[15][28] To avoid the subway tunnel directly underneath the building, some of the piers are placed on large steel girders over the tunnel.[6][63] The steel girders above the subway are the only significant pieces of steel used in the building's construction.[64]

The CBS Building's a mechanical core includes the elevators and stairs[6][32] and measures 55 by 85 feet (17 by 26 m).[28][65] The core was designed to withstand most of the wind shear hitting the building.[6] The core carries most of the building's structural loads,[54] but some of the loads are transferred through the concrete floor slabs to the piers on the facade.[6] There are 17-inch-deep (430 mm) ribs on the central floor slabs, and the walls of the mechanical core are between 12 and 28 inches (300 and 710 mm) thick.[59] The office space on each story has a maximum depth of 35 feet (11 m) between the curtain wall and the core.[27][23] The offices do not contain columns; the core is the only obstruction to the floor plan.[15][39][66] By relocating all mechanical spaces, elevators, and stairs to the core, Saarinen wanted to maximize the efficiency of the floor layout.[34]

Interior

According to Architectural Record, the CBS Building has about 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) in gross floor area,[63] though according to the New York City Department of City Planning, it has 817,095 square feet (75,910.6 m2).[4] Sixteen elevators are placed within the mechanical core.[17][65] On each story, a passageway runs from north to south through the core, providing access to both the elevator lobbies and service rooms there.[62]

Ground floor

The CBS Building's ground-floor lobby is split into two sections, one each to the north and south of the elevator core.[67][68] The lobby was designed by Saarinen's office.[23][68] This was the only portion of the interior designed by the Saarinen firm,[23] which wanted the lobby's design to match the exterior appearance.[68] The architects installed vertical bronze batten walls on either side of each entrance, interspersed with the flat inner faces of the granite exterior piers.[67] The floor was generally made of granite, except around the elevators, where the floor and walls were made of travertine.[67][68]

The western part of the ground floor originally contained a banking space[68] used by the Bank of New York.[69][70] Haines, Lundberg Waehler were responsible for the design of the bank.[30] The space extended into the basement. Escalators, a private elevator, and a stairway connected the ground floor and basement.[70] According to Alan R. Griffith, later a president of the bank, the presence of the branch in the CBS Building gave the bank an advantage over its competitors in lending to communications companies.[71]

The eastern part of the ground floor originally had a restaurant called "The Ground Floor",[49][72] designed by Warren Platner.[49][23] The restaurant, originally operated by Jerry Brody of Restaurant Associates,[73] was designed to accommodate 220 guests for dinner.[74][69] The restaurant space had a grill room and an open kitchen at its center, though the food-preparation kitchen was in the basement.[69][75] There was also a bar facing 52nd Street and a principal dining room facing 53rd Street.[69] The main lighting system consisted of mahogany-and-glass fixtures with filamented bulbs.[69][75] Dorfman designed a 35-foot-wide (11 m) by 8.5-foot-tall (2.6 m) mural entitled Gastrotypographicalassemblage for the restaurant.[24][25][76] The work, removed circa 1995, used varied typefaces of hand-milled wood type to list all of the foods offered to patrons.[77] As of 2018, the space contains the Nusr-Et steakhouse, operated by Turkish chef Salt Bae.[78]

The 5-foot-wide bays of the facade influenced the CBS Building's interior arrangement since, at the time, office space could easily be arranged into modules measuring 5 by 5 feet.[36][44] The arrangement of the building allowed high flexibility in planning interior offices. As originally arranged, CBS's private offices measured at least 10 by 10 feet (3.0 by 3.0 m).[66][79] The spacing of the facade's piers necessarily meant that the smallest offices along the building's perimeter bordered an exterior wall.[79] There was a high amount of standardization within the executive stories. Presidents had offices measuring 20 by 20 ft (6.1 by 6.1 m), vice presidents 15 by 15 ft (4.6 by 4.6 m), directors 15 by 10 ft (4.6 by 3.0 m), and managers 10 by 10 ft (3.0 by 3.0 m).[59] Conference rooms could be placed around the mechanical core, as conference rooms did not require much natural light.[80] Even so, the lack of interior columns allowed the clerical offices and interior spaces to receive sufficient sunlight.[66] The ceilings contain recessed fluorescent lights along with air-conditioning ducts.[59]

