179-540: 4 Times Square (also known as 151 West 42nd Street or One Five One ; formerly the Condé Nast Building ) is a 48-story skyscraper at Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . Located at 1472 Broadway , between 42nd and 43rd Streets, the building measures 809 ft (247 m) tall to its roof and 1,118 ft (341 m) tall to its antenna. The building
358-763: A Buttressed core . Trussed tube and X-bracing: N (New York City Subway service) The N Broadway Express is a rapid transit service in the B Division of the New York City Subway . Its route emblem, or "bullet," is colored yellow, since it uses the BMT Broadway Line in Manhattan . The N operates at all times between Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens , and Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island , Brooklyn , via
537-484: A speculative development . Though Durst had intended the building to be developed without an anchor tenant, similar to speculative buildings, the state would not approve the project unless a tenant was secured. The author Matthew Wells characterized the building as "the first speculative office block to be completed in Manhattan for over a decade". At the time of the sale, Durst denied rumors that Condé Nast would occupy
716-526: A 35 percent tax abatement for the project. Durst acquired a $ 215 million mortgage loan on three other buildings to fund the proposed skyscraper. After a slight delay, Prudential's board voted to sell the site to Durst in February 1996. Klein was opposed to the proposed sale, citing the Durst family's previous objections to the redevelopment. Ultimately, Klein received an unknown amount of compensation for ceding
895-436: A Times Square address, which until the early 1990s had not been popular in the city's real estate market. The project was to receive $ 10.7 million in tax relief and Durst was to receive a $ 4 million tax exemption every year. That October, law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom agreed to move its headquarters to 4 Times Square, with 660,000 sq ft (61,000 m) on the top 21 stories. Skadden Arps's commitment
1074-541: A city consisting entirely of high-rise housing is the 16th-century city of Shibam in Yemen . Shibam was made up of over 500 tower houses, each one rising 5 to 11 stories high, with each floor being an apartment occupied by a single family. The city was built in this way in order to protect it from Bedouin attacks. Shibam still has the tallest mudbrick buildings in the world, with many of them over 30 m (98 ft) high. An early modern example of high-rise housing
1253-414: A combined 53 MW (71,000 hp). In addition, the 51st floor has FM transmitters and combiners while the 52nd floor has TV combiners. The superstructure is made of both concrete and steel, though the structural core is made of concrete. The steel columns are embedded in shear walls made of reinforced concrete. The building uses demolition debris that was recycled from the previous structures on
1432-484: A large LED sign. The top of 4 Times Square includes an antenna mast and four large illuminated signs on each side which read ‘ H&M ’. The building contains 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m) of floor space, much of which was originally taken by publishing company Condé Nast and law firm Skadden Arps . The lowest three stories contain retail space while the fourth story has a food hall for tenants, originally designed by Frank Gehry for Condé Nast. 4 Times Square
1611-751: A more classical approach came back to global skyscraper design, that remains popular today. Examples are the Wells Fargo Center , NBC Tower , Parkview Square , 30 Park Place , the Messeturm , the iconic Petronas Towers and Jin Mao Tower . Other contemporary styles and movements in skyscraper design include organic , sustainable , neo-futurist , structuralist , high-tech , deconstructivist , blob , digital , streamline , novelty , critical regionalist , vernacular , Neo Art Deco and neohistorist , also known as revivalist . 3 September
1790-399: A particularly small surface area of what are conventionally thought of as walls. Because the walls are not load-bearing most skyscrapers are characterized by surface areas of windows made possible by the concept of steel frame and curtain wall. However, skyscrapers can also have curtain walls that mimic conventional walls and have a small surface area of windows. The concept of a skyscraper is
1969-457: A percent of the total power needs of 4 Times Square. The PV modules are placed on a thin glass pane that is then laminated on both sides. The PV panels were included because they were inconspicuous and only cost $ 10/sq ft ($ 110/m) more than conventional spandrels. Originally, the architects had planned for 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m) of PV panels. Before deciding to use PV panels, Fox & Fowle had considered installing solar panels on
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#17327724158892148-464: A photograph studio were also installed for Gourmet's recipe editors. Newhouse's office was on the 11th floor, unlike other executive offices that were generally placed at the top. The Durst family had started acquiring property on the city block bounded by Broadway , Sixth Avenue, and 42nd and 43rd Streets in 1967, when Douglas Durst 's father Seymour Durst bought a building that housed White's Sea Food Restaurant. Seymour Durst planned to redevelop
2327-437: A portion of Condé Nast's space. There is a 3 ft-wide (0.91 m) catwalk and a ventilation space behind the display, creating a gap of about 5 ft (1.5 m) between the sign and the actual facade. At 4 Times Square's opening, Nasdaq leased the sign space from Durst for $ 2 million a year. The top of the building was originally ornamented with four signs, each measuring 60 by 60 ft (18 by 18 m) and displaying
2506-420: A product of the industrialized age , made possible by cheap fossil fuel derived energy and industrially refined raw materials such as steel and concrete . The construction of skyscrapers was enabled by steel frame construction that surpassed brick and mortar construction starting at the end of the 19th century and finally surpassing it in the 20th century together with reinforced concrete construction as
2685-454: A proto-skyscraper, or to New York's seven-floor Equitable Life Building , built in 1870. Steel skeleton construction has allowed for today's supertall skyscrapers now being built worldwide. The nomination of one structure versus another being the first skyscraper, and why, depends on what factors are stressed. The structural definition of the word skyscraper was refined later by architectural historians, based on engineering developments of
2864-412: A proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exaltation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line. Some structural engineers define a high-rise as any vertical construction for which wind is a more significant load factor than earthquake or weight. Note that this criterion fits not only high-rises but some other tall structures, such as towers . Different organizations from
3043-412: A restraining order preventing mortgage holder Cigna from declaring the building in default until April 2002. The restraining order was extended to May; a few minutes before the extension was set to expire, it was extended again to September. In the meantime, a New York state judge ruled that Cigna could force Durst to carry terror insurance. The lack of insurance led Moody's Investors Service to reduce
3222-479: A result of the construction incidents in 1998. These were both dismissed in July 1999 because the business owners did not suffer physical damage. In addition, Nasdaq and Condé Nast had disagreed over the proposed LED sign since the beginning of 1999, leading the two companies to seek an arbitration proceeding. Condé Nast claimed that the sign would block the windows of its art department and that it protruded too far from
3401-468: A separate exhaust shaft was designed for employee smoking areas. The air-circulation system was built so air on any set of three floors could be replaced every 24 to 48 hours. Sensors on each floor are used to monitor air quality, and the building's management team could adjust the air-delivery and ventilation systems as needed. Tenants could also independently adjust the heating and air-conditioning systems in their offices. The building's climate control system
3580-467: A similar commitment). The building's high energy usage limits the extent of the energy savings; Suzanne Stephens wrote for Architectural Record that the inclusion of such features was "a little like opening up a smoke-enders clinic on a tobacco farm". The building is part of the 42nd Street Development Project and, thus, could bypass many city zoning rules such as those relating to floor area ratio (FAR). Bruce Fowle of Fox & Fowle estimated that
3759-571: A skyscraper today, it was record setting. The building of tall buildings in the 1880s gave the skyscraper its first architectural movement, broadly termed the Chicago School , which developed what has been called the Commercial Style. The architect, Major William Le Baron Jenney , created a load-bearing structural frame. In this building, a steel frame supported the entire weight of the walls, instead of load-bearing walls carrying
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#17327724158893938-417: A small surface area of windows. Modern skyscrapers often have a tubular structure , and are designed to act like a hollow cylinder to resist wind, seismic, and other lateral loads. To appear more slender, allow less wind exposure and transmit more daylight to the ground, many skyscrapers have a design with setbacks , which in some cases is also structurally required. As of September 2023 , fifteen cities in
4117-521: A time, the tallest of which is the 97.2 m (319 ft) high Asinelli Tower. A Florentine law of 1251 decreed that all urban buildings be immediately reduced to less than 26 m. Even medium-sized towns of the era are known to have proliferations of towers, such as the 72 towers that ranged up to 51 m height in San Gimignano . The medieval Egyptian city of Fustat housed many high-rise residential buildings, which Al-Muqaddasi in
