View source for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower

{{Short description|Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York}}
{{About|the tower at 1 Madison Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets, formerly nicknamed "Metropolitan Tower" or "Metropolitan Life Tower"|the skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street|MetLife Building|the residential tower between 22nd and 23rd Streets|One Madison|the skyscraper on 57th Street|Metropolitan Tower (Manhattan)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
| alternate_names = Met Life Tower<br />Metropolitan Life Tower
| image = Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower, 2024.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Seen in 2024
| location = 1 [[Madison Avenue]]<ref name="NYCityMap" /><br />[[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
| architectural_style = [[Gothic Revival architecture]]
| start_date = 1890 (original east wing)<br />1905 (tower)<br />1955 (current east wing)
| completion_date = 1893–1905 (original east wing)<br />1909 (tower)<br />1957–1960 (current east wing)
| demolition_date = 1953–1955 (original east wing)
| renovation_date = 1953–1957<br />2015 (tower conversion to hotel)<br />2020–2024 (east wing)
| architect = [[Napoleon LeBrun]] & Sons (original east wing and tower)<br />Morgan & Meroni (current east wing)
| owner = [[Abu Dhabi Investment Authority]]
| cost =
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| floor_area = <!-- {{convert||sqft|abbr=on}} -->
| top_floor =
| floor_count = 49
| references = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115458 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512184651/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115458 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=May 12, 2015 |title=Emporis building ID 115458 |work=[[Emporis]]}}</ref><ref>{{SkyscraperPage|303}}</ref><ref>{{Structurae|20000242}}</ref><ref name="nhlsum" /><ref name="nris" />
| highest_prev = [[Singer Building]]
| highest_start = 1909
| highest_end = 1913
| highest_next = [[Woolworth Building]]
| building_type = Hotel<br />Commercial offices
| roof = {{convert|700|ft|abbr=on}}
| elevator_count =
| structural_engineer =
| main_contractor =
| developer =
| management =
| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP
| nocat                    = 1
| embed                    = yes
| nrhp_type                = nhl
| architecture             = [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Italian Renaissance Revival]]
| designated_nrhp_type     = June 2, 1978
| added                    = January 29, 1972
| refnum                   = 78001874
| locmapin                 =
| coordinates              = {{coord|40|44|28|N|73|59|15|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| designated_other1        = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr   = NYSRHP
| designated_other1_date   = June 23, 1980<ref name="Cultural Resource Information System">{{cite web | title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) | publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] | date=November 7, 2014 | url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | access-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-date=April 4, 2019 | archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20190404141934/https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
| designated_other1_number = 06101.007655
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other2_name   = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date   = June 13, 1989
| designated_other2_abbr   = NYCL
| designated_other2_link   = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_number = 1530
| designated_other2_color  = #ffe978
| nrhp_type2               = cp
| designated_nrhp_type2    = January 19, 1996
| partof                   = Metropolitan Life Home Office Complex
| partof_refnum            = 95001544
}}
}}

The '''Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower''' (colloquially known as the '''Met Life Tower''' and also as the '''South Building''') is a [[skyscraper]] occupying a full block in the [[Flatiron District]] of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. The building is composed of two sections: a {{Convert|700|ft||-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} tower at the northwest corner of the block, at [[Madison Avenue]] and 24th Street, and a shorter east wing occupying the remainder of the block bounded by Madison Avenue, [[Park Avenue]] South, [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|23rd Street]], and 24th Street. The South Building, along with the [[Metropolitan Life North Building|North Building]] directly across 24th Street, comprises the Metropolitan Home Office Complex, which originally served as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (now publicly known as [[MetLife]]).

The South Building's tower was designed by the architectural firm of [[Napoleon LeBrun]] & Sons and erected between 1905 and 1909. Inspired by [[St Mark's Campanile]], the tower features four clock faces, four bells, and lighted beacons at its top, and was the tallest building in the world until 1913. The tower originally included Metropolitan Life's offices, and since 2015, it has contained a 273-room luxury hotel known as the '''New York Edition Hotel'''. The tower was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1972, made a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1978, and designated as a city landmark by the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] in 1989.