At the building's opening, Architectural Forum wrote of the office designs: "Rich materials have been used throughout and no detail has been left unstudied."[81] Movable partitions could be set up on each story at intervals of as small as five feet. The partitions themselves had magnetic hangers because nails could not be driven into the partitions.[19] In designing the offices, the interior designers used varying color schemes to create what Architectural Forum characterized as a "bright and cheerful atmosphere".[82] Knoll's team designed the reception area on every story with different color schemes, furniture, and works of art.[24][82] CBS executives used large dining tables to hold small meetings and do paperwork, though they also had smaller units with items such as TVs, radios, and personal documents.[83] Furniture and decorations were made as inconspicuous as possible; CBS employees were not allowed to display personal decorations or even family photographs.[25][49]

Mechanical stories are placed directly above the lobby as well as at the top floor.[32][59] The second story controls the plumbing, heating, and ventilation systems, while the top story contains a cooling tower.[59] In typical New York City office buildings, some mechanical equipment is placed in the basement, but this was unfeasible for the CBS Building since vibrations from passing subway trains could affect the equipment.[17]

History

William S. Paley became chairman of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1928 and, after expanding the number of CBS's broadcasting affiliates, relocated the company's offices the following year to 485 Madison Avenue.[84][85] Architect William Lescaze designed a headquarters for CBS in 1935, which was not built.[10] By the late 1950s, CBS was again searching for a site for a new headquarters.[85] At the time, the company occupied several sites across Manhattan in addition to 485 Madison Avenue.[10][12] Paley said: "I think we were [...] determined that if we went ahead on our own building for CBS, it would have to be of the highest aesthetic quality obtainable."[85][86]

CBS initially considered sites on Fifth Avenue, the East River, and the New Jersey Meadowlands.[12][15] CBS also considered acquiring sites on Park Avenue, which would later become the Pan Am Building and 277 Park Avenue.[15][87] Paley dismissed the Park Avenue sites as having "too cold a feeling"; he also believed that Madison Avenue, a block west, was "too narrow to display good architecture".[85][86] By contrast, Sixth Avenue was being redeveloped in the mid-20th century with speculative office towers. Many of these new structures were designed as metal-and-glass slabs with public plazas.[2]

Planning
Corner with 6th Avenue and 53rd Street

In July 1960, CBS announced that it had acquired a 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) site on Sixth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets from William Zeckendorf's company Webb and Knapp.[12][88] Paley had believed Sixth Avenue to be "more stimulating" than Park Avenue, which was three blocks east.[85][87] The site cost $7 million, of which Zeckendorf received $5 million.[89] The building would not include broadcast studios,[89] which instead were to be consolidated at the CBS Broadcast Center, simultaneously being planned on 57th Street.[90][91] CBS acquired a site on 53 West 52nd Street in July 1961, bringing the assemblage to its final size of nearly 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2).[92] CBS president Stanton wanted to hire Eero Saarinen & Associates for the project, having been impressed with the firm's design for the General Motors Technical Center in Michigan. Paley was initially skeptical, as he was acquainted with modernist architects Wallace Harrison and Philip Johnson, but he relented.[22]

Ultimately, CBS hired Saarinen to design a new corporate headquarters for CBS on the plot.[11][12][88] The CBS corporate building was planned to be Saarinen's first skyscraper[89] and, as it turned out, the only skyscraper he would ever design.[14][93][94] Paley and Saarinen both wanted to erect a skyscraper that was distinct from International Style works such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's Lever House and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building.[38][95][96] Saarinen's biographer Jayne Merkel wrote that the architect particularly wanted to make "the best modern skyscraper anywhere", surpassing even the Seagram.[95] As Saarinen's wife Aline B. Saarinen said after his death, "After all, that's why they came to Eero and not to Skidmore."[96][97] The architect contemplated several alternatives, involving rectangular slabs, as well as more standard towers with setbacks that complied with the 1916 Zoning Resolution.[98] Saarinen's firm created five sets of blueprints, four of which had a square plan.[27][34]

