National Historic Landmark
Which site was the heritage designation of Daily News Building in Dec 1987?
Daily News Building The Daily News Building , also known as The News Building , is a skyscraper at 220 East 42nd Street in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . The original building was designed by architects Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells in the Art Deco style , and was erected between 1928 and 1930 . A later addition was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz and built between 1957 and 1960 . The Daily News Building consists of a 36-story tower that is tall , as well as two shorter additions extending east to Second Avenue . Its architectural features include a large granite entrance at 42nd Street and an expansive lobby inside . The original structure is an L-shaped building that faces 41st Street to the south , Second Avenue to the east , and 42nd Street to the north , with a longer frontage on 41st Street than on 42nd Street . The annex , along 42nd Street and Second Avenue , gives the present building a rectangular lot . The Daily News Building was commissioned by Joseph Medill Patterson , the founder of the New York Daily News . The design incorporates a layered massing that contains several setbacks at higher floors . It was Hoods first modern freestanding tower and one of the first large Art Deco buildings in New York City . The Daily News Building was occupied by the Daily News until 1995 , after which it was converted to office use . Upon its completion , the Daily News Building received mixed reviews , and many observers described the building as having a utilitarian design . The Daily News Building was made a National Historic Landmark in 1978 . It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1981 and its interior was similarly designated in 1998 . Site . The Daily News Building is at 220 East 42nd Street in East Midtown , on the south side of the street between Third Avenue and Second Avenue . The building site is bounded by 42nd Street to the north , Second Avenue to the east , 41st Street to the south , and a private alley called Kempner Place to the west . The New York City Subways Grand Central–42nd Street station ( ) , the Chrysler Building , and the Socony–Mobil Building are one block west , while Tudor City and the Ford Foundation Building are one block east . Design . The Daily News Building was designed in the Art Deco style by architects Raymond Hood and John Mead Howells , and was commissioned as the headquarters of the New York Daily News , which at the time was owned by Joseph Medill Patterson . It was among the first skyscrapers to be built without an ornamental crown . This was in contrast to Hoods earlier designs for the Tribune Tower in Chicago and the American Radiator Building in Manhattan . Harrison & Abramovitz designed additions to the building , which were constructed between 1957 and 1960 . Hood designed the building with practical needs in mind , saying that I do not feel that The News Building is worse looking than some other buildings . Hood wrote that both the owner and architect had agreed that the most simple and direct way to get an effective exterior was to colorize its features . The upper floors were designed as lofts separated only by movable partitions . Although Hood was not particularly involved in the design of the office stories , he did design an executive suite for Patterson . Form . The massing was influenced by the requirements of the 1916 Zoning Resolution . The 36-story tower , built between 1928 and 1930 , is on the northern portion of the site , facing 42nd Street . It is L-shaped , with a frontage of along the middle of the block on 42nd Street , and a frontage of on 41st Street extending eastward to Second Avenue . The original tower contains several setbacks on all four sides . The northern elevation along 42nd Street contains one large setback at the 9th floor . The western elevation has multiple smaller setbacks . The southernmost ten vertical bays of the western facade are set back at the 9th floor , while the following two bays to the north are set back the same distance above the 15th floor , creating a zigzag effect . The southern elevation contains small setbacks at the 7th and 13th floors , as well as larger setbacks at the 27th floor and above the 36th floor . The eastern elevation does not contain any setbacks , except for the northernmost seven bays , which protrude slightly below the 33rd floor . The southern portion of the Daily News Building , near 41st Street , is shorter than the tower and formerly served as the printing plant . It was also built in 1928–1930 and initially contained nine stories . An additional five stories were built in the late 1950s , set back from the original structure . An 18-story annex , also built in the late 1950s , runs on the northeastern portion of the plot , facing Second Avenue and 42nd Street . The original structure consisted of of space , and the annex had ; including an additional above the original printing plant , the complex had a total of . Facade . Tower . The facade of the tower is composed of vertical window bays that are separated by irregularly placed sections of white brick wall , as well as multicolored brick patterns and red curtains . The spandrel panels between the windows on each story are made of reddish-brown and black brick . The spandrel panels at lower floors contain geometric patterns , while those on upper floors have been simplified into horizontal bars . On floors with setbacks , the panels also contain miniature setbacks . The vertical bands were similar to that used at Pattersons house at 3 East 84th Street , an Art Deco building that Hood had also designed . The tops of the vertical bands terminate abruptly at the setbacks . Hood wrote that the windows were each wide , while the centers of the windows were spaced at intervals of , creating a uniform window layout . Hood stated that the window design was largely chosen based on its perceived utility , because the interior space would have needed to be easily divided into offices . However , other critics stated that horizontal strips of windows would have also worked for such a purpose . At the base of the tower , on the 42nd Street side , is a three-story-tall granite-clad main entrance that takes up the width of five bays . Over the entrance is a carving of the phrase , below which is a large bas-relief with carvings of people and the phrase . The latter quotation was attributed to Abraham Lincoln and referenced the common people to whom the Daily News was intended . There are glass pylons on either side of the entrance , which are topped by bronze ornamentation and contain horizontal bronze strips . There are smaller entrances leading to storefronts on either side of the main entrance . Above these storefronts are bronze friezes , which are overlaid at specific intervals by the bottom portions of the white brick walls that are present on the upper stories . The bronze friezes and white brick walls wrap around the building above the first story . A granite inscription from Patterson is present on the western side of the building , and the southern facade of the tower has five loading docks . The entrance was relatively luxurious , since Hood was given a $150,000 budget for the entrances design . At the top , the facade is designed so that it appears to have no architectural decorations . The parapet walls extend above the roof to conceal the elevator rooms and the maintenance penthouses on the roof . Hood had initially been uncertain about how to design the top stories . According to one account , architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited Hood and advised him to just cut the top off . Walter Kilham , who had assisted Hood , later recalled that Wright retracted his suggestion after Kilham confronted Wright . Other portions . The facade of the original printing plant on 41st Street is similar to that of the tower , though the bays are grouped in sets of three . Each grouping is separated by wide white-brick piers , while the groupings of windows are internally subdivided by narrower piers . There are friezes above the first and second floors , as well as six loading docks on 41st Street . The annexs design echoes the vertical stripes of the original design , except with wider stripes . Like the original building , the window bays each contain one window per floor . The facade has light-and-dark-red brick spandrels between the windows on each floor . The piers between each bay are decorated by slightly-projecting white-brick piers with aluminum sheathing . The facade of the printing-plant addition is designed in the same manner . Lobby . The lobby of the building includes a circular rotunda with a black glass domed ceiling near the 42nd Street entrance . Under this ceiling in a stepped pit was the worlds largest indoor globe , conceived by the Daily News as a permanent educational science exhibit . The globe is in diameter , with over 3,000 individual features , There is also a large compass on the floor , as well as bronze floor etchings within the terrazzo floor , with the names of major cities and their distances from New York City . The walls have nineteen panels designed by J . Henry Weber , which depict maps , weather charts , and clocks from different time zones . The Daily News Buildings main elevator lobbies are to the south of the rotunda and contain bronze plaques memorializing Daily News employees who fought in major wars . The rotunda was inspired from the Glass Pavilion by Bruno Taut , and the recessed center specifically was inspired by the tomb of Napoleon at Les Invalides . Accounts differ on who had the most influence on the lobbys design . According to Daily News historians , Patterson was the first to propose the idea of the lobby . Hoods biographer conversely implied that the idea had not come from Patterson , who had supposedly been skeptical of the design with a globe . As originally configured , the rotunda was approached from the 42nd Street entrance to the north , as well as from a hallway on the southwest . The hallway led to two banks of elevators to the south , as well as a restaurant , and there were two storefronts flanking the rotunda , one each to the west and east . The elevator lobbies had bronze grilles and other decorations designed by Rene Paul Chambellan in the Art Deco style . There were eighteen glass exhibits , which were part of a scientific and educational display designed by James H . Scarr , a U.S . Weather Bureau meteorologist . The main lobby was so popular among tourists that Hood subsequently opened up a side entrance for Daily News employees . During the expansion , the storefronts on either side of the rotunda were removed and incorporated into the main lobby . The glass showcases of the original lobby were replaced with the wall panels . The city names were changed to reflect new distances and spellings , and a hallway was extended to the entrance on Second Avenue . History . The Medill family published numerous large newspapers in the United States in the early 20th century , including the Tribune Media conglomerate . One family member , Joseph Medill Patterson , founded the Daily News in 1919 as the United States first daily tabloid . While the Daily News was not an immediate success , it became the citys largest newspaper by 1925 , with a daily circulation of over a million . The Daily News was originally based at 25 City Hall Place in the Civic Center of Lower Manhattan , moving in 1921 to a five-story building nearby at 23 Park Place . By 1927 , the latter building had become insufficient for the Daily News operations . The Daily News then started to look for new locations , following the example set by The New York Times and New York Herald , which had previously moved north to Midtown Manhattan from Lower Manhattan . According to the newspapers research manager Harry Corash , the citys population was centered in Queens , east of Midtown Manhattan across the East River . Planning and construction . Planning . The site ultimately chosen was on East 42nd Street ; the section east of Grand Central Terminal and Lexington Avenue had yet to be developed , and the Daily News historians called the area a row of old , assorted , unpretentious structures . Patterson said that the 42nd Street location was ideal , as it was on the same street as Times Square , where the rival Times headquarters were incidentally located . The Daily News bought a tract of land facing 41st and 42nd streets , between Second and Third Avenues on February 3 , 1928 , for $2.5 million ( equivalent to $ million in ) . At the time , the building was being envisioned as a 20-story structure . Eleven days later , the Daily News bought the lots at 41st Street and Second Avenue , which collectively comprised . Patterson selected Hood and Howells as architects for the new building . The pair had previously won the competition to design the Tribune Tower , the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune , which was owned by Pattersons cousin Robert R . McCormick . Hood had first proposed the Daily News Building as a tower , but Patterson had initially objected , claiming that he did not want the structure to be a monument . To get Patterson to acquiesce to the tower plan , Hood framed the plan as an efficient business decision and prepared numerous models for possible buildings , concluding that the most efficient one was a skyscraper of between 35 and 40 stories . Hood presented various floor plans to Patterson every week until Patterson acquiesced on the eleventh meeting . One of Hoods plans , which would have set back the tower above the third story to create a rising effect , was rejected by Patterson since it would have eliminated usable office space allowed under the zoning restrictions . Another plan to use a limestone facade was scrapped due to cost , and brick was used instead . Hood subsequently carved a plastic model of the building , which incorporated a tapered design . Hood also created drawings for the proposed building , which depicted a blocky mass with several setbacks . On the west side of the building was the Commercial High School , which the New York City Board of Education was planning to tear down . The Daily News and the Board of Education each agreed to cede toward a pedestrian walkway , which would make the Daily News Building freestanding on most of its frontage . However , only the Daily News section of the walkway was built , as the high school remained standing until the late 20th century . Construction . Blueprints were filed with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings in June 1928 ; at the time , the building was to be composed of 36 stories and would cost $6.6 million ( ) . In addition to the Daily News itself , the new structure would contain Tribune subsidiaries that were related to the papers function . The ceremonial cornerstone , filled with relics of the Daily News owner Tribune Media , was laid in September 1928 . Construction of the steel frame had been finished in August 1929 . By late 1929 , the Daily News Building was almost complete . The rival Times described the project as one of several high-rise developments that were radically