Located on Lexington Avenue at 43rd Street directly above Grand Central Terminal, 420 Lexington Avenue offers superior, Class-A office space in the heart of Manhattan, making it one of New York City’s most sought-after addresses. The 31-story, 1.5 million-square-foot tower, also known as the Graybar Building, was originally constructed in 1927 by the architectural firm Sloan & Robertson. It is a stellar example of Art Deco style and was once among the largest office buildings in the world. Today, its large floor plates and 32-passenger elevator cabs facilitate seamless movement throughout the building for tenants of all sizes. Tenants also enjoy the convenience and luxury of an on-site Equinox fitness club and direct access to Grand Central Terminal.
Completed in 1927 as one of the last structures of “Terminal City,” the master plan for the area surrounding Grand Central Terminal, 420 Lexington is a defining piece of architecture. A mélange of Babylonian and Byzantine motifs, the building’s severely cubist setback massing is enlivened by relief sculptures, tile and metalwork, including figures that flank the monumental entries bearing the symbols of the four elements of earth, water, air and fire. Interiors include elaborately polychromed ceilings and ornamental bronze grills, doors and fixtures as well as wall and floor mosaics. A fanciful touch is the metal rats that adorn the ship cable-like struts of the main entrance, a detailed architect John Sloane intended to strike a “maritime note” in keeping with Grand Central’s significance as a transportation hub.
The building seamlessly merges into Grand Central Terminal via the Graybar Passage, a beautifully proportioned Romanesque hall of vaulted ceilings and bronze chandeliers that connects Lexington Avenue with the Terminals’ luminous Great Hall. A central nave is adorned with a large mural by the artist Edward Trumbull, also responsible for the murals that adorn the lobby of the adjacent Chrysler Building. Six Metro-North train platforms lead off from the Graybar Passage, making the building integral to commuting in the city.
420 Lexington was originally named after a major early tenant, the Graybar Electric Company, a communications and telephone firm who listed the building as their corporate headquarters from 1927 to 1982. SL Green acquired a long-term operating lease on the building in 1988 and initiated a major restoration of the structure by the architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle, which included construction of a new entrance canopy and storefronts. A superb realization of aesthetics, technology, modern amenities, services and systems, joined to one of the greatest locations in New York City, the Graybar Building was made an official NYC Landmark in 2016.