At the time of the CBS Building's development, city officials were planning the 1961 Zoning Resolution, a zoning ordinance that allowed New York City developers to increase their edifices' maximum floor areas in exchange for adding open space in front of their buildings. Saarinen, who worked with city planning commissioner James Felt to resolve the project's zoning issues, wanted to add a sunken plaza with trees outside the CBS Building.[99] The land lot had a floor area ratio of 15, meaning that the building's gross floor area was restricted to 15 times the area of the site. Saarinen developed several alternatives, including a 15-story building filing the site, but he ultimately decided on a 38-story building occupying a portion of the site.[34] In March 1961, Saarinen wrote to Paley that he had developed a solution: a freestanding slab bereft of setbacks, with a facade composed of triangular piers interspersed with windows.[38][100] The slab would have been either 424 or 491 feet (129 or 150 m) tall.[41][lower-alpha 3] Saarinen wrote of the design: "It will be the simplest skyscraper statement in New York."[2][98][101][18]

Paley twice visited Saarinen's offices in Detroit to see a model of the building. On his first visit Paley was unimpressed but, after his second visit in July 1961, Paley decided to commit to Saarinen's proposal.[38][100] Following Saarinen's sudden death on September 1, 1961,[102] his associates, including Kevin Roche, Joseph N. Lacy, and John Dinkeloo, took over the CBS Building's design.[98][103] Dinkeloo said the CBS headquarters had "especially excited" Saarinen.[35][98] As Saarinen had said: "I think Louis Sullivan was right to want the skyscraper to be a soaring thing."[33][98][104] In the firm's office at New Rochelle, New York, Roche and his associates created several mockups of the building. Paley recalled that he visited the Roche-Dinkeloo offices at least thirty times to observe five or six mockups.[36][56]

Construction

In February 1962, CBS announced that it would move forward with its 38-story building after Saarinen's death.[8][105] The George A. Fuller Company was selected as the general contractor at this time. The headquarters was to house CBS's International, News, Radio, Television Network, Television Stations, and Columbia Records divisions.[106] The contractors chose to decorate the building with granite from Alma, Quebec, after examining samples of granite from numerous countries around the world.[36][49] A construction fence was erected around the work site in July 1962. The fence along Sixth Avenue was made of plexiglass, allowing passersby to observe the construction; a CBS spokesperson likened it to 980 "portholes" in a standard plywood fence.[107] The building's first tenant, a branch of the Bank of New York, signed a 21-year lease that August for a portion of the lobby and basement along Sixth Avenue.[70]

By early 1964, the superstructure was halfway complete. The concrete piers were poured around steel molds measuring one story high. After the concrete for the first story had hardened, the mold was moved to the second story, where the process was repeated until construction reached the roof. Two cranes were also installed to lift equipment into place. A section of one pier on the second floor remained wide-open during construction so materials could be lifted into the building.[17] To give the facade piers a rough surface, the top layer of granite cladding was burned at 5,000 °F (2,760 °C) using a process called thermal stippling. The stippling process turned the black granite into a grayish hue; to restore the black color, an abrasive was applied to the granite under extremely high water pressure, a process called liquid honing.[49][59][108][109]

20th century
Recessed plaza surrounding the building

The first CBS employees relocated into the building from the old Madison Avenue headquarters in late 1964.[19][110] At the time, much of the interior was still being completed. By September 1965, most of the CBS Building's initial 2,500 employees had moved into the building. The interior work was mostly complete except for the offices of Paley and Stanton, who had decided that their offices be decorated last.[19] Upon its completion, the CBS headquarters was nicknamed CBS/51W52.[57][111] The final cost was not revealed at the time, but it was estimated at $40 million.[69] The Ground Floor restaurant opened in November 1965.[112] For the first quarter-century of the CBS Building's existence, all of the office space was occupied by CBS.[113]

The Ground Floor restaurant was overhauled in 1980, becoming the American Charcuterie.[114][115] Judith Stockman oversaw the renovation, which largely retained the original layout of The Ground Floor.[114] By 1981, CBS had 9,900 employees in New York, many of whom worked at the CBS Building.[113] The restaurant space became the Rose Restaurant in 1983 after Paley asked the restaurant's operators to come to the CBS Building.[113] The restaurant was renovated again in 1987 and the space became the China Grill.[116][117] Throughout the 1980s, CBS downsized its presence at the building.[113] Sony Corporation of America acquired CBS Records International in 1998 and the CBS Records company became known as Sony Music Entertainment two years later.[118][119] Sony Music Entertainment briefly continued to lease the space from CBS,[120] but Sony Music's employees moved to 550 Madison Avenue in 1991 after Sony leased that building.[113][121]

