National Register of Historic Places

Chanin Building

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
April 22, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80002676

About this property

The Chanin Building ( CHAN-in), also known as 122 East 42nd Street, is a 56-story office skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. It is on the southwest corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, near Grand Central Terminal to the north and adjacent to 110 East 42nd Street to the west. The building is named for Irwin S. Chanin, its developer. The structure was designed in the Art Deco style by John Sloan and T. Markoe Robertson of the firm Sloan & Robertson, with the assistance of Chanin's architect Jacques Delamarre. It incorporates architectural sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan, as well as a facade of brick and terracotta. The skyscraper reaches 680 feet (210 m), with a 649-foot-tall (198 m) roof topped by a 31-foot (9.4 m) spire. The Chanin Building includes numerous setbacks to conform with the 1916 Zoning Resolution. The Chanin Building was constructed in 1927–1929 on the site of a warehouse, one of the last remaining undeveloped sites around Grand Central Terminal. Upon opening, the building was almost fully rented, and it was the third-tallest building in New York City. Over the years, the upper floors have contained a movie theater, observation deck, and radio broadcast station, while the lower floors were used as offices and a bus terminal. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1978, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Location

122 E. 42nd St.
New York, New York County, New York
40.75129, -73.97506

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Chrysler Building
Industrial
0 mi
Murray Hill Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.1 mi
Daily News Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Grand Central Terminal (Boundary Increase: Park Avenue Viaduct)
Industrial
0.2 mi
House at 146 East 38th St.
Early Republic
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Chanin Building listed on the National Register?

Chanin Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Chanin Building?

Chanin Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Chanin Building?

The period of significance for Chanin Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Chanin Building?

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