Aramco Building reminds one, with its brick, curved corner, and strip windows, of the Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea. It served as headquarters of the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) from 1949 to 1973.
According to a New York Times article, the Aramco Building was designed with a view to possible future conversion to residential use. In 1987 the building was updated by Der Scutt, the architect responsible for the Trump Building, Grand Hyatt, and 100 United Nations Plaza Tower, among others. In the renovation, Der Scutt created a two-story lobby and modern two-story base clad in polished brass, tinted glass and marble.
Aramco Building Vital Statistics
- Location: 505 Park Avenue at E 59th Street
- Year completed: 1949; renovated 1987
- Architect: Emery Roth & Sons; Der Scutt (renovation)
- Floors: 21
- Style: International
Aramco Building Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry (Der Scutt)
- The New York Times Is It Time to Redevelop Park Avenue Again? (May 14, 1989)
- The New York Times Der Scutt, Modernist Architect, Dies at 75 (March 16, 2010)
- Aramco history
- New York Songlines block listing
- Der Scutt project page
- Columbia University NY Real Estate Brochures Collection page
- Emporis database