NEW YORK | Citigroup Center | 915 FT / 279 M | 59 FLOORS | 1977

NYguy · #1 Posted **Apr 23, 2007, 10:29 PM**

The former Citicorp Center, completed in 1977, stands 915 ft tall, one of the tallest in Manhattan.
It's also one of my favorite Manhattan skyscrapers.

APRIL 22, 2007

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STERNyc · #2 Posted **Apr 23, 2007, 10:39 PM**

One of my all time fave's. The design is very tight.

HomeInMyShoes · #3 Posted **Apr 23, 2007, 11:54 PM**

A great building from an era -- the 70s -- that people love to slam for giving us nothing of value architecturally.

Nice photos NYguy.

stormkingfan · #4 Posted **May 30, 2009, 2:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

A great building from an era -- the 70s -- that people love to slam for giving us nothing of value architecturally.

I prefer older style bldgs, e.g. Art-Deco, Beaux-Art, but Citigroup is definitely a symbol of NYC. Even with its simple lines, it still evokes urban sophistication. I like the reflective glass and the paneling. In the past, I'd sit on the little wall, that runs from the west entrance (where St. Pete's is), leaning against the building with a snack.

I read somewhere that located beneath the slant, is a large steel sphere. It acts as a counterweight for, when the tower sways in the wind, the sphere equalizes the sway by rolling in the opposite direction. How that works exactly, I don't know, but that's one way to keep "fragile" types from freaking at work.

ardecila · #5 Posted **Jun 1, 2009, 8:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormkingfan

I read somewhere that located beneath the slant, is a large steel sphere. It acts as a counterweight for, when the tower sways in the wind, the sphere equalizes the sway by rolling in the opposite direction. How that works exactly, I don't know, but that's one way to keep "fragile" types from freaking at work.

There is a mass damper, but it's not a sphere... it's just a giant ugly concrete block, unlike the dramatic sphere that Taipei 101 has.

Patrick · #6 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 2:48 AM**

Is it possible not to like this building?

I love how the next door 599 Lexington Bldg compliments CitiGroup.

tackledspoon · #7 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 2:59 AM**

...like a giant Gumby made of white marble...

bgwah · #8 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 3:52 AM**

Is there actually a church on the corner of the site? Wikipedia says that is why they built on the stilts like that. Some more pics of the base would be cool.

BnaBreaker · #9 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 6:09 AM**

One of my all time favorites.

vanman · #10 Posted **May 8, 2008, 10:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

One of my all time favorites.

Agreed!

NYguy · #11 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 11:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgwah

Is there actually a church on the corner of the site? Wikipedia says that is why they built on the stilts like that. Some more pics of the base would be cool.

There is a church at the northwestern corner of the tower, but I couldn't quite frame it right standing underneath.

KevinFromTexas · #12 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 12:04 PM**

Defnitely a unique building. Citigroup Center was one of those buildings that helped spark my interest in skyscrapers since the design is so fascinating. I remember thinking it was just so cool how it could stand there on stilts.

Matt · #13 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 2:41 PM**

One of my favorites as well... it defines the Midtown skyline when viewed from the east (most notably Queens). Too bad the solar panel concept of the project never quite made it to fruition...

PhillyRising · #14 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 2:53 PM**

A classic and definetly a bright spot for New York when it was built during the city's darkest days. It's interesting what had to be done to stablize the tower against high winds after they built the place.

dropdeaded209 · #15 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 5:15 PM**

it's also amazing that the hurricane which could have brought the building down changed course.

i love how the building is lit up a night. some people find it too bulky and ungraceful but i think it's a knockout.

Jularc · #16 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 5:25 PM**

I love this tower... but it is sad that Google Earth doesn't seem love it as much. They just managed to hid it away.

NYguy · #17 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 6:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jularc

I love this tower... but it is sad that Google Earth doesn't seem love it as much. They just managed to hid it away.

At least they left the church visible...

I think Miles Davis (or some other musician) had a funeral there.

-GR2NY- · #18 Posted **Apr 24, 2007, 5:59 PM**

The thing looks great from queens as mentioned above. The base however, makes me feel uncomfortable when I've been around it. Not the legs neccesarily, its just that the whole thing isn't put together right at the bottom (my opinion).

Credit "Kamil Macniak" at http://www.panoramio.com/user/28715/tags/usa

Dac150 · #19 Posted **Apr 25, 2007, 1:12 AM**

I know this is probably not true, but I remeber reading in a skyscraper book that the stilts of the citigroup center were not built to last a long lifespan. It said that because of the the church situation, the stilts were rushed in the design and not properly built to withstand a longterm fulfillment.

I for one don't see how that is possible, but its just some information.
I happen to love this building and it is on of my favorites.

CGII · #20 Posted **Jun 14, 2009, 5:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dac150

I know this is probably not true, but I remeber reading in a skyscraper book that the stilts of the citigroup center were not built to last a long lifespan. It said that because of the the church situation, the stilts were rushed in the design and not properly built to withstand a longterm fulfillment.

I for one don't see how that is possible, but its just some information.
I happen to love this building and it is on of my favorites.

Sort of, it's kind of a winded explanation.

Imagine a table with four legs at the corners. You can put an item anywhere on the surface of the table and it will remain stable. But if you move the legs to the middle of each edge, as is the case of the Citicorp, you cannot put anything to the corners of the table surface.

The engineers of Citicorp responded by designing triangular trusses that spanned the width of each face of the building that pointed downwards; their apex would lead into each stilt, so that downward forces from the corners of the building would be channeled into the stilts. This design was dependant on welded joints, however, during construction, were changed to bolted joints to save money.

I think around 1978 a Columbia engineering student discovered that the bolted joints were inappropriate for the design of the building, and that instigated further investigation and ultimately panic for the engineers of the building. It was soon discovered that in gale force winds (which occur in New York a few times in a lifetime) the bolted joints could fail and the building could collapse. Secretly the engineering team and Citicorp had the building retrofitted with plates at each joint to strengthen them. The reconstruction work was occurring while a hurricane was headed straight towards New York, and at the last possible moment, as the city was prepared to evacuate an 8 block radius of the building, the hurricane turned away and the construction crews finished.

The entire ordeal was kept 100% secret from the public until 1995.

ANYWAYS, this building has a great presence from Brooklyn, where Midtown towers just happen to pop up and dominate the end of many streets:

From Greenpoint:

From Bed-Stuy:

Bedford avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant quite nicely frames it, but I can't find any of my own pictures of it.

Also I have the 3d puzzle of it: