NYC: McGraw-Hill Building Plaza Sun Triangle

            The Sun Triangle, designed by meteorologist and oceanographer Athelstan Spilhaus, was installed in inside the sunken plaza outside the McGraw-Hill Building, located at 1221 Avenue of the Americas, in 1973.  The outline of the 50-foot stainless steel triangle points too a seasonal position of the sun at solar noon in New York City.  The shortest bottom side points to the sun's lowest noon position on the winter solstice, an altitude of 26°, on December 21; the steepest side points to the sun's highest position on the summer solstice, an altitude of 73°, at 1:00 pm (noon if it weren't for daylight savings time) on June 21; and the longest side, the upper leg, points to the sun at noon on the spring and autumn equinoxes on March 21 and September 23.  There are maps imbedded in the pavement of the plaza which illustrate the earth's land and water masses. The plaza also has a reflecting pool, symbolizing the sun, and nine stainless steel spheres, representing the nine planets.

The McGraw Hill Building, the "Y" building of the XYZ Buildings, at 1221 Avenue of the Americas,  was completed in 1969.  The oldest in the XYZ plan, it is the second tallest, sitting at 674-feet and 51-stories.  In additon to McGraw Hill, other tenants include Sirius XM Radio whose headquarters and broadcast facility are in the building.

1251 Avenue of the Americas, the former Exxon Building, the "X" building of the XYZ Buildings, was built from 1967 to 1971.  Originally built as the headquarters for Exxon, the oil company sold the building to a unit of Mitsui Real Estate Development Co. Ltd in 1986 and moved its operations to Irving, Texas in 1989.  It is the northermost and tallest of the XYZ plan, and the second tallest in the greater Rockfeller Center complex, at 750 feet and 54 stories and feature a sunken plaza with a large pool and fountains.  Despite being as tall as the tallest buildings in other metropolitan areas, 1251 Avenue of the Americas has almost no presence on the New York City skyline as it is flanked by 500-foot tall buildings on all sides.

The XYZ Buildings, as they are commonly called, are three international-style skyscrapers of different heights but of similar scaleless box-like mass, placed east-west on adjacent blocks lining Sixth Avenue / Avenue of the Americas.  Part of the Rockefeller Center complex expansion in the late 1960's and early 1970's, the plans for the three office towers were first made in 1963 by the Rockefeller family's architect, Wallace Harrison of the firm, Harrison and Abromovitz.

McGraw-Hill Building National Register #80002701
Rockefeller Center National Register #87002591

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Taken in: United States / New York / New York / Theatre District (show map)

Taken on: July 28, 2006

Tags:

perspective

midtown

Manhattan

NYC

Rockefeller Center

McGraw-Hill Building

McGraw-Hill Building Plaza

sculpture

skyscraper

New York

Athelstan Spilhaus

Sun Triangle

Wallace Harrison

Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris

Harrison & Abramovitz

Harrison, Abramovitz and Harris

Harrison and Abramovitz

international style

Rockefeller Center Extension

Sixth Avenue

6th Avenue

Avenue of the Americas

XYZ Buildings

XYZ

XYZ Plan

landmark

National Register of Historic Places

NRHP

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Historic Landmark

NHL

U.S. National Historic Landmark

1221 Avenue of Americas

Exxon Building

1251 Avenue of the Americas

Former Exxon Building

Wallace K. Harrison

1221 Avenue of the Americas « less

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Camera: Canon PowerShot SD600, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, 5.8mm (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SD600
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	5.8mm
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
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