Passage: Black Rock
It happened this past week . . . the Golden Anniversary of Black Rock.
That's the name for 51 West 52nd Street, the CBS corporate headquarters building in New York City, which opened for business on March 24th, 1965.
It's the only skyscraper ever designed by the great architect Eero Saarinen, the man behind the St. Louis arch, Dulles Airport, and those famous "tulip" chairs.
St. Louis' Gateway Arch celebrates 48 years ("CBS This Morning," 10/28/13)
At 491 feet, it was one of the tallest reinforced concrete buildings of its time.
Unlike most other Manhattan skyscrapers, Black Rock rises from a sunken plaza. And instead of a sheer glass façade, the CBS tower is clad in dark granite.
Its black appearance -- and its location near Rockefeller Center -- account for the nickname "Black Rock."
When it first opened its doors, the magazine Saturday Review raved: "Now and then an enlightened corporation ... decides to make a significant architectural contribution to the city."
If you'll indulge us a little boasting ... in a city sprouting many dozens of skyscrapers, Black Rock remains as distinctive as the day it opened.
- Gastrotypographicalassemblage: The long journey for Black Rock mural ("CBS This Morning," 03/15/14)
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