4296-470: A variety of lighting and signage for facades along Times Square. The 37th through 43rd stories of the south and east elevations have photovoltaic (PV) panels. These were installed in place of some of the spandrels that separate windows on different floors. There are 208 panels covering 2,955 sq ft (274.5 m), half a percent of the facade's total area. While the panels can generate enough power for five or six houses, they only supply one-half of
4475-466: A variety of shapes, and it could be riveted, ensuring strong connections. The simplicity of a steel frame eliminated the inefficient part of a shear wall, the central portion, and consolidated support members in a much stronger fashion by allowing both horizontal and vertical supports throughout. Among steel's drawbacks is that as more material must be supported as height increases, the distance between supporting members must decrease, which in turn increases
4654-469: A vertical tube-like structural system capable of resisting lateral forces in any direction by cantilevering from the foundation". Closely spaced interconnected exterior columns form the tube. Horizontal loads (primarily wind) are supported by the structure as a whole. Framed tubes allow fewer interior columns, and so create more usable floor space, and about half the exterior surface is available for windows. Where larger openings like garage doors are required,
4833-475: A weekday express between 34th Street–Herald Square and Canal Street, with local service replaced by the restored W train. The MTA approved the service change on May 23, 2016. All short-turn N trains that originally terminated at 57th Street–Seventh Avenue were extended to 96th Street–Second Avenue on January 3, 2017, following the opening of the Second Avenue Subway . In January 2017,
5012-401: A year. In 2000, after the building opened, panels with the name of wireless provider Teligent Telecom were installed on the top stories, measuring 70 by 70 ft (21 by 21 m). The signs were subsequently replaced by the number "4" during the mid-2000s. Since 2013, the top of the building has contained four illuminated panels with the name of clothing retailer H&M , a retail tenant at
5191-579: Is an early example of green design in commercial skyscrapers in the United States. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Park Tower Realty and the Prudential Insurance Company of America had planned to develop a tower for the site as part of a wide-ranging redevelopment of West 42nd Street. After long opposing a tower there, Douglas Durst proposed an office building on the site in late 1995. Condé Nast and Skadden Arps leased
5370-441: Is divided by vertical steel mullions . The west elevation on Broadway was designed with video screens, which cover 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m) and are mandated by the zoning law. There are ten signs, which could be rented to advertisers; when the building was constructed, the signs were projected to earn $ 7 million per year. The signs were included as part of Robert A. M. Stern 's 42nd Street Now! master plan, which required
5549-437: Is exempt from the zoning rules regarding signs. The LED sign over the studio cost $ 37 million. The display can show information at a computer display standard of 1280x1824, and it has over 18 million LEDs. The display is made of about 8,200 or 8,400 panels, manufactured by Saco Smart Vision. It is 18 in (460 mm) thick and is interrupted by thirty square windows. The windows are arranged into five rows, which illuminate
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5728-406: Is important in most building design, but particularly for skyscrapers since even a small chance of catastrophic failure is unacceptable given the tremendous damage such failure would cause. This presents a paradox to civil engineers : the only way to assure a lack of failure is to test for all modes of failure, in both the laboratory and the real world. But the only way to know of all modes of failure
5907-433: Is largely from the force of the building material itself. In most building designs, the weight of the structure is much larger than the weight of the material that it will support beyond its own weight. In technical terms, the dead load , the load of the structure, is larger than the live load , the weight of things in the structure (people, furniture, vehicles, etc.). As such, the amount of structural material required within
6086-556: Is mechanical space, which doubles as a damper. Inside, 4 Times Square has 1,600,000 sq ft (150,000 m) of space. The lobby is on the east side of the ground floor and is accessed from both 42nd and 43rd Streets. The ceiling contains aluminum and fiberglass panels, which curve downward from both entrances toward the center of the space. The lobby has an exhibit of the Durst Organization's history. There are also architectural models of various projects developed by
6265-414: Is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise buildings . Skyscrapers may host offices, hotels, residential spaces, and retail spaces. One common feature of skyscrapers is having a steel frame that supports curtain walls . This idea was invented by Viollet le Duc in his discourses on architecture. These curtain walls either bear on the framework below or are suspended from
6444-400: Is on the eastern side of Broadway , between 42nd Street and 43rd Street, at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . The land lot is trapezoidal and covers 45,800 sq ft (4,250 m). The site has a frontage of 208.46 ft (63.54 m) on Broadway and a depth of 256.27 ft (78.11 m). 4 Times Square, as well as
6623-399: Is the global commemorative day for skyscrapers, called "Skyscraper Day". New York City developers competed among themselves, with successively taller buildings claiming the title of "world's tallest" in the 1920s and early 1930s, culminating with the completion of the 318.9 m (1,046 ft) Chrysler Building in 1930 and the 443.2 m (1,454 ft) Empire State Building in 1931,
6802-419: Is to learn from previous failures. Thus, no engineer can be absolutely sure that a given structure will resist all loadings that could cause failure; instead, one can only have large enough margins of safety such that a failure is acceptably unlikely. When buildings do fail, engineers question whether the failure was due to some lack of foresight or due to some unknowable factor. The load a skyscraper experiences
6981-514: The 7 , <7> , B , D , F , <F> , and M trains, less than a block east. 3, 4, and 5 Times Square and the Times Square Tower comprise a grouping of office buildings that were developed at Times Square's southern end in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The northern portion of 4 Times Square's site had been occupied by George M. Cohan's Theatre and
7160-849: The BMT Astoria Line in Queens, the Broadway Line in Manhattan, the south side of the Manhattan Bridge , and the BMT Fourth Avenue and Sea Beach Lines in Brooklyn. North of 57th Street , limited rush hour service operates via the Second Avenue Subway , originating and terminating at 96th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan instead of Ditmars Boulevard. During the daytime on weekdays,
7339-683: The Bank of America Tower and Stephen Sondheim Theatre to the east, comprise the entire city block . Other nearby locations include the Town Hall theater and the Chatwal New York hotel to the northeast, 1500 Broadway to the north, 1501 Broadway to the northwest, One Times Square and 3 Times Square to the west, Times Square Tower and 5 Times Square to the southwest, and the Knickerbocker Hotel and Bush Tower to
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7518-519: The Empire State Building without disrupting existing FM tenants there. The topmost antenna, designed for Univision 's WFUT-TV , was removed in 2015 and replaced with a very high frequency (VHF) antenna for television station WJLP , bringing the mast to 416 feet (127 m) tall. The mast includes five antennas. The topmost one is used by WJLP. The second-highest tier contains two antennas for ultra high frequency (UHF) broadcasts;
7697-704: The Montague Street Tunnel . On April 26, 1986, the north side tracks (leading to the IND Sixth Avenue Line ) were closed and services that normally ran on them were moved to the south side, running via the BMT Broadway Line . Because of the large amount of train traffic now running on those tracks, rush hour and midday N service was rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel, making local stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, though evening, night and weekend trains continued to use
7876-658: The New York State Department of Transportation to resume N train service on the bridge's south side on September 30, 1990, despite warnings from engineers that the structure was unsafe and major repairs still had to be made. Trains ran express on Broadway in Manhattan (stopping at 49th Street) and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn at all times except late nights (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.). Southbound Brooklyn expresses ran until late evenings on Saturday, not running on Sunday morning any more. Between early morning and early evenings, trains skipped DeKalb Avenue. Several trains after
8055-627: The credit rating of the loan on 4 Times Square. Following the passage of a terror-insurance law in November 2002, Durst said he was amenable to buy a cheaper terror-insurance policy. Cigna and Durst had reached a settlement by late 2003, when the credit rating of the property loan was upgraded after Durst obtained terror insurance. Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least 100 meters (330 ft) or 150 meters (490 ft) in height, though there
8234-643: The " Seven Sisters ", were built between 1947 and 1953; and one, the Main building of Moscow State University , was the tallest building in Europe for nearly four decades (1953–1990). Other skyscrapers in the style of Socialist Classicism were erected in East Germany ( Frankfurter Tor ), Poland ( PKiN ), Ukraine ( Hotel Moscow ), Latvia ( Academy of Sciences ), and other Eastern Bloc countries. Western European countries also began to permit taller skyscrapers during