By the early 1990s, CBS had downsized to about 4,700 employees and no longer required the entire building for its use. The law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz signed a lease for floors 27 to 33, and brokerage firm Edward S. Gordon advertised floors 4 to 14 for outside tenants.[113] Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield had taken another six stories by 1993.[122] To accommodate the new lessees, CBS renovated the building's lobby and mechanical systems for $20 million.[113] Paul Goldberger wrote that the work "represents nothing less than an attempt to convert one of the great modern buildings in New York into an ordinary speculative office tower".[123] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the CBS Building as a city landmark on October 21, 1997.[1][124] CBS placed Black Rock for sale a little more than a year later.[125][126] Several investors expressed interest in buying Black Rock, but CBS canceled its plans to sell the building in mid-1999, as none of the potential buyers had offered at least $350 million.[127]

21st century

After Viacom acquired CBS in 2000, and in the wake of an improving real-estate market, Viacom planned to sell the building for up to $370 million. Viacom planned to allow CBS's existing employees in the building to remain.[128][129] Radio stations WCBS (AM) and WCBS-FM moved from Black Rock to the Broadcast Center in October 2000, as Black Rock could not accommodate the modern broadcasting technology that these stations required.[130] By early 2001, Viacom had planned to buy 1515 Broadway (also One Astor Plaza), its own headquarters, in conjunction with its sale of the CBS Building.[131] Two firms had expressed interest in purchasing the building by August, but one of them withdrew after the September 11 attacks shortly afterward.[132] The sale was ultimately canceled in November 2001. This was attributed in part to Viacom's demand that any buyer first acquire 1515 Broadway and then swap that for the CBS Building and cash; such a transaction would enable Viacom to avoid paying estate transfer taxes on the transaction.[133] CBS and Viacom ultimately split in 2006.[134]

Charles Schwab sign on the Sixth Avenue side

The law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe leased 220,000 square feet (20,000 m2) in the building in 2009, taking up some space that had been leased to Swiss bank UBS.[135][136] The following year, investment company Charles Schwab leased 8,000 square feet (740 m2) in the building.[137] Charles Schwab proposed installing planters in front of the building, though the local Manhattan Community Board 5 initially refused to approve the plans.[138] The China Grill restaurant closed in February 2017.[139][140] It was replaced the following January by the Nusr-Et steakhouse.[78][141] Also in 2018, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz renewed its lease in the building. Charles Schwab, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and law firm Dorsey & Whitney retained space at the CBS Building during this time.[142][143]

Shortly after Viacom and CBS merged again into ViacomCBS in December 2019, the newly combined company's CEO Bob Bakish said the company was looking to sell the building.[144][145] The company sought more than $1 billion for the CBS Building,[146] but the sale was withdrawn in March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[147][148] In August 2021, ViacomCBS announced that they had agreed to sell the building to the real estate investment and management firm Harbor Group International for $760 million, the first sale of the building since it opened. ViacomCBS planned to occupy some space under a short-term lease.[149][150][151] Harbor Group intended to upgrade the building's lobby, as well as tenant facilities such as the cafeteria.[152] The same October, HGI received $558 million of commercial mortgage-backed security financing to help fund its purchase.[153][154]

Critical reception

The CBS Building received a large amount of praise upon completion, though much of it came with qualifications.[5] Huxtable called the CBS headquarters "a building, in the true, classic sense".[9][42] Bethami Probst wrote in Progressive Architecture magazine that the CBS Building was a "dignified, pertinent rebuke to its more strident high-rise neighbors", though she did not consider it as good as the Seagram Building.[69][155] A writer for Architectural Forum summarized the CBS Building thus: "It has enormous unity; it has strength; the proportions of its windows are elegant; it has great dignity; and it even has color."[156] Peter Blake, writing for the same magazine, said the CBS Building "stands aloof, alone, serene", but this was a positive trait compared to the other structures being built on the avenue at the same time, which he summarized as the "slaughter on Sixth Avenue".[5][157] David Jacobs regarded the building as "a marvelous contribution" to New York City despite its "impersonal and forbidding" profile.[9][158]

