63 YEARS AGO A LANDMARK WAS BORN
The Pepsi-Cola World Headquarters 1960
While we’re getting ready to open the doors to our new home, we’re taking a look back at the footsteps that have gone before us at 500 Park Avenue, NYC.
500 Park Avenue was first unveiled in 1960. The brainchild of Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Bois, it was designed in the International Style with a curtain wall of glass and metal. On opening, the ribbon was cut by none other than Miss America 1960, Lynda Lee Mead.
At ground level, the lobby's glass walls are set back from the upper structure, creating space for a landscaped terrace that forms a bridge between the busy sidewalk and the calm environment within.
Above, the offices are spacious and unobstructed except for the main columns which define the facade. The structure consists of steel columns (with concrete fireproofing) and reinforced concrete slabs. The curtain wall’s spandrels and mullions are made of aluminium.
The inspiration behind the now-iconic building? A glass box. It was so well received by architects that it was named ‘Building of the Year’ in 1960 by the Municipal Art Society.
It’s had a few monikers over the years, being known as the Pepsi-Cola Building, the Olivetti Building – the name behind the famous typewriter brand – and the ABM-AMRO Bank Building.
We’re honoured to be adding FRATO to the list.