8413-460: The 10th century described as resembling minarets . Nasir Khusraw in the early 11th century described some of them rising up to 14 stories, with roof gardens on the top floor complete with ox-drawn water wheels for irrigating them. Cairo in the 16th century had high-rise apartment buildings where the two lower floors were for commercial and storage purposes and the multiple stories above them were rented out to tenants . An early example of
8592-465: The 1880s that had enabled construction of tall multi-story buildings. This definition was based on the steel skeleton—as opposed to constructions of load-bearing masonry , which passed their practical limit in 1891 with Chicago's Monadnock Building . What is the chief characteristic of the tall office building? It is lofty. It must be tall. The force and power of altitude must be in it, the glory and pride of exaltation must be in it. It must be every inch
8771-600: The 1960s now use a tube design derived from Khan's structural engineering principles, examples including the construction of the World Trade Center , Aon Center , Petronas Towers , Jin Mao Building , and most other supertall skyscrapers since the 1960s. The strong influence of tube structure design is also evident in the construction of the current tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa , which uses
8950-603: The 1960s, according to the CTBUH, the skyscraper has been reoriented away from a symbol for North American corporate power to instead communicate a city or nation's place in the world. Skyscraper construction entered a three-decades-long era of stagnation in 1930 due to the Great Depression and then World War II . Shortly after the war ended, Russia began construction on a series of skyscrapers in Moscow . Seven, dubbed
9129-807: The 26th century BC. It was not surpassed in height for thousands of years, the 160 m (520 ft) Lincoln Cathedral having exceeded it in 1311–1549, before its central spire collapsed. The latter in turn was not surpassed until the 555-foot (169 m) Washington Monument in 1884. However, being uninhabited, none of these structures actually comply with the modern definition of a skyscraper. High-rise apartments flourished in classical antiquity . Ancient Roman insulae in imperial cities reached 10 and more stories. Beginning with Augustus (r. 30 BC-14 AD), several emperors attempted to establish limits of 20–25 m for multi-stories buildings, but were met with only limited success. Lower floors were typically occupied by shops or wealthy families, with
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#17327724158899308-690: The 57 m (187 ft) tall 1924 Marx House in Düsseldorf , the 65 m (213 ft) tall Borsigturm in Berlin , built in 1924, the 65 m (213 ft) tall Hansahochhaus in Cologne , Germany, built in 1925; the 61 m (200 ft) Kungstornen (Kings' Towers) in Stockholm , Sweden, which were built 1924–25; the 77 m (253 ft) Ullsteinhaus in Berlin, Germany, built in 1927;
9487-613: The 89 m (292 ft) Edificio Telefónica in Madrid , Spain, built in 1929; the 87.5 m (287 ft) Boerentoren in Antwerp, Belgium, built in 1932; the 66 m (217 ft) Prudential Building in Warsaw , Poland, built in 1934; and the 108 m (354 ft) Torre Piacentini in Genoa , Italy, built in 1940. After an early competition between New York City and Chicago for
9666-612: The AM rush hour put-ins. Between November 23, 1987, and May 13, 1988, one D train arrived at Ditmars Boulevard at 7:12 a.m. and returned in service as an N train. When the north side of the Manhattan Bridge reopened and the south side was closed on December 11, 1988, the N began running local in Manhattan and via the Montague Tunnel at all times. In order to replace B service to Ditmars Boulevard, additional N service
9845-451: The AM rush hour went out of service at Kings Highway. On December 27, state inspectors forced N service to be rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel again after discovery of corroded support beams and missing steel plates, running local on its entire route at all times. In November 1993, before the Manhattan Bridge's renovation was completed, the MTA proposed restoring express N service along
10024-707: The BMT Fourth Avenue Line. The N designation began to appear when R27 subway cars were moved to the service in April 1961. The NX designation was used for a rush hour peak-direction "super-express" service along the express tracks of the Sea Beach Line, beginning in the AM rush hour at Brighton Beach on the BMT Brighton Line , running through Coney Island, and then following the N route to 57th Street–Seventh Avenue . (Reverse in
10203-566: The CTBUH, is the distance between the highest floor and its architectural top (excluding antennae, flagpole or other functional extensions). Vanity height first appeared in New York City skyscrapers as early as the 1920s and 1930s but supertall buildings have relied on such uninhabitable extensions for on average 30% of their height, raising potential definitional and sustainability issues. The current era of skyscrapers focuses on sustainability , its built and natural environments, including
10382-569: The Durst Organization, such as the VIA 57 West residential development on Manhattan's West Side, as well as brochures of buildings owned by the company. There are also security checkpoints with turnstiles. The building was designed with 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m) of retail space on the lowest three stories. When the building opened, the retail space was occupied by a three-story ESPN Zone entertainment restaurant, operated by The Walt Disney Company . The ground floor had an American grill called
10561-499: The February 1998, though steel construction was delayed by the rainy weather. Around that time, Nasdaq was considering leasing a marketing center and TV studio at 4 Times Square. By mid-1998, it had agreed to lease the space and add an LED sign around the cylindrical northwest corner. Disney leased three stories of retail later that year for the ESPN Zone entertainment restaurant. Several incidents occurred during construction, leading
10740-720: The Fitzgerald Building before 1938, then by the Big Apple Theatre and a Nathan's Famous . The southern portion of the site had contained the Longacre Building . The Nathan's space was originally a Toffenetti's restaurant, which opened in 1940. Designed by Walker & Gillette , the Toffenetti's restaurant had 1,000 seats; the Nathan's opened in the Toffenetti's building in 1968. The building
10919-533: The Fourth Avenue Line for a six-month trial period, with the M making local stops between Pacific Street and 36th Street . Some residents of Sunset Park, Brooklyn , opposed the proposal, which they claimed would negatively impact about 7,000 daily riders at the 45th Street and 53rd Street stations. On May 31, 1994, the N began running express in Brooklyn between Pacific Street and 59th Street–Fourth Avenue during weekday midday and rush hours, with
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#173277241588911098-484: The M running local during those times. From 1994 to May 22, 1995, the southern terminal of the N was 86th Street due to rehabilitation work at Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue . On November 4, 2001, it was cut back again as the terminal's reconstruction project continued. From April 30, 1995, to November 12, 1995, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge was closed during weekday midday and weekends for structural repairs. Midday N service ran local in Brooklyn, replacing
11277-522: The M, which was cut back from 9th Avenue to Chambers Street . The N continued to run express during rush hours. After the September 11, 2001, attacks , Broadway Line service through Lower Manhattan was suspended; N service was also suspended and replaced by the W in Manhattan and Queens and the M in Brooklyn. On October 28, N service was restored, but Cortlandt Street remained closed until September 15, 2002. On September 8, 2002, because of
11456-432: The MTA revealed plans to rehabilitate the tunnel structure above the BMT Fourth Avenue Line's express tracks between 36th Street and 59th Street . As a result, from July 30, 2018, to July 29, 2019, N trains ran local along that section at all times. Between October 21, 2019, and May 4, 2020, N trains terminated at 86th Street so work could be completed to protect Coney Island Yard from flooding. An out-of-system transfer
11635-435: The Manhattan Bridge work was finally completed. The N returned to its full route in Manhattan and Queens at all times, and returned to using the Manhattan Bridge at all times except nights (via Fourth Avenue express, bypassing DeKalb Avenue ). On weekdays, N trains ran express between 34th Street in Manhattan and 59th Street/Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge, and local elsewhere; several trains ran express on
11814-518: The N as the weekday express on the Fourth Avenue Line. Starting on April 28, 1986, one Q train ran to Continental Avenue at 7:05 a.m., and returned in service as an N train, and an N train arriving at Continental Avenue at 3:25 p.m. began returning in service as a B train. These special B and Q trips no longer ran after May 23, 1987. As part of the New York City Transit Authority's proposed service plan to serve
11993-509: The N had direct access to both Jamaica Yard and Coney Island Yard , and the R, running from Bay Ridge to Astoria, lacked direct access to any yard. This change was intended to improve the appearance and reliability of service on the R, since all trains on the Astoria and Broadway Lines were part of the graffiti-free program. Trains ran via the Manhattan Bridge during late nights and weekends. Some trains went into service at 86th Street during
12172-603: The N in 1961. The N ran local in Queens along the IND Queens Boulevard Line to Forest Hills–71st Avenue from 1976 until 1987, when it switched terminals with the R. From 1986 to 2004, reconstruction on the Manhattan Bridge forced the N to run local on the Broadway Line via the Montague Street Tunnel. [REDACTED] The route that is now the N was originally BMT service 4, known as the Sea Beach Line or Sea Beach Express . On June 22, 1915,
12351-770: The N makes all stops along its entire route and uses the Montague Street Tunnel to travel between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The N was originally the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation 's 4 service, running along the BMT Sea Beach Line to the Manhattan Bridge. The 4 used the BMT Nassau Street Line in Lower Manhattan from 1915 to 1917, after which it ran express on the BMT Broadway Line. The 4 became
12530-415: The N runs express between 34th Street–Herald Square in Manhattan and 59th Street in Brooklyn and local elsewhere. Local service in Manhattan is provided by the R and W , the latter of which is internally staffed and scheduled as part of the N. Weekend daytime service is the same as weekday service, except that the N makes all stops in Manhattan between Herald Square and Canal Street . During late nights,
12709-643: The PM rush hour.) This short-lived service began on November 27, 1967 (with the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection ) and ended April 12, 1968, due to low ridership. Starting on Monday, April 15, 1968, the five NX trips instead ran as N trips. On December 31, 1972, all late night trains began running local in Brooklyn. Late weekday evening trains, weekend southbound trains, and northbound early weekday trains began stopping at 53rd Street and 45th Street. On August 30, 1976, weekday N service
12888-505: The Queens Boulevard mainline toward 179th Street. The final service plan, which took effect on December 11, 1988, had the extension served by E trains, with R trains extended to 179th Street. On May 24, 1987, the N swapped northern terminals with the R . The N was switched to Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard , while the R went to Forest Hills–71st Avenue . This was done to give the R direct access to Jamaica Yard ; previously,
13067-668: The Studio Grill; the second floor had the Screening Room, a sports-viewing area with television screens; and the third floor had the Sports Arena, which included a small practice facility and an arcade video game area. Part of the ground floor and basement was also occupied by a Duane Reade . Since 2013, the old ESPN space has contained a three-story H&M clothing store. Einhorn Yaffee Prescott designed Nasdaq MarketSite's 28,500 sq ft (2,650 m) space at
13246-407: The United States and Europe define skyscrapers as buildings at least 150 m (490 ft) in height or taller, with " supertall " skyscrapers for buildings higher than 300 m (984 ft) and " megatall " skyscrapers for those taller than 600 m (1,969 ft). The tallest structure in ancient times was the 146 m (479 ft) Great Pyramid of Giza in ancient Egypt , built in
13425-404: The United States. The design incorporates many environmentally efficient features. In particular, Fox & Fowle had been chosen for its experience designing ecologically sustainable buildings. One of the building's original major tenants, publisher Condé Nast , had committed to designing its space to environmentally efficient standards (the other major tenant, law firm Skadden Arps , did not make
13604-484: The address 4 Times Square. Unlike the signs at the base, the top stories' signs are not required by zoning. While modern New York City building code prohibits logos from being more than 25 ft (7.6 m) above the curb or occupying over 200 sq ft (19 m) on a blockfront, the top-story signs are protected because they are in the 42nd Street Development Project. The panels were originally vacant, though Durst had sought to market them to tenants at $ 1 million
13783-497: The amount of material that must be supported. This becomes inefficient and uneconomic for buildings above 40 stories tall as usable floor spaces are reduced for supporting column and due to more usage of steel. A new structural system of framed tubes was developed by Fazlur Rahman Khan in 1963. The framed tube structure is defined as "a three dimensional space structure composed of three, four, or possibly more frames, braced frames, or shear walls, joined at or near their edges to form
13962-467: The antenna serving UHF channels 40–60 is above that serving channels 24–45. Below that are two antennas for VHF broadcasts: one for low-VHF broadcasts and the other for FM radio stations . The antenna systems and mast were constructed by Andrew Corporation , Dielectric Communications, Shively Labs, and Electronics Research Inc. As of 2021, the mast at 4 Times Square is used as a primary site by FM radio stations WBGO , WKCR , WNYE , and WBAI . In addition,
14141-558: The area east of Times Square with office skyscrapers, but he canceled these plans in 1973 amid a declining office market. Several other failed proposals followed for the block. The Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), an agency of the New York state government, had proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981. Four towers designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee were to be built around 42nd Street's intersections with Broadway and Seventh Avenue ;
14320-536: The area would not be darkened at nightfall, the city passed zoning regulations that encouraged developers to add large, bright signs on their buildings. The Durst Organization opposed the redevelopment for 15 years, citing concerns over the subsidies that were to be given to the developers, which in turn would decrease the value of the Dursts' buildings. Durst himself had acquired a small portion of what would be Park Tower and Prudential's office building, part of 20 lots on
14499-561: The base. The building is partially powered by two fuel cells that are capable of 200 kW (270 hp) each. They are installed on the fourth floor. The two cells could provide 50 percent of the exterior signs' nighttime power needs but a minuscule amount of the daytime needs. They could generate eight percent of the building's total electricity. The fuel cells cost $ 1 million and were made by United Technologies Corporation . As part of an agreement with Consolidated Edison (Con Ed), which operates much of New York City's power-supply system,
14678-477: The bridge and express tracks in Brooklyn. Late evening trains that ran via the bridge also ran local in Brooklyn heading southbound. Six trains only ran between Continental Avenue and Whitehall Street in the AM rush hour, while six trains only ran between Canal Street and Continental Avenue in the PM rush hour. The M , which was rerouted from the BMT Brighton Line to the BMT West End Line , replaced
14857-501: The broadcast equipment atop the World Trade Center 's towers was destroyed during the September 11 attacks in 2001, the main transmitters for radio stations WKTU , WNYC-FM , and WPAT-FM and the backup transmitter for WSKQ-FM were transferred to 4 Times Square. In 2003, the original installation was replaced with a 385 ft-tall (117 m) mast. This allowed WKTU, WNYC-FM, and WPAT-FM to build main transmitters at
15036-481: The building for its headquarters. That May, Condé Nast leased 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m), taking up floors 4 to 23, with an option for an additional 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m). The building was consequently named after Condé Nast. The publisher had wanted to consolidate the operations of 17 of its magazines, which then occupied six separate buildings, and many of its leases were set to expire in 2000. Condé Nast had selected 4 Times Square because of
15215-501: The building had a FAR of 35, while The New York Times stated that the FAR was only 31. The massing of the building contains several setbacks , which were not mandated by zoning ordinances but were included to make the building's design fit in with its setting. The 43rd story contains a glass setback with a cavetto -shaped cornice. Stephens wrote that the building contained a combination of neo-Modernist and traditional design elements. While
15394-416: The building is divided into a base, shaft, and pinnacle similar to older skyscrapers, the design of the facade was more varied. If the building's antenna mast is included, the structure's total height is 1,118 ft (340.7 m). The original antenna mast measured 132 ft (40 m) and was built primarily for Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia, Inc. ) as a backup transmitter site. After
15573-493: The building's core. Some editors customized their offices. For example, Anna Wintour of Vogue used aluminum chairs and potted bulbs to resemble a setting in Home and Garden magazine, and Ruth Reichl of Gourmet designed her offices in a contemporary style with red accents. Graydon Carter of Vanity Fair redesigned his editorial office so it looked like his previous accommodations. Test kitchens, two private dining rooms, and
15752-480: The building, Fox & Fowle treid to maximize the amount of space illuminated by natural light. Since natural light could only penetrate about 25 percent of each office story, the office stories contain a flexible open plan arrangement. The lighting in the office stories can be controlled by dimmers . Condé Nast's space originally spanned floors 4 to 23 and cost an estimated $ 100 million. The Condé Nast offices were designed by Mancini Duffy , though Truman influenced
15931-447: The cafeteria was unused for five years. Studios Architecture renovated the dining room, which reopened in 2018 as a tenant-only food hall operated by Claus Meyer . The floors were resurfaced in white oak; the leather seats and tables were replaced; and the titanium walls were covered with curving sheetrock and plaster. A set of test kitchens was turned into a reception area for an adjacent conference room. The northwestern western section of
16110-461: The cafeteria, which had once contained mechanical space behind the MarketSite sign, was converted into a garden room with a full-height green wall containing 2,200 plants. Seating capacity was increased to 300 during the renovation. The lowest office floors cover 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m) each, while the highest floors cover 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m) each. When designing
16289-475: The cells must be turned off during a power failure, such as the Northeast blackout of 2003 . Fox & Fowle originally planned to include eight fuel cells, which would have been capable of generating 12,800,000 kWh (46,000,000 MJ) of power annually, including all of the exterior signs' power needs. Along with the photovoltaic panels on the facade, the fuel cells would have been able to provide most of