The design deviated from architectural norms of the time, leading to some criticism.[18][155][159] One common objection was that the consistent width of the facade's piers did not accurately express their function, since the piers carry reduced loads at upper stories and thus should be smaller.[18][155] For a similar reason, several critics disapproved of the piers at each corner.[18] Conversely, a 1965 Architectural Forum article had praised this same quality, describing the piers as being "directly expressed from plaza to sky" instead of being recessed behind curtain walls.[9][44] Harper's Magazine, likewise, commended "the honesty with which it occupies its context".[54] Huxtable also observed that the public had a much different perception of the building than architectural critics, saying: "The dark dignity that appeals to architectural sophisticates puts off the public, which tends to reject it as funereal".[27][42][155] She wrote in 1984 that the CBS Building's design "created deliberate, dark ambiguities at a time when architecture was supposed to be rational and open".[159] The author Antonio Román stated that the building's "internal and external consistency perfectly conveyed Saarinen's vision for the tower".[18]

The interiors were more broadly criticized. Huxtable described the offices as having a "curious deadness" because the style of the exterior was not extended into the interior spaces.[42][49][74] Patricia Conway of Industrial Design magazine saw the tightly regulated decorative scheme as contrived, saying: "A few pieces [of decoration] have charm but, for the most part, there is a preponderance of hard-edge, straight-line compositions".[25][160] Conversely, other publications praised the interior decorative scheme, to the point that The New Yorker profiled Stanton's desk.[49] As for the lobby, which did have the same style as the exterior, Stern characterized it as "austere to the point of lugubriousness".[74] Likewise, Probst wrote that the thick facade piers overshadowed the lobby.[67] The Ground Floor restaurant was also perceived as a gloomy environment, especially at night.[74] A writer for Progressive Architecture doubted whether the CBS Building's ground story "can ever be a suitable, psychologically acceptable atmosphere for pleasant dining".[74][161]

The CBS Building has also won architectural awards. The Architectural League of New York cited the CBS Building in 1964 as one of eight CBS facilities being built nationwide to "very high standards".[162] The Municipal Art Society recognized the building with a bronze plaque for "outstanding architecture" the next year.[163] Also in 1965, the New York Board of Trade gave its first-ever architectural achievement award to the CBS Building.[164]

See also
  • List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
  • List of works by Eero Saarinen

References

Notes
  1. Pelkonen & Albrecht 2006, p. 219, cites the building as having a land lot of 47,696 square feet (4,431.1 m2).
  2. This tunnel is used by the M train. It curves between 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center, to the south, and Fifth Avenue/53rd Street, to the east.[7]
  3. Paley 1979, p. 343 gave a height of 424 feet, while a 1962 book of Saarinen's work gave a height of 491 feet.[41]

