Helmsley Building
Encyclopedia
The Helmsley Building is a 35-story located at 230 Park Avenue
in New York City
. Before the erection of the Pan Am Building, now the MetLife Building
, this building stood out over the city's second most prestigious avenue as it was the tallest structure in the great "Terminal City" complex around Grand Central Terminal
designed by Warren & Wetmore. The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1987.
in 1912-1913, the neighborhood north of Grand Central Terminal was one of open-air railway yards and tracks used by steam locomotives. The electrification and subsequent covering of the yards enabled the continuation of Park Avenue to the north and the construction of new buildings (with curious foundations). Among them was the New York Central Building.
In 1929, the New York Central Railroad Company built their 34-story headquarters at 230 Park Ave.
, New York City
, New York
. In 1913, New York Central bore a concept for a visual termination point in the city. Although the original plan was to have this termination point be over New York Central's Grand Central Terminal
, the concept was instead realized in the form of The New York Central Building just across the street to the north.
On September 10, 1931, capo di tutti capi
Salvatore Maranzano
was murdered in his Ninth-floor office here by hitmen sent by Lucky Luciano
and Vito Genovese
, ambitious underlings whom Maranzano had hired Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll to kill.
.
".
renamed the building the New York General Building. The building was easily renamed as the "C" and "T" in Central were masterfully chiseled into "G" and "E" respectively.
once again renamed the building The Helmsley Building, which is its current name. The deal in which the ownership of this 2300000 sq ft (213,677 m²) building, which was owned by the Helmsley-Spear Management until August 1998, changed hands stipulated that the building would only be sold under the condition that the building would officially remain as a Helmsley namesake. The building was purchased by Max Capital for $253 million, but in 2006 was sold again to Istithmar, an investment firm owned by the royal family of Dubai, for $705 million. It was later sold to Goldman Sachs in 2007 for over $1 billion.
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Before the erection of the Pan Am Building, now the MetLife Building
MetLife Building
The MetLife Building, originally called the Pan Am Building, is a skyscraper located at 200 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-History:...
, this building stood out over the city's second most prestigious avenue as it was the tallest structure in the great "Terminal City" complex around Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
designed by Warren & Wetmore. The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1987.
New York Central Building
Before the electrification of the New York Central RailroadNew York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
in 1912-1913, the neighborhood north of Grand Central Terminal was one of open-air railway yards and tracks used by steam locomotives. The electrification and subsequent covering of the yards enabled the continuation of Park Avenue to the north and the construction of new buildings (with curious foundations). Among them was the New York Central Building.
In 1929, the New York Central Railroad Company built their 34-story headquarters at 230 Park Ave.
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1913, New York Central bore a concept for a visual termination point in the city. Although the original plan was to have this termination point be over New York Central's Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, the concept was instead realized in the form of The New York Central Building just across the street to the north.
On September 10, 1931, capo di tutti capi
Capo di tutti capi
Capo di tutti capi or capo dei capi is Italian for "boss of all bosses" or "boss of bosses". It is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful crime boss in the Sicilian or American Mafia who holds great influence over the whole...
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
was murdered in his Ninth-floor office here by hitmen sent by Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
and Vito Genovese
Vito Genovese
Vito "Don Vito" Genovese was an Italian mafioso who rose to power in America during the Castellammarese War to later become leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to future mob boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante...
, ambitious underlings whom Maranzano had hired Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll to kill.
Exterior
The building is a slab-sided skyscraper between East 45th and East 46th Street, with a distinctive design that includes a means of transporting Park Avenue from street level to the divided aerial highway that passes through the building, and then around Grand Central Terminal to 42nd Street, and then back to street level. The top of the building is pyramidal, and capped by an ornate cupolaCupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
.
Interior
“The impressive lobby, planned as a corridor connecting 45th and 46th Streets, echoes the magnificence of the exterior. The design and ornamentation celebrate the prowess of the New York Central Railroad, which had its headquarters on the premises. A sense of imperial grandeur is created by marble walls and bronze detail, which includes extensive use of the railroad’s initials. The Chinese Red elevator doors open into cabs with red walls, wood moldings, gift domes, and painted cloudscapesCloudscape (art)
In art, a cloudscape is the depiction of a view of clouds or the sky. Usually, as in the examples seen here, the clouds are depicted as viewed from the earth, often including just enough of a landscape to suggest scale, orientation, weather conditions, and distance...
".
New York General Building
When New York Central sold the building, General Tire & Rubber CompanyGeneral Tire
The General Tire and Rubber Company is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles.General Tire was founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio by William F. O'Neil. Products included the low-pressure "General Balloon Jumbo" and the "Dual 90" tire...
renamed the building the New York General Building. The building was easily renamed as the "C" and "T" in Central were masterfully chiseled into "G" and "E" respectively.
The Helmsley Building
Later, when General Tire & Rubber Company sold the building to Helmsley-Spear, Leona HelmsleyLeona Helmsley
Leona Mindy Roberts Helmsley was an American businesswoman and real estate entrepreneur. She was a flamboyant personality and had a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the nickname Queen of Mean...
once again renamed the building The Helmsley Building, which is its current name. The deal in which the ownership of this 2300000 sq ft (213,677 m²) building, which was owned by the Helmsley-Spear Management until August 1998, changed hands stipulated that the building would only be sold under the condition that the building would officially remain as a Helmsley namesake. The building was purchased by Max Capital for $253 million, but in 2006 was sold again to Istithmar, an investment firm owned by the royal family of Dubai, for $705 million. It was later sold to Goldman Sachs in 2007 for over $1 billion.
In popular culture
- One of the promotional posters for the 2008 film The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight (film)The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
shows the building with an explosion the shape of the Batman emblem on its upper floors. - The building is shown as one of the skyscrapers still standing in the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- It was also used as one of the New York City filming locations for the non-narrative film BarakaBaraka (film)Baraka is a 1992 non-narrative film directed by Ron Fricke. The title Baraka is a word that means blessing in a multitude of languages....
. - An interior boardroom was used in The GodfatherThe GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, as the location of an important meeting between New York's Five FamiliesFive FamiliesThe Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...
, to show their influence in society. Railroad murals can be seen behind the actors. However, the exterior used for the shot was the Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkFederal Reserve Bank of New YorkThe Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is located at 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey,...
building at 33 Liberty Street33 Liberty Street33 Liberty Street is the current home of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It is located in downtown Manhattan in New York City, New York State, USA. Built in 1924, it is where the monetary policy of the United States is executed by trading dollars and United States Treasuries...
. - In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, the Helmsley Building is described as the Taggart Transcontinental Railroad Building, office of the protagonist of the novel, Dagny Taggart.