| Helmsley Building | |
|---|---|
 The Helmsley Building as seen from Park Avenue on March 2, 2024, with the MetLife Building in the background | |
 | |
| Former names | New York General Building (1958–1978) New York Central Building (1929–1958) |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Address | 230 Park Avenue New York, NY 10169 U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°45′16″N 73°58′33″W / 40.75444°N 73.97583°W |
| Construction started | 1927 |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Owner | RXR Realty |
| Height | 565 feet (172 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 35 |
| Lifts/elevators | 25 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Warren and Wetmore |
| Developer | New York Central Railroad Company |
| Website | |
| helmsleybuilding | |
| Designated | March 31, 1987 |
| Reference no. | 1297 (exterior) 1298 (interior) |
| References | |
| [1] | |
The Helmsley Building is a 35-story skyscraper at 230 Park Avenue between East 45th and 46th Streets, just north of Grand Central Terminal, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was built in 1929 as the New York Central Building and was designed by Warren & Wetmore in the Beaux-Arts style. The building has been described as the last major project built as part of the Terminal City complex around Grand Central.
The facade of the four-story base is composed of limestone and Texas pink granite, while the upper stories are clad with brick. The top of the Helmsley Building is a pyramid with an ornate cupola. The Helmsley Building carries vehicular traffic through its base: traffic exits and enters the Park Avenue Viaduct through two portals passing under the building. Flanking the viaduct's ramps are passageways connecting 45th and 46th Streets, with entrances to Grand Central Terminal. The lobby of the building is between the vehicular portals and contains bronze and marble detailing. The Helmsley Building has 1.4 million square feet (130,000 m2) of office space.
Before the construction of Grand Central Terminal, the area to the north of the predecessor Grand Central Depot was occupied by an open-air rail yard; the tracks and depot were operated by the New York Central Railroad. After the terminal was completed in 1913, the tracks were buried under a series of buildings that were constructed over the tracks as part of the Terminal City development. The New York Central Building was erected for the railroad between 1927 and 1929 as the last major structure to be built within Terminal City. It was renamed the New York General Building in 1958 and the Helmsley Building in 1978, though ownership was changed several times afterward. The building's facade and lobby became New York City designated landmarks in 1987. RXR Realty has owned the building since 2015.