changing the old-time conditions along East 42nd Street . The other developments along that section included the Lincoln Building , Chanin Building , Chrysler Building , and Tudor City . In November 1929 , several mechanics were given craftsmanship certificates for outstanding work on the Daily News Buildings construction ; at that point , the Daily News Building was 75 percent rented . The Daily News started moving into the building in mid-1930 and the lobby opened to the public on July 23 , 1930 . The building , including the newspapers new printing presses , had cost $10.7 million ( ) . Early use and expansion . The New Yorker observed that the office space at the Daily News Building was designed at factory prices , which was part of the reason why Patterson had selected Hood as an architect . The lobby was popular and had 625,000 visitors a year by 1938 . The Daily News rented out the space in the building that it did not utilize . For example , American Locomotive Company subsidiary Alco Products took space in the structure , as did the Ahrens Publishing Company , the Museum of the Peaceful Arts , and a branch of the National City Bank of New York . In addition , United Press International moved its headquarters to the Daily News Building in 1931 . Daily News affiliate WPIX also took space in the building , broadcasting from its mast until 1951 . In the late 1950s , as part of a $20 million expansion of the Daily News facilities ( equivalent to $ million in ) , Harrison & Abramovitz were hired to design an expansion to the building and renovate the existing facilities . The project more than doubled in size , to . The additions were to be used by both the Daily News and the buildings other occupants . Turner Construction was hired for the annexs construction . Work started in May 1957 , and excavation on the annex started later that year . By April 1959 , the facade of the annex had been completed . The lobby was also renovated under the guidance of Daily News president Francis Marion Flynn . The new structure was completed in June 1960 , and by that August , the expanded building was 90 percent rented . The globe in the lobby was restored in a 61-week project that took place between 1966 and 1967 . Later use . By the 1970s , the Daily News and the International Paper Company were the main occupants of the Daily News Building ; when the latter moved out in 1978 , the vacant space was quickly occupied . By 1981 , Tribune Media was attempting to sell the Daily News with limited success . Media and real-estate concerns projected that the building might be worth $150–250 million ( equivalent to $– million in ) ; several commentators suggested that the Daily News could be shuttered to free up office space , though others pointed out that relocating the printing presses would also free up space in the building . Tribune Media sold the Daily News Building to a partnership in December 1982 . The La Salle Street Fund held a majority ownership stake in the partnership , while New York News Inc . held the minority stake . As part of the sale , the printing and distribution operations were moved to other facilities in the New York metropolitan area . In 1984 , the Daily News removed its printing presses from the building , freeing up of vacant space that was converted to office space . The Daily News started looking for new locations after media executive Mortimer Zuckerman bought a stake in the newspaper in 1993 . The next year , the Daily News announced it would move its remaining operations within the Daily News Building to a single facility , 450 West 33rd Street in Chelsea , Manhattan . The relocation was motivated by the cost of maintaining several spaces , as well as the fact that the lease was about to expire and the Daily News operations in the building had been downsized since the early 1980s . Further , the Daily News circulation had decreased by two-thirds from its peak in the 1940s , and the number of employees had been reduced more than 85 percent . The Daily News moved out during May 1995 . The next year , developer Steve Witkoff bought the Daily News Building and leased most of the buildings vacant space , thereby qualifying the building for a $140 million mortgage . The Omnicom Group signed a lease for a majority of the buildings space in 1997 , making it the buildings main tenant . SL Green Realty bought the Daily News Building in 2003 for $265 million . By January 2019 , SL Green considered selling the property , and in October 2019 , developer Jacob Chetrit made an offer of $815 million for the building . However , the sale was scrapped in March 2020 after Deutsche Bank withdrew its financing as a result of economic uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic . In June 2020 , SL Green refinanced the building after having secured a $510 million mortgage ; despite the COVID-related financial difficulties , the Daily News Building was almost fully leased . Tenants . The building contains the former Daily News TV broadcast subsidiary WPIX , channel 11 , which later became an affiliate of The CW network . It was