1221 Avenue of the Americas
Encyclopedia
1221 Avenue of the Americas, also known as the McGraw-Hill Building is a skyscraper built in 1969, located at 1221 Sixth Avenue
, Midtown Manhattan
, New York City, United States, between Sixth Avenue
and Seventh Avenue
. It is the third building in Manhattan to have the McGraw-Hill
name, and is one of several buildings which are part of the Rockefeller Center
complex expansion in the 1960s. It is 674 feet (205.4 m) high and 51 stories. The building is the home of the headquarters of McGraw-Hill. Other tenants include Sirius XM Radio whose headquarters and broadcast facility are in the building.
The expansion consisted of the three buildings collectively known as the "XYZ Buildings" (this is the Y building), each with similar slab-like massing, of different heights and designed by Wallace Harrison
's firm.
The sunken courtyard of this building contains a large metal triangle designed by Athelstan Spilhaus
and fabricated by Tyler Elevator Products, arranged so the Sun aligns with its sides at solstice
s and equinox
es. When built, the south-western corner held a display of scale models of planets in the Solar System. A mosaic map of the Earth survives in the north-western corner.
, seen from below looking up in the street from a car. It was used for the exteriors and lobby of Elias-Clarke's headquarters in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada
. It is also home of several Sirius XM Radio shows, including The Howard Stern Show.
caused the elevator to stop. White was trapped alone and was not found despite signaling an alarm and surveillance video inside the elevator cab. After 41 hours he could finally leave the elevator. It wasn't until April 2008 when footage of the man's ordeal was finally revealed to the public.
Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)
Sixth Avenue – officially Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown"...
, Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, New York City, United States, between Sixth Avenue
Sixth Avenue (Manhattan)
Sixth Avenue – officially Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown"...
and Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
. It is the third building in Manhattan to have the McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
name, and is one of several buildings which are part of the Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
complex expansion in the 1960s. It is 674 feet (205.4 m) high and 51 stories. The building is the home of the headquarters of McGraw-Hill. Other tenants include Sirius XM Radio whose headquarters and broadcast facility are in the building.
The expansion consisted of the three buildings collectively known as the "XYZ Buildings" (this is the Y building), each with similar slab-like massing, of different heights and designed by Wallace Harrison
Wallace Harrison
Wallace Kirkman Harrison , was an American architect.-Career:Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray, participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center...
's firm.
The sunken courtyard of this building contains a large metal triangle designed by Athelstan Spilhaus
Athelstan Spilhaus
Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus was a South African-American geophysicist and oceanographer. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He became a US citizen in 1946...
and fabricated by Tyler Elevator Products, arranged so the Sun aligns with its sides at solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
s and equinox
Equinox
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator...
es. When built, the south-western corner held a display of scale models of planets in the Solar System. A mosaic map of the Earth survives in the north-western corner.
In popular culture
The buildings are featured in the opening credits of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, seen from below looking up in the street from a car. It was used for the exteriors and lobby of Elias-Clarke's headquarters in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
. It is also home of several Sirius XM Radio shows, including The Howard Stern Show.
Elevator incident
Nicholas White, an employee of the building, was trapped in an elevator for 41 hours on October 15, 1999. After entering an express elevator on a Friday night, a brief power dipPower dips
A power dip is a very short drop in voltage in a system . It is most commonly observed when a high-current device is switched on and lights in the same system will dim momentarily...
caused the elevator to stop. White was trapped alone and was not found despite signaling an alarm and surveillance video inside the elevator cab. After 41 hours he could finally leave the elevator. It wasn't until April 2008 when footage of the man's ordeal was finally revealed to the public.