Citations
  1. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 1.
  2. Merkel 2005, p. 184.
  3. Bowen, Croswell (April 1, 1970). "Topics: In Search of Sixth Avenue". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. "51 West 52 Street, 10019". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 408.
  6. Architectural Record 1965, p. 118.
  7. "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  8. "CBS to Construct 38-Story Building In Mid-Manhattan". Wall Street Journal. February 19, 1962. p. 9. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 132815340.
  9. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 6.
  10. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 2; Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 406.
  11. Román 2003, p. 173.
  12. Fowler, Glenn (July 26, 1960). "C.B.S. Skyscraper Planned on 6th Ave.; C.B.S. to Construct Skyscraper Near R.C.A. Building on 6th Ave". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  13. Progressive Architecture 1961, p. 54.
  14. "Granite Tower Designed by Saarinen". The Christian Science Monitor. March 30, 1962. p. 8. ProQuest 510308787.
  15. Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 406.
  16. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 331. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  17. Franklin, Peter (March 15, 1964). "Reinforced Concrete Building For C.B.S. Gets Rave Reviews". The New York Times. p. R1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 115712355.
  18. Román 2003, p. 180.
  19. "C.B.S. 'Eye' Zooms In on New Home". The New York Times. September 12, 1965. p. R1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 116975853.
  20. Architectural Record 1965, p. 117.
  21. "Woman Who Led an Office Revolution Rules an Empire of Modern Design; Florence Knoll Gave Business 'Living' a New Look". The New York Times. September 1, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  22. Merkel 2005, p. 182.
  23. Pelkonen & Albrecht 2006, p. 220.
  24. Schmertz, Mildred (June 1966). "Distinguished Interior Architecture for CBS" (PDF). Architectural Record. Vol. 139, no. 7. pp. 129–134. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  25. Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 409.
  26. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 6; Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 406.
  27. Merkel 2005, p. 185.
  28. Pelkonen & Albrecht 2006, p. 219.
  29. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 28.
  30. Probst 1965, p. 190.
  31. "CBS Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  32. Architectural Forum 1962a, p. 114.
  33. Román 2003, p. 177.
  34. Román 2003, p. 176.
  35. Progressive Architecture 1961, p. 53.
  36. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 5.
  37. Saarinen, Aline B (1968). Eero Saarinen on His Work. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2. ed. p. 16. OCLC 473671874. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  38. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 4.
  39. Architectural Forum 1962a, p. 113.
  40. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 9.
  41. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 8.
  42. Huxtable, Ada Louise (March 13, 1966). "Eero Saarinen's Somber Skyscraper; Saarinen Skyscraper". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  43. Goldberger, Paul (April 23, 1986). "Wild and Low or Staid and Tall, 52d St. Still Sets Midtown Tone; a Darkened Canyon of Towering Offices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  44. Architectural Record 1965, p. 113.
  45. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 5; Probst 1965, p. 190.
  46. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 36.
  47. Román 2003, pp. 177, 180.
  48. "Passage: Black Rock". CBS News. March 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  49. Merkel 2005, p. 186.
  50. Merkel 2005, pp. 181–182.
  51. Architectural Record 1965, p. 114.
  52. Huxtable, Ada (1992). The Tall Building Artistically Reconsidered: the Search for a Skyscraper Style. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-520-08028-7. OCLC 25552374.
  53. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 7.
  54. Larrabee 1964, p. 60.
  55. Pelkonen & Albrecht 2006, pp. 219–220.
  56. Paley 1979, p. 344.
  57. Larrabee 1964, p. 55.
  58. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, pp. 6–7.
  59. Probst 1965, p. 192.
  60. Merkel 2005, pp. 184–185.
  61. Zukowsky, Jerome (July 22, 1962). "New Towers: Is It 'Curtains' for the Curtain Wall?". New York Herald Tribune. p. D9. ProQuest 1325952650.
  62. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 31.
  63. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 29.
  64. Ennis, Thomas W. (October 6, 1963). "14 Major Postwar Buildings Rise From 46th to 57th Street". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  65. Román 2003, pp. 176–177.
  66. Architectural Record 1965, p. 116.
  67. Probst 1965, pp. 189–190.
  68. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 30.
  69. Probst 1965, p. 189.
  70. "New C.B.S. Building Signs First Tenant". The New York Times. August 1, 1962. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  71. Quint, Michael (June 13, 1990). "Business People; New President Named At Bank of New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  72. "The Midtown Book". The City Review. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  73. "Manhattan's Highest Paid Headwaiter" (PDF). Architectural Forum. Vol. 123. September 1965. p. 76. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  74. Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 410.
  75. Progressive Architecture 1966, p. 180.