also home to WQCD , the smooth jazz station The News had operated as WPIX-FM . The Visiting Nurse Service of New York occupies in the Daily News Building , and the nonprofit Young Adult Institute takes up within the building . Other tenants include the United Nations Development Programme and UN Women , as well as the New York office of public relations firm FleishmanHillard . Impact . The Daily News historians wrote in 1971 that the building did a lot for the paper . The Daily News referred to it as being among Hoods triumphs , though most of the papers praise for the building was directed toward the lobby . In 1931 , the Daily News published an editorial in rebuttal to modern architecture , saying that the design was focused on the efficient production of newspapers . At the time of the buildings opening , the Daily News praised the lobby as having a state-of-the-art exhibit . Critical reception . Architectural critics had mixed opinions of the design . According to English architect Frank Scarlett , who looked at the model of the building , it was one of several contemporary designs that deviated from the eclectic style that had been popular until the early 20th century . The New Yorker , profiling Hood in 1931 , said that the Daily News Building was a distinctly untraditional building and that Hoods design had been daringly successful . After Hoods death in 1934 , critics and the media described Hood as utilitarian in his designs . The New York Times said that the Daily News Buildings design made him practically a complete functionalist . Contemporary modernist architect Harvey Wiley Corbett said in Architectural Forum that the building was a right about-face [ ... ] from the former eclectic approach . The following year , Architectural Forum lauded the buildings exterior for being utilitarian and praised the lobby as romantic and dramatic . Other critics viewed the Daily News Building as architecturally lacking . Architectural historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock and architect Philip Johnson perceived the buildings design to have sacrificed functionality for effectiveness , saying that the crisp square termination on the roof is a deception . A similar sentiment criticizing the roof was expressed in the New York Herald Tribune obituary of Hood . Architectural critic Royal Cortissoz refused to acknowledge the Daily News Building as an architectural work , to which Hood is said to have replied , So much the better . Kenneth M . Murchison wrote of the facade , Stripes is Mr . Hoods middle name . He cant get away from them . After the addition of the annex , Paul Goldberger characterized the addition as a thoughtful but inadequate companion to the original tower . Nevertheless , prior to his death , Hood had disregarded the buildings architectural beauty and composition , instead focusing on its effect . One early appraisal of the Daily News Building called the facade almost nothing but a series of stripes , which the reviewer deemed to be artistic . Another praised the lobby exhibit as being a genuine contribution to architecture . Later reviews of the building compared it with the contemporary architecture . One guidebook , published in 1952 , stated that the building had an asymmetrical , almost picturesque shape . Another book in 1960 perceived the towers freestanding nature as its most appealing quality . Further reviews in the 1970s described the building as having deviated from popular architectural styles of the time , and being a modern skyscraper that was easily distinguishable from mediocre metal-and-glass neighbors . Architectural writer Eric Nash said in 1999 that Hood did not romanticize the skyscraper as a carved mountain , unlike contemporaries such as Ralph Thomas Walker or Hugh Ferriss . The rival New York Times called the Daily News Building one of Americas great newspaper buildings , in contrast with its own previous headquarters at 229 West 43rd Street . Landmark designations . The Daily News Buildings exterior was designated a New York City Landmark in 1981 , and its first-floor interior was similarly designated in 1998 . The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission , in granting the exterior landmark status , called it one of the citys major Art Deco presences . It became a National Historic Landmark in 1989 . Only the original tower and printing plant are part of the National Historic Landmark and New York City Landmark designations . Media depictions . Hugh Ferriss drew a rendering of the Daily News Building in 1930 . The rendering inspired the design of the fictional Daily Planet headquarters in the Superman franchise . Additionally , during July 1977 , the Daily News Building was used for filming exterior scenes at the Daily Planet in the 1978 film Superman : The Movie . At the exact moment of the 1977 New York City blackout on July 13–14 , the buildings facade was serving as the set for the upcoming release of Superman : The Movie . During the blackout , film crews lent their Klieg lights to Daily News editors so that the following days issue could be published .