16468-454: The character of the masonry facade as presenting "a more composed personality appropriate to the context of Midtown Manhattan". The offices are accessed from an entrance on 42nd Street, which is named One Five One after its street address of 151 West 42nd Street. The main entrance has a recessed glass wall and originally had an angled glass canopy, which complemented the curving ceiling of the lobby. The entrance originally contained glass doors and
16647-468: The city's tabloid newspapers to describe the construction site as "jinxed". A construction crane fell onto a building on 43rd Street in January 1998, and a piece of aluminum dropped from the northern facade that April, though no one was hurt in either incident. That June, a carpenter was crushed to death by an elevator. The most severe incident occurred on July 21, 1998, when a construction elevator fell onto
16826-424: The classical designs of the early skyscrapers , instead embracing the uniform international style ; many older skyscrapers were redesigned to suit contemporary tastes or even demolished—such as New York's Singer Building , once the world's tallest skyscraper. German -American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became one of the world's most renowned architects in the second half of the 20th century. He conceived
17005-648: The creation of a significant number of early skyscrapers, though none of these were steel reinforced and few remain today. Height limits and fire restrictions were later introduced. In the late 1800s, London builders found building heights limited due to issues with existing buildings. High-rise development in London is restricted at certain sites if it would obstruct protected views of St Paul's Cathedral and other historic buildings. This policy, 'St Paul's Heights', has officially been in operation since 1927. Concerns about aesthetics and fire safety had likewise hampered
17184-496: The current BMT Sea Beach Line opened, replacing a street level "el" that branched off of the Fifth Avenue El with the former BMT West End Line . Originally, it used the south tracks of the Manhattan Bridge , which at that time connected to the BMT Nassau Street Line . Trains began running express between Pacific Street and 59th Street with the extension of the Fourth Avenue Line to 86th Street. On September 4, 1917,
17363-413: The design of the cafeteria. The cafeteria reportedly cost $ 30 to $ 35 million. The main cafeteria measures 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m) tall. It was originally decorated with serpentine blue-titanium walls, as well as a ceiling with blue-titanium panels and hanging white shapes. The floor was made of plywood, but it was resurfaced in linoleum by 2002 because Condé Nast editors' high heels kept damaging
17542-651: The development of skyscrapers across continental Europe for the first half of the 20th century. By 1940, there were around 100 high-rise buildings in Europe ( List of early skyscrapers ). Some examples of these are the 43 m (141 ft) tall 1898 Witte Huis (White House) in Rotterdam ; the 51.5 m (169 ft) tall PAST Building (1906–1908) in Warsaw ; the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, completed in 1911 and 90 m (300 ft) high;
17721-402: The early 1960s Bangladeshi-American structural engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan , considered the "father of tubular designs " for high-rises, discovered that the dominating rigid steel frame structure was not the only system apt for tall buildings, marking a new era of skyscraper construction in terms of multiple structural systems . His central innovation in skyscraper design and construction
17900-504: The entire Broadway Line and short-turned at 57th Street–Seventh Avenue or Times Square during the morning rush hour. On weekends, it made local stops in Manhattan, but ran express in Brooklyn, using the Bridge. During late nights, it ran local along its entire route via the Montague Street Tunnel , replacing the R train. On May 29, 2005, the new Stillwell Avenue terminal was completed, and N service between 86th Street and Coney Island
18079-416: The environment and loaded structures with decorative elements and extravagant finishes. This approach to design was opposed by Fazlur Khan and he considered the designs to be whimsical rather than rational. Moreover, he considered the work to be a waste of precious natural resources. Khan's work promoted structures integrated with architecture and the least use of material resulting in the smallest impact on
18258-454: The environment. The next era of skyscrapers will focus on the environment including performance of structures, types of material, construction practices, absolute minimal use of materials/natural resources, embodied energy within the structures, and more importantly, a holistically integrated building systems approach. Modern building practices regarding supertall structures have led to the study of "vanity height". Vanity height, according to
18437-670: The environmentally-efficient features planned for the structure. Preliminary work for 4 Times Square, as the building was known, began in September 1996. At the time, it was the first speculative office development to be built in Midtown Manhattan in fifteen years, and its construction prompted the development of other office buildings in the area. 4 Times Square and its three neighboring developments would collectively add almost 4 × 10 ^ sq ft (370,000 m) of office space. All four projects were being marketed with
18616-649: The facade. In response, Nasdaq said the sign was within the terms of its own lease and that, in any case, Condé Nast's graphic-arts department did not need natural light. An arbitrator ruled in favor of Nasdaq in August 1999, and the Nasdaq MarketSite sign started illuminating that December. By the end of 1999, Durst was looking to refinance the building to replace the construction loan from the Bank of New York. The building's fourth-floor cafe opened in April 2000 and
18795-528: The first building in the world to feature a metal-framed glass curtain wall , a design element which creates light, airy interiors and has since been used the world over as a defining feature of skyscrapers". Further developments led to what many individuals and organizations consider the world's first skyscraper, the ten-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1884–1885. While its original height of 42.1 m (138 ft) does not even qualify as
18974-943: The first part of the BMT Broadway Line and the north side tracks of the Manhattan Bridge opened. Trains ran from 14th Street–Union Square to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue , now using the bridge's northern tracks. On January 15, 1918, service was extended to Times Square–42nd Street . Weekday and Saturday summer trains leaving Coney Island between 6:37 a.m. and 8:37 p.m. began running non-stop between Kings Highway and 59th Street on August 1, 1920. Trains that started at Kings Highway made local stops. On November 14, 1920, weekday rush hour trains, and Saturday AM rush hour trains began skipping Myrtle Avenue and DeKalb Avenue. Between 1924 and 1926, trains skipped Myrtle Avenue and DeKalb Avenue during weekday rush hours, and on Saturday southbound between 12:01 p.m. and 6:57 p.m. Between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekdays, and 12:01 p.m. to 6:57 p.m. Southbound on Saturdays,
19153-536: The floor. Most of the seats were initially in 39 upholstered-leather booths with yellow elliptical wooden tables. The booths were slightly lifted on concrete podiums clad with wood, and the pathways through the cafeteria varied in elevation depending on the booths' height. Each booth is divided by angled glass partitions that measure 12 ft (3,650 mm) tall, 4 ft (1,200 mm) wide, and about 1 in (22 mm) thick and weighing 800 lb (360 kg) apiece. The panes are held in place by metal grommets at
19332-428: The former EE route; these trains were noted with diamond N bullets from 1979. Trains stopped terminating at Kings Highway in the AM rush hour. On January 24, 1977, as part of a series of NYCTA service cuts to save $ 13 million, many subway lines began running shorter trains during middays. As part of the change, N trains began running with four cars between 9:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. On August 27, 1977, N service
19511-491: The framework above, rather than resting on load-bearing walls of conventional construction. Some early skyscrapers have a steel frame that enables the construction of load-bearing walls taller than of those made of reinforced concrete . Modern skyscraper walls are not load-bearing , and most skyscrapers are characterized by large surface areas of windows made possible by steel frames and curtain walls. However, skyscrapers can have curtain walls that mimic conventional walls with
19690-415: The furnishings in the offices. The company's flagship magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair had their own stories, while The New Yorker had floors 20 and 21; the rest of the space had corporate offices. Most of Condé Nast's stories were shared by two publications; the elevator lobbies served as a common reception area, with glass doors on either side. Past the glass doors were curved "branding walls" with
19869-479: The glass façade skyscraper and, along with Norwegian Fred Severud , designed the Seagram Building in 1958, a skyscraper that is often regarded as the pinnacle of modernist high-rise architecture. Skyscraper construction surged throughout the 1960s. The impetus behind the upswing was a series of transformative innovations which made it possible for people to live and work in "cities in the sky". In
20048-405: The hundred-story John Hancock Center and the massive 442 m (1,450 ft) Willis Tower . Other pioneers of this field include Hal Iyengar , William LeMessurier , and Minoru Yamasaki , the architect of the World Trade Center . Many buildings designed in the 70s lacked a particular style and recalled ornamentation from earlier buildings designed before the 50s. These design plans ignored
20227-463: The ice to chill the offices during the daytime. Fowle said the firm had decided against using ice storage because it was more expensive than natural gas-powered chillers. After an upgrade in 2003, the building had 4,600 short tons (4,100 long tons; 4,200 t) of air conditioning. The air-delivery system provides 50 percent more fresh air than is required by New York City building code. It can also be used to ventilate polluted air from specified floors;
