One Vanderbilt is a new ninety-three floor building located in the center of Manhattan on the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. It is the fourth tallest building in New York City, after One World Trade Center, the Central Park Tower and 111 West 57th Street.
The facade of the building is made of highly reflective glass, with layers of light gray terracotta between the glass panels. One Vanderbilt is a slim tower that tapers as it rises. There are a group of pavilions at different heights which culminate with a 100-foot antenna. The structural features of the building include a mechanical core made of steel and concrete that is surrounded by a steel frame. It does not contain interior columns.
The base has a series of angles and cut outs that highlight the historic Grand Central Station, which is right next door. Below ground, One Vanderbilt connects to the Grand Central to facilitate access for commuters. One of the challenges in designing the building involved its location right next to Grand Central Station, a landmark structure. The plans had to be approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Construction of the building began in 2013 and completed in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, One Vanderbilt did not open to the public until October 2021.
The building is primarily used for commercial purposes and contains over 1.6 million square feet of office space. The top four floors contain an observation deck called the Summit, where visitors can enjoy the panoramic views along with site specific art installations by Kenzo Digital. One of the observation floors has an exhibit called Levitation: there are two glass ledges suspended about 1000 feet over Madison Avenue. There is also a rooftop bar at the Summit called Apres, where visitors can enjoy drinks and light bites while taking in the incredible view.
The author with his family at Levitation at One Vanderbilt
