CBS Building
- Architect
- Eero Saarinen
- Year
- 1964
- Style
- International Style
- City
- Manhattan, NY
The CBS Building at 51 West 52nd Street, nicknamed Black Rock, is a 38-story, 491-foot tower completed in 1964 as the headquarters of the CBS broadcasting network. It was constructed from 1961 to 1964 and was the only skyscraper ever designed by Eero Saarinen, who called it the "simplest skyscraper statement in New York."
the building
Black Rock facade. The nickname comes from the facade: angled dark-gray granite piers alternating with dark-tinted glass, designed so the building reads as one continuous slab rather than a framed grid.
Saarinen's interiors. Saarinen designed the interior spaces and furnishings himself; after his death, Florence Knoll Bassett completed the interior work.
the style
The CBS Building represents Modern architecture, distinguished from International Style glass boxes of the era by its solid granite piers and slab-like massing.
More on International Stylethe architect
Eero Saarinen designed the CBS Building as his only skyscraper; the interiors were finished by Florence Knoll Bassett after his death.
More on Eero Saarinensignificance
The building is a New York City Individual Landmark (LP-01971), designated 10/21/1997.
more by Eero Saarinen
nearby
- 1270 Avenue of the Americas
- Radio City Music Hall
- 13 West 54th Street House
- Saint Thomas Church and Parish House
- 30 Rockefeller Plaza
- University Club