Five Penn Plaza is overshadowed now, but as the Printing Crafts Building it was the “tallest and most imposing business structure on Eighth Avenue” [The New York Times] when built in 1916. Today, the gilt panels of former tenants recall the structure’s history.
It was conceived as the nation’s largest printing/publishing building, with 10 floors devoted to presses and binderies, and 12 floors for stockrooms and offices of publishers and ad agencies. Proximity to the main post office and Penn Station were key ingredients of the building’s success.
Despite the building’s age, it has been modernized with “green” technology (LEED-certified silver) and multiple fiber optic lines.
Five Penn Plaza Vital Statistics
- Location: 5 Penn Plaza – 461 Eighth Avenue between W 33rd and W 34th Streets
- Year completed: 1916
- Architect: John & Edward Larkin
- Floors: 24
- Style: Beaux Arts
Five Penn Plaza Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- The New York Times archive
- The New York Times archive
- Showcase.com listing
- Roof garden design notes
- Owners website