20406-717: The interior design of Condé Nast's offices, a role that Gehry declined. When the cafeteria opened in 2000, it was directed by Sean J. Killeen and a staff of 53. The space was given several nicknames, such as "the Commissary" and "the Aquarium". The main cafeteria covered 10,800 sq ft (1,000 m) and could fit 260 people. Next to the main cafeteria were four smaller dining rooms and an auditorium with 85 seats. The private dining rooms could fit 70. The New York Daily News said that James Truman, Condé Nast's editorial director, "spent months thinking about nothing else" during
20585-608: The largest of those would have been a 56-story building at the northeast corner of 42nd Street and Broadway. These towers would have been redeveloped by George Klein of Park Tower Realty , though the Prudential Insurance Company of America joined the project in 1986. Furthermore, as part of the West Midtown special zoning district created in 1982, the New York City government had allowed new buildings in Times Square to be developed with an increased floor area ratio. To ensure
20764-488: The logo of the publication that occupied the corresponding office space. Behind the "branding walls" on each floor are 750 sq ft (70 m) rectangular conference rooms with beige or gray decorations, as well as 350 sq ft (33 m) meeting spaces for editorial teams. Along the outer edges of each story, each publication's offices were connected by an "art corridor" decorated with works of art. Most of Condé Nast's offices were arranged in an open plan, which
20943-454: The lower levels of a skyscraper will be much larger than the material required within higher levels. This is not always visually apparent. The Empire State Building 's setbacks are actually a result of the building code at the time ( 1916 Zoning Resolution ), and were not structurally required. On the other hand, John Hancock Center 's shape is uniquely the result of how it supports loads. Vertical supports can come in several types, among which
21122-413: The majority of the building in 1996, and the structure was finished in 1999. After Condé Nast and Skadden Arps moved out of the building during the 2010s, a variety of office tenants have occupied 4 Times Square. Several modifications have been made to the building after it opened, including an expansion of the antenna mast atop the building in 2003, as well as a renovation in the late 2010s. 4 Times Square
21301-421: The mast has been used as a backup site for FM stations such as WKTU, WNYC, WPAT, WSKQ, WHTZ , WAXQ , WWPR , WLTW , and WCAA . Fox & Fowle planned a masonry facade, largely oriented south toward 42nd Street and east toward Bryant Park , as well as a glass facade, largely facing west toward Broadway and north toward 43rd Street. The arrangement was meant to fit in with the livelier character of Broadway and
21480-434: The more restrained character of 42nd Street and Bryant Park. This led multiple media sources to compare the facade to the two-faced god Janus . In general, the lower stories have low-reflective glass to increase transparency, while the upper stories have highly reflective glass that deflects heat. The masonry facade wraps around much of the north, east, and south elevations . In a 1996 press release, Fox & Fowle described
21659-674: The most common for skyscrapers can be categorized as steel frames, concrete cores, tube within tube design, and shear walls. The wind loading on a skyscraper is also considerable. In fact, the lateral wind load imposed on supertall structures is generally the governing factor in the structural design. Wind pressure increases with height, so for very tall buildings, the loads associated with wind are larger than dead or live loads. Other vertical and horizontal loading factors come from varied, unpredictable sources, such as earthquakes. By 1895, steel had replaced cast iron as skyscrapers' structural material. Its malleability allowed it to be formed into
21838-435: The most complex encountered given the balances required between economics , engineering , and construction management. One common feature of skyscrapers is a steel framework from which curtain walls are suspended, rather than load-bearing walls of conventional construction. Most skyscrapers have a steel frame that enables them to be built taller than typical load-bearing walls of reinforced concrete. Skyscrapers usually have
22017-613: The nearby Woodstock Hotel, killing an 85-year-old woman and injuring twelve other people. The surrounding area was closed to the public and many residents and businesses were displaced; the area could not be reopened until netting was installed around the collapsed scaffold. After the scaffold was disassembled, the surrounding segment of 43rd Street was reopened a month after the collapse, though Woodstock Hotel residents did not return until that October. The July 1998 construction collapse delayed construction by two months. Following an investigation, U.S. government officials said in early 1999 that
22196-430: The new Archer Avenue Line upper level, the N would have been extended to Jamaica Center during weekdays. When N trains terminated at 71st Avenue or 57th Street–Seventh Avenue during weekends and evenings, G trains would have been extended to Jamaica Center, and during late nights a G train shuttle would have run between Jamaica Center and Van Wyck Boulevard . This service plan would have allowed E and F trains to remain on
22375-415: The northwest corner of the building. The space had a 72-seat auditorium, a public exhibit area, and a pair of broadcast studios below the large LED sign. The ground floor of the MarketSite contains a broadcast studio with a wall of 96 monitors, measuring 20 ft (6.1 m) tall and broadcasting information about stocks and the market. It is visible from the windows that overlook Times Square. An exhibit on
22554-440: The offices. At the time, many buildings still used fossil fuels for power generation, and natural gas created much less pollution than other fossil fuels. Gas was used instead of electricity because gas could be stored for later use, while electricity had to be used when it is produced. According to Bruce Fowle of Fox & Fowle, the firm had contemplated using electric chillers, which could create and store ice at night, then use
22733-489: The ongoing reconstruction of Coney Island terminal, weekend and late night N service was reduced to a shuttle between 86th and Pacific Streets, running express on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line . In its place, the W was extended to Manhattan and Astoria, Queens at all times; this was because the W was the only route still serving Stillwell Avenue during this part of the reconstruction. On February 22, 2004,
22912-406: The performance of structures, types of materials, construction practices, absolute minimal use of materials and natural resources, energy within the structure, and a holistically integrated building systems approach. LEED is a current green building standard. Architecturally, with the movements of Postmodernism , New Urbanism and New Classical Architecture , that established since the 1980s,
23091-536: The power for 4 Times Square, with building managers purchasing power from the city's electrical grid from Con Ed only as needed. The fuel cells would have to run continuously to operate efficiently, since they could not be turned off or on easily, but the building's power needs were much lower at night during the day. Furthermore, each cell cost $ 600,000. Consequently, plans for six of the eight fuel cells were discarded in 1997. Fox & Fowle and Durst decided to use chillers powered by natural gas to provide cool air to
23270-728: The price of steel decreased and labor costs increased. The steel frames become inefficient and uneconomic for supertall buildings as usable floor space is reduced for progressively larger supporting columns. Since about 1960, tubular designs have been used for high rises. This reduces the usage of material (more efficient in economic terms – Willis Tower uses a third less steel than the Empire State Building) yet allows greater height. It allows fewer interior columns, and so creates more usable floor space. It further enables buildings to take on various shapes. Elevators are characteristic to skyscrapers. In 1852 Elisha Otis introduced
23449-689: The rear two cars at Canal Street were restricted to boarding only (no exiting the train). In June 1931, trains skipped Myrtle Avenue and DeKalb Avenue between 7 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. weekdays, and between 10:30 a.m. Sunday to 12:30 a.m. Monday. Trains skipped 36th Street during the morning rush hour in the northbound direction. Between 1933 and 1937, the hours in which trains skipped Myrtle Avenue and DeKalb Avenue were 7 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. weekdays. On June 29, 1950, trains began running express in Brooklyn during late nights. As of June 28, 1951, every other morning rush hour train no longer terminated at Kings Highway. On May 2, 1957, service
23628-462: The retail space and the signs atop the building. The promotional CD contained a photo gallery of Times Square's history, details of 4 Times Square's green-building features, and a map of planned hotels and stores nearby. The Durst Organization received a $ 340 million construction loan in mid-1997. The loan was issued by a syndicate of banks led by the Bank of New York . The site was cleared by that August 1997. The superstructure had risen to 30 stories by
23807-472: The roof, as well as wind turbines. Douglas Durst of the Durst Organization said the panels were intended to indicate the building's energy-saving features, as the PV panels could be upgraded when the technology was more advanced. The eight-story cylindrical facade of 4 Times Square's northwest corner, on Broadway and 43rd Street, contains Nasdaq MarketSite . The facade was part of the building's original design and
23986-484: The safety elevator at the E. V. Haughwout Building in New York City, allowing convenient and safe transport to buildings' upper floors. Otis later introduced the first commercial passenger elevators to the Equitable Life Building in 1870, considered by some architectural historians to be the first skyscraper. Another crucial development was the use of a steel frame instead of stone or brick, otherwise
