Olympic Tower
| Olympic Tower | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Location | 645 5th Avenue New York City, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°45′33″N 73°58′34″W / 40.7592°N 73.9760°WCoordinates: 40°45′33″N 73°58′34″W / 40.7592°N 73.9760°W |
| Construction started | 1972 |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Owner | Oxford Properties |
| Management | Oxford Properties |
| Height | |
| Roof | 620 ft (190 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 51 |
| Floor area | 92,900 m2 (1,000,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
| References | |
Olympic Tower is a 51-story building in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City on Fifth Avenue. It is between East 51st Street and East 52nd Street. The exact address is 641 Fifth Avenue. Built in 1975, it was constructed on a site that was occupied by a Best & Company Store that was built in 1947. It contains 225 condominium apartments and more than 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) of office space and retail space. Situated next to St. Patrick's Cathedral, it offers views of the cathedral's buttresses and Fifth Avenue. Upon construction, it became a prime real estate location for the of that time.
The planned use of the building was a groundbreaking concept at that time because it was the first mixed use zoned for Fifth Avenue, which had 21 floors of offices, 30 of condominiums and high-end retail on the first floor. It was constructed by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and his company, Victory Development, in joint venture partnership with Arlen Realty & Development Corporation.
Olympic tower was designed by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, notable for designing Willis Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago, among many other high-rise buildings in the U.S. and elsewhere.Paul Goldberger of the New York Times criticized the building's architecture as "oppressively banal".
The completed building housed some of the most luxurious condos in the world at that time. 80s billionaire Adnan Khashoggi had a swimming pool installed in his after the building was constructed; and other notables also lived there. The NBA offices are located in the tower between the 12th and 20th floors.
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