1221 Avenue of the Americas

Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York September 2025 October 2024 1221 Avenue of the Americas McGraw-Hill Building File:1221 Avenue of the Americas 2016.jpg 1221 Avenue of the Americas with 1251 Avenue of the Americas visible to its left 1221 Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10020U.S. yes 40 45 34 N 73 58 56 W region:US-NY inline,title Complete 1966 1969 1972 Office 674 ft m 640 ft m 51 36 International style 2,199,982 sqft m2 0 on Wallace Harrison Rockefeller Group (Mitsubishi Estate) https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114548 https://web.archive.org/web/20200818083250/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114548 usurped August 18, 2020 Emporis building ID 114548 Emporis 1221 Avenue of the Americas (formerly also known as the McGraw-Hill Building) is an international-style skyscraper at 1221 Sixth Avenue (also known as the Avenue of the Americas) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 51-floor structure has a seven-story base and a simple, cuboid massing. The facade has no decoration and consists of red granite piers alternating with glass stripes to underline the tower's verticality. It served as the headquarters of McGraw Hill Financial from 1972 to 2015.McGraw Hill Moves Downtown, Says Goodbye to Namesake Building Timothy W. Martin July 8, 2015 https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-MBB-38950 October 7, 2024 The Wall Street Journal 0099-9660 The building is set back 115 ft from Sixth Avenue. Its sunken courtyard formerly contained Sun Triangle, a 49 ft on abstract steel sculpture by Athelstan Spilhaus. The tower's lobby is clad in dark red terrazzo and red marble, with aphorisms by Plato and John F. Kennedy.The McGraw-Hill Building II (1221 Sixth Ave.) http://www.in-arch.net/NYC/nyc3a.html#65 December 27, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165359/http://www.in-arch.net/NYC/nyc3a.html#65 March 3, 2016 dead Background right 16 The building was part of the later Rockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the "XYZ Buildings".Nash Eric Manhattan Skyscrapers 1999 Princeton Architectural Press 9781568981819 127 https://archive.org/details/manhattanskyscra00nash_0 registration Celanese Building. December 28, 2018 Their plans were first drawn in 1963 by the Rockefeller family's architect, Wallace Harrison, of the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz.Krinsky Carol H. Carol Herselle Krinsky Rockefeller Center Oxford University Press 1978 978-0-19-502404-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlDAQAAIAAJ 117 Their letters correspond to their height. 1251 Avenue of the Americas is the "X" Building as it is the tallest at 750 ft (229 m) and 54 stories, and was the first completed, in 1971. The "Y" is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, which was the second tower completed (1973) and is the second in height (674 ft and 51 stories). The "Z" Building, the shortest and the youngest, is 1211 Avenue of the Americas with 45 stories (592 ft).Manhattan Skyscrapers XYZ Buildings Exxon Building McGraw-Hill Building Celanese Building 2005 Princeton Archit.Press New York, NY 978-1-56898-545-9 10.1007/1-56898-652-1_57 127–130 The building houses the New York practice of professional services and accountancy firm DeloitteDeloitte New York, NY – Professional Services Deloitte US https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/footerlinks/office-locator/new-york/new-york-prac.html July 26, 2024 Deloitte United States en and was previously the headquarters of McGraw-Hill Financial. Other tenants include Sirius XM Satellite Radio, whose headquarters and broadcast facility are in the building, and the law firms Mayer Brown and White & Case. In December 2016, CPPIB sold a 45% stake in the building to CIC for $1 billion, which valued it at $2.3 billion.December 28, 2016 CPPIB Sold 45% Stake in 1221 Avenue of the Americas to Chinese SWF https://www.swfinstitute.org/news/51531/cppib-sold-45-stake-in-1221-avenue-of-the-americas-to-chinese-swf 2025-08-15 www.swfinstitute.orgKatz Rayna January 4, 2017 Chinese Buyer Snaps Up Chunk of Midtown Office Bldg. https://www.globest.com/2017/01/04/chinese-buyer-snaps-up-chunk-of-midtown-office-bldg/ 2025-08-15 globest.com en In 2009, the structure earned a LEED green-building certification.1221 Avenue of the Americas http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/properties/1221-avenue-of-the-americas/ USGBC December 25, 2018 December 25, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175338/http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/properties/1221-avenue-of-the-americas/ usurped A renovation of the plaza and retail space was announced in 2017,Nonko Emily One of Midtown's sunken public plazas will get a modern revamp Curbed NY November 7, 2017 https://ny.curbed.com/2017/11/7/16617436/sixth-avenue-wallace-harrison-building-renovation https://web.archive.org/web/20201007064354/https://ny.curbed.com/2017/11/7/16617436/sixth-avenue-wallace-harrison-building-renovation dead October 7, 2020 April 1, 2022 and the $50 million project was underway by 2022.Manhattan public plaza, retail gateway receiving $50M renovation Construction Specifier March 28, 2022 https://www.constructionspecifier.com/manhattans-rockefeller-group-reveals-plans-for-50m-plaza-renovation/ April 1, 2022 The sunken plaza is a privately owned public space that had a special waiver to the setback rule and the rule that prohibited plazas of more than 12 feet below the street level.Bynes Mark May 30, 2024 How to Fill a Hole in Rockefeller Center https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-05-30/new-york-rockefeller-center-plaza-gets-a-makeover-by-way-of-milan Bloomberg The sunken plaza formerly contained a 49 ft mid m -tall metal triangle designed by Athelstan Spilhaus and fabricated by Tyler Elevator Products, arranged so the Sun aligns with its sides at solstices and equinoxes.http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/city_of_stars/18_mcgraw_hill.html