W. R. Grace Building

W. R. Grace Building
W. R. Grace Building
	Curved vertical facade fronting on 42nd Street
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	Sixth Avenue & 42nd Street; New York City, New York
Coordinates	40°45′17″N 73°58′57″W / 40.75472°N 73.98250°W
Construction started	1970
Completed	1972
Owner	Brookfield Properties
Height
Roof	630 ft (190 m)
Technical details
Floor count	50
Floor area	1,478,531 sq ft (137,360.0 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Gordon Bunshaft; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

The W. R. Grace Building is a skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed principally by Gordon Bunshaft, and completed in 1972.^[1] The building was commissioned by the W.R. Grace Company, and was also used by the Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

The building's address is 1114 Sixth Avenue, but the main entrance is on 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It overlooks Bryant Park and the New York Public Library's main branch. The building size has approximately 1.518 million square feet (141,000 m²) that are rentable, and sits on a site approximately 100 by 442 feet (30 by 135 m).

The Grace Building is located on the former site of Stern's flagship department store and headquarters. Tenants include Bain & Company.^[2] The Michelin-starred restaurant Gabriel Kreuther is located in its lobby as well as a sister chocolate store.

Architecture[edit]

One of the aesthetic attributes of the building is the concave vertical slope of its north and south facades, on 42nd and 43rd Street. The Grace Building uses the original, rejected design for the facade of the Solow Building, another Bunshaft creation.^[1] The sloping facade is also similar to the Chase Tower in Chicago. The exterior of the building is covered in white travertine, which forms a contrast against the black windows and makes the building appear brighter than those surrounding it.