Designated 7/28/1981
The lobby is a composite creation, incorporating an original circular space. In Raymond Hood’s original design, the lobby was conceived as a darkly lit circular space, rising to a hemispherical dome of faceted black glass, suggesting the black of space, surrounding an enormous globe, partially sunk beneath floor level, representing the planet earth. The expansion of the lobby in 1957-67, incorporated much of the original design, including the dome and globe, while adding a new scientific exhibit that maintained much of the spirit of the original, including the extension of the directional lines in the entrance lobby and elevator lobby floors showing distances to cities around the world.
STATUS Designated Exterior and Interior Landmark
The Neighborhood
Murray Hill
The land that was Robert Murray’s 18th-century country estate became one of the city’s premier residential districts. Primarily constructed between 1853 and the 1920s, the neighborhood’s buildings consist of row houses built in the Italianate and Second Empire styles as well as three apartment buildings,...
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