New York - 1960

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Entry posted by korver · October 5, 2021

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Today, we're taking another look into New York's past with a trip to 1960 - a year where the city's iconic skyline will be redefined with a number of important new
developments, both in Midtown Manhattan, Lower Manhattan, and across the city. Since the 1930s and World War II, much of New York's progress had been halted and the
city's famous skyline became frozen in time for a number of years - but due in part to the improved economy and the rise of the popular international building style, a new wave of construction hit the city in the 50s and 60s.

Our look at New York in 1960 begins with a trip to Lower Manhattan - where the city's iconic skyline is starting to rise once again since a huge building boom throughout
the 1920s and early 1930s. The most prominent of these early skyscrapers is the 60 story, 813 ft tall One Chase Manhattan Plaza. Built from from 1957-1961 (seen here under construction in early 1960), this modern skyscraper redefined the look of Manhattan's Financial District.

For the next sight, we'll be taking a typical nighttime look at some of New York's residential areas in the 1960s - here with a view of the Bronx in early 1960. In the top of the scene, you can see a view of the elevated Third Avenue Line - which had been running since 1878. By 1960 however, it was well into it's decline and eventually was completely dismantled by the end of the 1970s. Large scale projects and highway construction started popping up across the city in the 50s and 60s - and you can see some of the recently completed projects in the lower half of the image.

We head back into the heart of Midtown Manhattan now for a look at new developments throughout 1960 - and Park Avenue is at the center of the city's new construction
wave. Here we see a nighttime view of the famed avenue in Spring 1960.

Throughout the course of 1960, great progress is made on one of Midtown's most recognizable buildings of this era - the Pan Am Building. As the 808 ft tall international &
brutalist styled skyscraper begins to rise, it begins attracting plenty of criticism from locals for both "severing" the iconic Park Avenue streetscape (the building sits directly in the middle of the famed avenue), and for blocking views from some of the city's most popular observation decks. Despite the complaints, the building is finally completed in 1963 as one of New York's largest high rises.

Further down Park Avenue (and on a much smaller scale) another office building is completed - but this time, to a much different reaction. The 11-story Pepsi-Cola Building, also known as 500 Park Avenue, was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) opened in February 1960 and had one of the most unique and renowned designs along Park Avenue during this era. Designed in the International Style with a curtain wall made of glass and aluminum, it had a distinctive overhang which gave it a floating appearance over Park Avenue. Over the years, it's been the headquarters of Pepsi-Cola, John Hancock Mutual Insurance, Olivetti, Equitable Life, and more - and eventually gained landmark status in 1995 in part due to it's innovative design.

The tour concludes with a look at another one New York's most notable early 1960's skyscrapers - the Union Carbide Building. Also designed by Natalie de Blois and Gordon Bunshaft, this 52 story, 708 ft tall international-styled skyscraper broke ground in 1957 and opened in April 1960 as the headquarters of Union Carbide - and eventually Manufacturers Hanover Trust and JPMorgan Chase. Noted for being the world's tallest skyscraper designed by a female architect for over 50 years, it's sleek design (similarly to the nearby Seagram Building) helped to further popularize the International style in New York and across the globe. It wasn't enough however to save it from demolition in 2019 to make room for the new 1,388 ft tall JP Morgan Chase Building - setting a record for the world's tallest intentionally demolished building.