24165-643: The safety elevator, allowing convenient and safe passenger movement to upper floors. Another crucial development was the use of a steel frame instead of stone or brick, otherwise the walls on the lower floors on a tall building would be too thick to be practical. Today major manufacturers of elevators include Otis , ThyssenKrupp , Schindler , and KONE . Advances in construction techniques have allowed skyscrapers to narrow in width, while increasing in height. Some of these new techniques include mass dampers to reduce vibrations and swaying, and gaps to allow air to pass through, reducing wind shear. Good structural design
24344-432: The same city block that he owned by February 1990. However, he was loath to develop his sites on the block until the 42nd Street redevelopment had been finalized. The Dursts' opposition, along with Prudential and Park Tower's inability to secure tenants for the proposed buildings, led government officials to allow Prudential and Park Tower to postpone the project in 1992. By then, Prudential had spent $ 300 million on condemning
24523-511: The scaffold had collapsed because it had lacked crucial support beams. The construction crane was being disassembled by February 1999; at the time, it was the eighth-tallest structure in Manhattan. The next month, as the building was being completed, falling debris from the construction site injured three pedestrians. The first Condé Nast employees began moving into the building on June 21, 1999, when almost 200 employees from Brides , House & Garden , and Women's Sports and Fitness moved to
24702-439: The second floor was designed as the "MarketSite Experience", displaying items about MarketSite's history. Frank Gehry designed an employee cafeteria on the fourth floor for Condé Nast. The cafeteria was Gehry's first New York City project since, prior to designing the space, Gehry had had difficulty gaining any major commissions. Gehry had been friends with Condé Nast CEO Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. , who offered to hire Gehry for
24881-455: The site's development rights to Durst. Durst acquired the plot that April, he combined the newly acquired lot, which covered 33,000 sq ft (3,100 m), with an adjacent lot owned by his family, covering 11,000 sq ft (1,000 m). Durst proposed a 1.6 × 10 ^ sq ft (150,000 m) skyscraper on the expanded site. To reduce concerns from community members and civic groups, he showed them his plans. Fox & Fowle
25060-407: The site, and the previous foundations were also reused. Where newer foundations were installed, deep-rock caissons and deep foundations were used to minimize damage to neighboring buildings and subway tunnels. The building's core and external columns rise to the top of the building. The four large signs on the roof conceal the "hat truss" that connects the core and external columns. Behind the truss
25239-493: The sites through eminent domain . The partners retained the right to develop the sites in the future, and the ESDC's zoning guidelines remained in effect. Klein ceded decision-making power for the sites to Prudential, which decided to exit the real-estate market altogether, selling off all four sites. Seymour Durst ultimately died in mid-1995 before any building was developed on the block. By November 1995, Seymour's son Douglas Durst
25418-405: The south. An entrance to the New York City Subway 's Times Square–42nd Street station , served by the 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , <7> , N , Q , R , W , and S trains, is across 42nd Street. There is also an entrance to the 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station , served by
25597-462: The structure. 4 Times Square has 48 usable floors above ground, as well as two basement floors. Including mechanical stories atop the building, 4 Times Square is 52 stories tall. The building measures 809 ft (247 m) to its architectural tip and 1,118 ft (341 m) to the top of the antenna mast. The main roof is only 701 ft (214 m) high. 4 Times Square is one of the first examples of green design in commercial skyscrapers in
25776-409: The structure. The relocations continued over the two following months. The overall reaction among Condé Nast employees was positive, though some were critical of the building; one editor would not preview the building prior to the move, while another expressed concern about the construction incidents. Furthermore, many staff members of The New Yorker were reluctant to move to 4 Times Square, though this
25955-438: The title for six years. The design and construction of skyscrapers involves creating safe, habitable spaces in very tall buildings. The buildings must support their weight, resist wind and earthquakes, and protect occupants from fire. Yet they must also be conveniently accessible, even on the upper floors, and provide utilities and a comfortable climate for the occupants. The problems posed in skyscraper design are considered among
26134-469: The top and bottom. It took one year for Gehry and the glass workers to determine how to bend the glass into a three-dimensional shape. Gehry used CATIA software to modify the glass. The partitions in the private dining rooms were sandblasted and were designed with overlaps. A model of part of the dining area was fabricated in Italy before being shipped to New York City. After Condé Nast moved out during 2014,
26313-715: The tube frame must be interrupted, with transfer girders used to maintain structural integrity. Tube structures cut down costs, at the same time allowing buildings to reach greater heights. Concrete tube-frame construction was first used in the DeWitt-Chestnut Apartment Building , completed in Chicago in 1963, and soon after in the John Hancock Center and World Trade Center . The tubular systems are fundamental to tall building design. Most buildings over 40 stories constructed since
26492-482: The tube structure was the Chestnut De-Witt apartment building, considered to be a major development in modern architecture. These new designs opened an economic door for contractors, engineers, architects, and investors, providing vast amounts of real estate space on minimal plots of land. Over the next fifteen years, many towers were built by Fazlur Rahman Khan and the " Second Chicago School ", including
26671-478: The upper rented to the lower classes. Surviving Oxyrhynchus Papyri indicate that seven-stories buildings existed in provincial towns such as in 3rd century AD Hermopolis in Roman Egypt . The skylines of many important medieval cities had large numbers of high-rise urban towers, built by the wealthy for defense and status. The residential Towers of 12th century Bologna numbered between 80 and 100 at
26850-465: The walls on the lower floors on a tall building would be too thick to be practical. An early development in this area was Oriel Chambers in Liverpool , England, built in 1864. It was only five floors high. The Royal Academy of Arts states, "critics at the time were horrified by its 'large agglomerations of protruding plate glass bubbles'. In fact, it was a precursor to Modernist architecture, being
27029-617: The weight of the building. This development led to the "Chicago skeleton" form of construction. In addition to the steel frame, the Home Insurance Building also utilized fireproofing, elevators, and electrical wiring, key elements in most skyscrapers today. Burnham and Root 's 45 m (148 ft) Rand McNally Building in Chicago, 1889, was the first all-steel framed skyscraper, while Louis Sullivan 's 41 m (135 ft) Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri, 1891,
27208-814: The world have more than 100 skyscrapers that are 150 m (492 ft) or taller: Hong Kong with 552 skyscrapers; Shenzhen , China with 373 skyscrapers; New York City , US with 314 skyscrapers; Dubai , UAE with 252 skyscrapers; Guangzhou , China with 188 skyscrapers; Shanghai , China with 183 skyscrapers; Tokyo , Japan with 168 skyscrapers; Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia with 156 skyscrapers; Wuhan , China with 149 skyscrapers; Chongqing , China, with 144 skyscrapers; Chicago , US, with 137 skyscrapers; Chengdu , China with 117 skyscrapers; Jakarta , Indonesia , with 112 skyscrapers; Bangkok , Thailand , with 111 skyscrapers, and Mumbai , India with 102. As of 2024, there are over 7 thousand skyscrapers over 150 m (492 ft) in height worldwide. The term "skyscraper"
27387-664: The world's tallest building for forty years. The first completed 417 m (1,368 ft) tall World Trade Center tower became the world's tallest building in 1972. However, it was overtaken by the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower ) in Chicago within two years. The 442 m (1,450 ft) tall Sears Tower stood as the world's tallest building for 24 years, from 1974 until 1998, until it was edged out by 452 m (1,483 ft) Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which held
27566-432: The world's tallest building, New York took the lead by 1895 with the completion of the 103 m (338 ft) tall American Surety Building , leaving New York with the title of the world's tallest building for many years. Modern skyscrapers are built with steel or reinforced concrete frameworks and curtain walls of glass or polished stone . They use mechanical equipment such as water pumps and elevators . Since
27745-476: The world, although only partially iron framed, is The Flaxmill in Shrewsbury , England. Built in 1797, it is seen as the "grandfather of skyscrapers", since its fireproof combination of cast iron columns and cast iron beams developed into the modern steel frame that made modern skyscrapers possible. In 2013 funding was confirmed to convert the derelict building into offices. In 1857, Elisha Otis introduced
27924-671: The years immediately following World War II. Early examples include Edificio España (Spain) and Torre Breda (Italy). From the 1930s onward, skyscrapers began to appear in various cities in East and Southeast Asia as well as in Latin America . Finally, they also began to be constructed in cities in Africa , the Middle East , South Asia , and Oceania from the late 1950s. Skyscraper projects after World War II typically rejected