  76. Heller, Steven (October 26, 2008). "Lou Dorfsman, Design Chief at CBS, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  77. Anwyl, Richard (March 5, 2018). "Rebuilding a Legacy: The Gastrotypographicalassemblage". AIGA - the professional association for design. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  78. Fabricant, Florence (January 12, 2018). "Turkish Chef Known as Salt Bae Opens Midtown Restaurant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  79. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 32.
  80. Architectural Forum 1966, pp. 31–32.
  81. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 33.
  82. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 34.
  83. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 35.
  84. Bergreen, Laurence (1980). Look Now, Pay Later: The Rise of Network Broadcasting. New York City: Doubleday and Co. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-451-61966-2.
  85. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 2.
  86. Paley 1979, p. 342.
  87. Larrabee 1964, p. 56.
  88. Duggan, Dennis (July 26, 1960). "CBS Plans A Building On 6th Ave.: Joins 4 Others In Lower 50s". New York Herald Tribune. p. 28. ProQuest 1327219416.
  89. "CBS Plans Skyscraper In Midtown New York As New Headquarters: Architect Eero Saarinen Chosen To Design Building; Cost of Tract Put at $7 Million". Wall Street Journal. July 26, 1960. p. 28. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 132582140.
  90. Shepard, Richard F. (November 8, 1961). "C.B.S. Here Plans to Consolidate; $14,500,000 Will Be Spent on Production Facilities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  91. Doan, Richard K. (November 8, 1961). "Biggest TV-Radio Center for N.Y.: $14.5 Million CBS Project On W. 57th St". New York Herald Tribune. p. 27. ProQuest 1326916837.
  92. "C.B.S. Site Assembled; Last Parcel Acquired for New Quarters on 6th Ave". The New York Times. July 18, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  93. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 3.
  94. Progressive Architecture 1961, p. 51.
  95. Merkel 2005, p. 181.
  96. Larrabee 1964, p. 58.
  97. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 4; Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 408.
  98. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 4; Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 406.
  99. Román 2003, pp. 173, 176.
  100. Paley 1979, p. 343.
  101. "Saarinen's CBS Skyscraper" (PDF). Architectural Forum. March 1962. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  102. "Eero Saarinen, 51, Architect, Is Dead; Versatile Designer Created Terminal for T.W.A. Here and Embassies for U.S." The New York Times. September 2, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  103. "Saarinen's Office to Be Moved Soon; The plans of Eero Saarinen, the noted architect, who died Sept. 1, to move his architectural office to Hamden, Conn., will be carried out on schedule, according to his partners, Joseph N. Lacy and John G. Dinkeloo". The New York Times. September 12, 1961. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  104. Larrabee 1964, p. 57.
  105. Stoller, Ezra (February 18, 1962). "New C.B.S. Tower to Include Plaza; Saarinen Drew Plans for 6th Ave. Headquarters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  106. Lyman, Richard B. (February 18, 1962). "Saarinen Design For CBS Tower". New York Herald Tribune. p. D11. ProQuest 1326004372.
  107. "Transparent Fence Is Up At 6th Ave. C.B.S. Building". The New York Times. July 27, 1962. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  108. "A Black Facade Planned by C.B.S.; Rough-Surfaced Granite to Be Used on Skyscraper". The New York Times. September 1, 1963. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  109. Larrabee 1964, pp. 59–60.
  110. Paley 1979, p. 345.
  111. Architectural Record 1965, p. 111.
  112. Ferretti, Fred (October 26, 1983). "Restaurant Finds Its 6th Midtown Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  113. Deutsch, Claudia H. (October 8, 1992). "A Shrinking CBS Begins To Rent a Piece of the Rock". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  114. Goldberger, Paul (January 17, 1980). "Design Notebook; In two restaurants, excellent design did what once seemed to be impossible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  115. Beard, James A. (February 28, 1980). "Former Ground Floor uplifted by CBS mogul". The Sun. p. B9. ProQuest 538213932.
  116. Miller, Bryan (October 23, 1987). "Diner's Journal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  117. O'Neill, Molly (November 27, 1987). "Dining Out". Newsday. p. 233. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  118. Horn, David; Laing, Dave; Oliver, Paul; Wicke, Peter (January 30, 2003). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Part 1 Media, Industry, Society. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 704. ISBN 978-0-8264-6321-0. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  119. "CBS Records Changes Name". The New York Times. October 16, 1990. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Reuters.
  120. Lippman, John; Shiver, Jube Jr. (September 13, 1990). "CBS Records' Ex-Chief Barred at Headquarters". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. ProQuest 281153114.
  121. "AT&T confirms lease of building to Sony". The Hartford Courant. July 9, 1991. p. C1B. ProQuest 1853045863.
  122. Deutsch, Claudia H. (October 24, 1993). "Commercial Property: Leasing Where the Landlord Is; More Space Opens Up in Sites Occupied by Owners". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  123. Goldberger, Paul (November 15, 1992). "Architecture View; Keeping the Moat, but Putting Out the Welcome Mat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  124. Barron, James (October 22, 1997). "3 Buildings Are Declared Landmarks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  125. Tharp, Paul (November 17, 1998). "CBS Thinking About Leaving Black Rock". New York Post. ProQuest 333791348.