McGraw-Hill Building Plaza Natural History Magazine dead https://archive.today/20131003085055/http://web.archive.org/web/20060324181058/http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/city_of_stars/18_mcgraw_hill.html October 3, 2013 Sun triangle 1221 Avenue of the Americas' entrance plaza, on Sixth Avenue, was renovated in 2023 at a cost of $50 million.Capps Kriston A Plaza Renovation Shows a Path Forward for Privately Owned Public Spaces Bloomberg.com June 2, 2024 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-06-02/a-plaza-renovation-shows-a-path-forward-for-privately-owned-public-spaces June 20, 2024 1999 elevator incident After entering an express elevator serving floors 39–50 at approximately 11:00 p.m. (EDT) Friday on October 15, 1999, Nicholas White, a Business Week employee whose office was in the building, became trapped in an elevator after a brief power dip caused it to stop between the 13th and 14th floors. White was not rescued until approximately 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 17, nearly 41 hours later, after security guards spotted him in the elevator surveillance cameras.https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/28/nyregion/the-big-city-aftermath-of-40-hours-in-an-elevator.html The Big City; Aftermath Of 40 Hours In an Elevator Tierney John October 28, 1999 The New York Times June 12, 2020 0362-4331https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/04/21/up-and-then-down Up and Then Down July 28, 2014 The New Yorker November 23, 2021 Nick Paumgarten In 2008, The New Yorker uploaded a video, originally called "Trapped in an Elevator for 41 Hours",Conaway Laura Bad Break: Trapped in an Elevator for 41 Hours NPR April 23, 2008 https://www.npr.org/sections/bryantpark/2008/04/bad_break_trapped_in_an_elevat.html March 22, 2023 which contained surveillance-camera footage of White being trapped in the elevator.Video surfaces of man stuck in elevator for 41 hours ABC7 New York March 22, 2023 https://abc7ny.com/archive/6093485/ March 22, 2023Video surfaces of man stuck in elevator for 41 hours New York Daily News Kennedy Helen April 22, 2008 https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/video-surfaces-man-stuck-elevator-41-hours-article-1.282297 March 22, 2023 White filed a lawsuit against the building's management and elevator maintenance company for negligence as he remained unnoticed for a majority of the time despite attempting to use the intercom and maintenance being performed on other elevators that weekend; he settled 4 years later for an undisclosed sum, hinting "hardly six figures".Tales of surviving entrapment with sanity intact https://www.twincities.com/2010/09/03/tales-of-surviving-entrapment-with-sanity-intact/ Twin Cities Pioneer Press 3 September 2010 In popular culture The buildings are featured in the title sequence of Saturday Night Live, 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 building appeared as interior shots for the television show Suits. It is also the headquarters of Sirius XM Radio, and many radio shows broadcast from the building including The Howard Stern Show. The plaza and sculpture are also featured as part of the New York City Level of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.https://www.pushsquare.com/guides/tony-hawks-pro-skater-1-plus-2-ny-city-all-park-goals-gaps-and-challenges Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2: NY City - All Park Goals, Gaps, and Challenges March 26, 2021 Push Square May 3, 2021 The Devil Wears Prada 2 again filmed in NYC at 1221 Avenue of the Americas for the fictional "Runway Magazine" offices, drawing fans and paparazzi to the streets in July 2025 to watch the actors exit the building lobby and wave from the windows of Quorum by Convene, a real-life meeting and event space managed by corporate event producers, Convene, and available for private events when not used as a conference space for White & Case.Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DMd0XfkRcz_/ 2026-05-22 www.instagram.comArikoglu Lale 2026-05-01 Where Was 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Filmed? Manhattan, Milan, and Beyond https://www.cntraveler.com/story/where-was-the-devil-wears-prada-2-filmed-manhattan-milan-and-beyond 2026-05-22 Condé Nast Traveler en-US2024-03-28 Transforming the Legal Workplace: Quorum by Convene in Collaboration with White & Case https://www.unwork.com/uncategorised/transforming-the-legal-workplace-quorum-by-convene-in-collaboration-with-white-case/ 2026-05-22 Unwork enKelly McGreal Khloe Quill 2026-04-30 Where was ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ filmed? A look at the real locations in the film sequel https://www.foxnews.com/travel/where-devil-wears-prada-2-filmed-look-real-locations-film-sequel 2026-05-22 Fox News en-US The Devil Wears Prada 2 , released in 2026, showed a brief scene with Anne Hathaway's character Andy taking notes in front of the 270-degree screen inside the Quorum by Convene Grand Hall and transformed the venue's "huge light-filled" Grand Gallery into a cafeteria with cash registers and grab-and-go snacks, where Stanley Tucci's character Nigel teases Andy for still liking the soup.Quorum by Convene State of the Art Meetings & Corporate Event Space In NYC's Midtown West https://convene.com/locations/new-york-city/1221-avenue-of-the-americas/ 2026-05-22 Convene en-US See also Architecture New York City List of tallest buildings in New York City 1211 Avenue of the Americas 1251 Avenue of the Americas References External links Critical review of the building's design in-Arch.net: The McGraw-Hill Building Skyscraperpage.com Category:1960s architecture in the United States Category:1969 establishments in New York City Category:Mass media company headquarters in the United States Category:Office buildings completed in 1969 Category:Rockefeller Center Category:Sixth Avenue Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan Category:Radio studios in the United States