28103-561: Was available between the N at 86th Street and the F at Avenue X station . The N began running local in Manhattan in March 2020 after the W was temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; regular N and W service was restored in June. In May 2020, the N began operating local along Fourth Avenue on most weekends to provide a transfer to the F at Fourth Avenue–Ninth Street, since the F
28282-402: Was closed for Hurricane Sandy -related repairs. During this time, overnight N service was rerouted via the Manhattan Bridge, skipping six stations it normally served. On November 7, 2016, the MTA restored the BMT Broadway Line services to their 2004–2010 service pattern in preparation for the rerouting of the Q train to the Second Avenue Subway . As a result, the N train once again became
28461-417: Was cut back during late nights, only operating between 36th Street and Coney Island . Northbound trains ran express between 59th Street and 36th Street while southbound trains ran local. On November 26, 1984, evening rush hour trains that terminated at Kings Highway were extended to Coney Island. Reconstruction of the Manhattan Bridge between 1986 and 2004 disrupted N service, usually rerouting it via
28640-478: Was designed by Fox & Fowle and developed by the Durst Organization . 4 Times Square, and the Bank of America Tower to the east, occupy an entire city block . Fox & Fowle planned a masonry facade facing south and east, as well as a glass facade facing west and north. The northwest corner of the building's base contains the eight-story cylindrical facade of Nasdaq MarketSite , which includes
28819-586: Was designed by Fox & Fowle and developed by the Durst Organization . WSP Cantor Seinuk was the structural engineer, while Tishman Construction was the main contractor. Other companies involved with the project included wind consultant CPP Wind Engineering and Air Quality Consultants, elevator contractor Otis Worldwide , mechanical engineer Cosentini Associates , photovoltaic contractor Kiss + Cathcart Architects, lighting contractor Fisher Marantz Renfro Stone, and cladding contractor Heitmann & Associates. The New York City Economic Development Corporation owns
28998-418: Was designed to operate in tandem with the wastewater system, further reducing energy use. The building is also served by recycling chutes. There are dedicated shafts for paper recycling and trash, which lead to storage bins in the basement. There is mechanical equipment on the 49th floor and on two mezzanines above it. These stories contain three diesel generators, which power the antenna mast and are capable of
29177-585: Was extended north over the BMT 60th Street Tunnel Connection to Forest Hills–71st Avenue to replace the discontinued EE . While many N trains ran the full route from Coney Island to 71st Avenue, via the Manhattan Bridge and Broadway Express, some trains ran local during the rush hours only (southbound in the AM rush hour, and northbound in the PM rush hour) between Whitehall Street–South Ferry in Lower Manhattan and Forest Hills–71st Avenue , which had been
29356-492: Was extended north via the express tracks from Times Square to 57th Street–Seventh Avenue , and trains stopped bypassing 36th Street during the AM rush hour. In fall 1959, trains began stopping at DeKalb Avenue during midday hours. Previously, they bypassed DeKalb Avenue at all times except late nights. Beginning on January 1, 1961, trains bypassed DeKalb Avenue during rush hours only. In addition, on weekday and Saturday evenings, late nights, and all day Sundays, they ran local on
29535-621: Was first applied to buildings of steel-framed construction of at least 10 stories in the late 19th century, a result of public amazement at the tall buildings being built in major American cities like New York City , Philadelphia , Boston , Chicago , Detroit , and St. Louis . The first steel-frame skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building , originally 10 stories with a height of 42 m or 138 ft, in Chicago in 1885; two additional stories were added. Some point to Philadelphia's 10-story Jayne Building (1849–50) as
29714-438: Was flanked by stone blocks. The masonry facade has windows measuring 5 by 7 ft (1.5 by 2.1 m), larger than in typical office buildings. The large windows were meant to reduce the amount of electricity required for illuminating the offices. The glass facade, which wraps around the west elevation and part of the south elevation, is designed to blend in with the surrounding signage. The glass facade contains green panels and
29893-473: Was hired to design the building; at the time, it was one of four companies that were allowed to design green buildings in New York City. Its plan for limestone and glass facades was generally well received by civic groups such as the Municipal Art Society . Before construction started, the state required a commitment from a large tenant. This led media sources to debate whether the building was
30072-424: Was in 17th-century Edinburgh , Scotland, where a defensive city wall defined the boundaries of the city. Due to the restricted land area available for development, the houses increased in height instead. Buildings of 11 stories were common, and there are records of buildings as high as 14 stories. Many of the stone-built structures can still be seen today in the old town of Edinburgh. The oldest iron framed building in
30251-423: Was included before Nasdaq had leased the space. At street level is a three-story glass facade, which contains a view of the studio inside. Above the studio, the facade consists of a giant LED display, variously cited as measuring 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m) or 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m). The display was the world's largest at the time of its completion. The display is allowed because 4 Times Square
30430-423: Was more heavily influenced by the fact that The New Yorker previously occupied a different building from the other Condé Nast publications. Many Condé Nast staff arrived at the building in limousines, which created congestion on nearby streets, prompting the city government to create a limousine-dropoff area nearby. At the building's opening, Durst also faced two class-action lawsuits from nearby business owners as
30609-423: Was negotiating with Prudential to develop the northeast corner of 42nd Street and Broadway with a larger skyscraper that would use the Durst family's adjacent lots. Durst asked Prudential to postpone the development of the other three sites until Durst had completed his building. The new building would be the first in the same redevelopment project that the Durst family had once opposed. Further, Durst planned to claim
30788-405: Was not popular among the publication's employees. The open-plan workspaces had white-laminate and blue-gray aluminum workstations with wooden accents. Only five percent of offices were directly adjacent to windows, but the open plan allowed many lower-ranking employees to have desks next to windows. Publishers and top editors had their own offices at the corners, while senior staffers had to work near
30967-441: Was part of an increase in leasing in buildings around Times Square. By March 1997, though the building's site had not been fully excavated, 87 percent of the office space had already been leased. Rainforest Cafe tentatively agreed to lease a storefront in the street level and basement that July. Since most of the office space had been taken by Condé Nast and Skadden Arps, the Durst Organization decided to distribute CDs to promote
31146-558: Was provided during rush hours. Trains continued to run express in Brooklyn between Pacific Street and 59th Street/Fourth Avenue evenings and weekends. On June 11, 1990, trains that were put into service at Queensboro Plaza in the PM rush hour were discontinued. Between June 10, 1990, and July 25, 1992, due to construction work in the 60th Street Tunnel, trains had to use a single track. Trains operated either between Ditmars Boulevard and Canal Street, or between 57th Street and Coney Island. The Transit Authority and politicians pressured
31325-438: Was renovated two years afterward. Meanwhile, the signs atop the building remained unused through early 2000. Teligent was the first company to pay $ 500,000 a year for the signs, but it went bankrupt a year after the signs were installed. By late 2001, Nasdaq was contemplating relocating its offices (which had been damaged in the September 11 attacks) to 4 Times Square, where only 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m) of office space
31504-402: Was restored. On June 28, 2010, the N began running local in Manhattan north of Canal Street at all times, replacing the W on weekdays which was discontinued due to budget problems, effectively adopting the weekend service pattern. However, the handful of short-turn N trains continued to run express in Manhattan. From August 2, 2013, to September 14, 2014, the Montague Street Tunnel
31683-454: Was the concept of the "tube" structural system , including the "framed tube", "trussed tube", and "bundled tube". His "tube concept", using all the exterior wall perimeter structure of a building to simulate a thin-walled tube, revolutionized tall building design. These systems allow greater economic efficiency, and also allow skyscrapers to take on various shapes, no longer needing to be rectangular and box-shaped. The first building to employ
31862-613: Was the first steel-framed building with soaring vertical bands to emphasize the height of the building and is therefore considered to be the first early skyscraper. In 1889, the Mole Antonelliana in Italy was 197 m (549 ft) tall. Most early skyscrapers emerged in the land-strapped areas of New York City and Chicago toward the end of the 19th century. A land boom in Melbourne , Australia between 1888 and 1891 spurred
32041-437: Was vacant. Several radio stations had also been forced to move to 4 Times Square after the attacks, prompting the addition of an FM antenna for WNYC in March 2002. The Duane Reade pharmacy chain leased the remaining ground-floor space and part of the basement in mid-2002. After the September 11 attacks, Durst was unable to refinance 4 Times Square because his insurer had dropped terrorism coverage from its policy. A judge issued
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