  126. "CBS Is Weighing Sale Of New York Building It Calls Headquarters". Wall Street Journal. February 20, 1999. p. B18. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 398666758.
  127. Grant, Peter (August 19, 1999). "CBS Takes Black Rock Off Cooling Market". New York Daily News. p. 708. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  128. Blair, Jayson (August 30, 2000). "CBS's 'Black Rock' Building Is Said to Be for Sale". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  129. "Viacom Considers Selling CBS Building As Office Prices Soar". Wall Street Journal. August 30, 2000. p. A.12. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 398713662.
  130. Saulny, Susan (October 21, 2000). "Newscasters Leave Black Rock, the House Edward R. Murrow Built". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  131. Croghan, Lore (March 12, 2001). "A plant to swap Black Rock for the Great White Way". Crain's New York. Vol. 17, no. 11. p. 12. ProQuest 219156985.
  132. Grant, Peter (October 17, 2001). "Plots & Ploys: Back at Black Rock". Wall Street Journal. p. B8. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 2074366559.
  133. "Viacom Decides Not To Sell 'Black Rock'". Newsday. November 8, 2001. p. 69. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  134. Bloomberg News (January 2, 2006). "Viacom Completes Split Into 2 Companies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  135. Graham, David A. (July 30, 2009). "Reduction in Rent for Law Firm Proves Patience Is a Virtue". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  136. "Orrick Expected To Sign Huge Lease at CBS Building". NBC New York. July 24, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  137. "Charles Schwab Leases 8,000 SF from CBS". GlobeSt. December 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  138. "51 West 52nd Street, CBS Building, application for the installation of a free-standing planter and signage elements in the 6th Avenue Plaza". Manhattan Community Board 5. May 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  139. McCart, Melissa (February 27, 2017). "Salt Bae Sprinkles His Way Into the China Grill Location". Eater NY. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  140. Levy, Nicole (February 28, 2017). "'Salt Bae' to Open His First NYC Restaurant in Midtown, Reports Say". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  141. Crowley, Chris (January 16, 2018). "Salt Bae's New York Restaurant Will Finally Open This Week". Grub Street. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  142. "Law Firm Wachtell Lipton Renews 250K SF at CBS Building in Midtown". Commercial Observer. January 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  143. Bockmann, Rich (January 2, 2018). "Wachtell Lipton renews 250K sf digs at the CBS Building". The Real Deal New York. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  144. Mullin, Benjamin (December 9, 2019). "ViacomCBS Puts CBS Headquarters in New York on the Block". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  145. Lee, Edmund (December 9, 2019). "ViacomCBS Weighs Putting Black Rock Skyscraper Up for Sale". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  146. Bockmann, Rich (February 24, 2020). "CBS Asking More Than $1 billion for Black Rock Building". The Real Deal New York. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  147. Weprin, Alex (March 18, 2020). "ViacomCBS Suspends Sale of Black Rock Headquarters". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  148. "Is billion-dollar Black Rock sale a one-off or part of a trend?". Crain's New York Business. March 17, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  149. Goldsmith, Jill (August 16, 2021). "ViacomCBS Sells Black Rock Building In Midtown Manhattan To Harbor Group For $760 Million". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  150. Geier, Thom (August 16, 2021). "CBS Sells Black Rock Headquarters Building in NYC for $760 Million". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  151. "ViacomCBS sells CBS' iconic New York skyscraper, Black Rock". Los Angeles Times. August 17, 2021. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  152. Acitelli, Tom (August 17, 2021). "CBS' Newly Acquired Black Rock Tower to Get 'Significant Upgrades'". Commercial Observer. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  153. Cunningham, Cathy (October 14, 2021). "Harbor Group Seals CBS Building Buy With $558M CMBS Financing". Commercial Observer. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  154. Walter-Warner, Holden (October 14, 2021). "Harbor Group Grabs $558M in Financing for Black Rock Purchase". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  155. Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 6; Stern, Mellins & Fishman 1995, p. 408.
  156. Architectural Forum 1966, p. 37.
  157. Blake, Peter (September 1965). "Slaughter on 6th Avenue" (PDF). Architectural Forum. Vol. 123. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  158. Jacobs, David (June 1966). "Saarinen's CBS Skyscraper". Holiday. Vol. 39. p. 122.
  159. Huxtable, Ada Louise (1984). The Tall Building Artistically Reconsidered: The Search for a Skyscraper Style. Pantheon Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-394-53773-3.
  160. Conway, Patricia L. (February 1966). "Design at CBS". Industrial Design. Vol. 13. pp. 48–57.
  161. Progressive Architecture 1966, p. 183.
  162. "C.B.S. Undertakes 8 Building Projects". The New York Times. June 7, 1964. p. R1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 115827357.
  163. "Quotes / Corporate Medicis" (PDF). Journal of the American Institute of Architects. Vol. 44. August 1965. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  164. "CBS Building Honored by N.Y. Trade Board". The Hartford Courant. June 13, 1965. p. 5G. ProQuest 548836677.

Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to CBS Building.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.