Solow Building

The Solow Building, located at 9 West 57th Street, is a Manhattan skyscraper designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill's Gordon Bunshaft and built in 1974. It is located just west of 5th Avenue, sandwiched between the 57th and 58th Street, next to such prominent buildings as the Bergdorf Goodman department store and the Plaza Hotel. Consisting of 50 stories and 689 ft. (210 m), the building's only competitor by height in the neighborhood is the GM Building, located one block north and east. Floors above the 23rd floor offer a virtually unobstructed view of northern Manhattan and a complete view of Central Park.

Tenants

The Solow Building features some of the most expensive rents in Manhattan. The Solow Building Company occupies a permanent lease of the top floor of the skyscraper. The largest tenant is Banc of America Securities, which occupies several stories and the trading floor area on floors 2 and 3. At least some of this space is expected to become available after the opening of Bank of America Tower in 2008.

Other well-known tenants include the private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Apollo Management, and Silver Lake Partners. Several hedge funds and law firms occupy a majority of the remainder the space, including Och-Ziff Capital Management, one of the largest hedge funds in the world, and Highbridge Capital Management. Chanel's corporate offices are also located in the building.

Amenities

The building features an underground parking garage, currently available retail space on the north side bordering 58th Street, an underground space occupied by the 8½ restaurant, a 2 floor trading floor on floors 2-3, a newsstand in the lobby, and 24 high-speed elevators subdivided into sets of floors.

In popular culture

* The large red sculpture of the digit 9 in front of the building was included in the project as a response to the complaints that the building's sloping reflecting walls revealed unappealing sides of the neighboring historic buildings that were previously obscured. The brightly colored sculpture was to distract the eyes of passersby from noticing these walls. This famous New York sculpture was designed by graphic artist Ivan Chermayeff.
* The restaurant 8½ was featured on the show "Sex and the City". This is also the building in which Chandler Bing is supposed to work in the sitcom "Friends".
*Namesake of the Nine West shoe store chain.
* Featured in "Superman" [ [http://www.supermanii.com/siiweb/sii%20behind-the-scenes/SMT_86.html Filming the catburglar and officer Mooney at 9 West 57th. Street's Solow Building.] ] .
* Featured in the film "Zoolander" with a giant computer generated M, which served as Mugatu's fashion headquarters.
*In the film "Cloverfield", the monster's hand slides down the facade of the building when knocked down momentarily by a carpet bombing run.
* In the film "Lost in America", the final scene where Albert Brooks' character David Howard meets advertising executive Brad ("This little town car...Will drive you away...") occurs in front of this building.

ee also

*List of tallest buildings in New York City

References

External links

* [http://www.wirednewyork.com/solow_building.htm Pictures of the Solow Building]
* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114921 Emporis Page]
* [http://www.thecityreview.com/57w9.html History and Information]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/05/16/daily19.html Dispute between Solow Company and Banc of America Securities]