The east wing was designed by Lloyd Morgan and Eugene Meroni and constructed in two stages between 1953 and 1960. The east wing is also referred to as '''One Madison Avenue'''. It replaced another building on the site, which was built in phases from 1893 to 1905, and which was also designed by LeBrun's firm. When the current east wing was built, the 700-foot tower was extensively renovated as well. In 2020, work started on an addition to the east wing, which was designed by [[Kohn Pedersen Fox]] and completed in 2024.

== Architecture ==
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, or the South Building, is composed of the east wing and the tower. It occupies an entire block between [[Madison Avenue]] and [[Madison Square Park]] to the west, 24th Street to the north, [[Park Avenue]] South to the east, and [[23rd Street (Manhattan)|23rd Street]] to the south.<ref name="NYCityMap">{{Cite web|url=http://maps.nyc.gov/|title=NYCityMap|website=NYC.gov|publisher=[[New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications]]|access-date=March 20, 2020|archive-date=May 24, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150524114059/http://maps.nyc.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref> The block measures {{Convert|200|ft||abbr=}} from north to south and {{Convert|445|ft||abbr=}} from east to west.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387">{{harvnb|Frost|Sames|1909|p=387|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 3">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=3}}</ref>

The first section of the original 11-story, full-block east wing was completed in 1893 and was designed by [[Napoleon LeBrun]] & Sons.<ref name="tourflat">{{cite tourflat|pages=22–23}}</ref><ref name="Stichweh2009">{{cite book |last=Stichweh |first=Dirk |title=New York Skyscrapers |publisher=[[Prestel Publishing]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-3-7913-8226-5 |page=73 |oclc=923852487}}</ref> The tower was a later addition to the original building, constructed between 1905 and 1909.<ref name="NYCityMap"/> The original home office building was replaced with the current building, designed by Lloyd Morgan and Eugene Meroni, between 1953 and 1957.<ref name="Gray 1996" /> The complex is one of the few remaining major insurance companies' "home offices" in New York City.<ref name="NYCL (2000) p. 4">{{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2067.pdf|title=New York Life Insurance Company Building|date=October 24, 2000|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|page=4|last=Presa|first=Donald G.|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=December 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226211018/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2067.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|The others include:
* [[Former New York Life Insurance Company Building]] at 346 Broadway
* [[Home Life Insurance Company Building]] at 256 Broadway
* [[New York Life Building]] at 50 Madison Avenue, three blocks north
* [[Germania Life Building]] at 50 Union Square East
* [[Equitable Building (Manhattan)|Equitable Building]] at 120 Broadway<ref name="NYCL (2000) p. 4" />
}}

=== Tower ===
[[File:Met Life Tower from below.jpg|thumb|upright|The tower (center) seen from below with clock faces; the east wing is to the right, and the [[New York Merchandise Mart]] (far left) and [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] (near left) can also be seen|alt=|left]]

The building's tower is located at the northwest corner of the block, at Madison Avenue and 24th Street, with the address 5 Madison Avenue.<ref name="NYCityMap" /> The tower rises {{Convert|700|ft||abbr=}} to its pinnacle.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /><ref name="sun19080628"/> It has a footprint measuring {{Convert|75|ft||abbr=}} north-south along Madison Avenue and {{Convert|85|ft||abbr=}} west-east on 24th Street.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=8}}</ref><ref name="MetLife p. 45">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=45}}</ref><ref name="AA p. 125">{{harvnb|The American Architect|1909|ps=.|p=125}}</ref> This gives the tower a [[slenderness ratio|height-to-width ratio]] of 8.25:1.<ref name="MetLife p. 46">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=46}}</ref> The Metropolitan Life Tower is modeled after [[St Mark's Campanile]] in [[Venice]], Italy.<ref name="MetLife p. 45" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/12/29/archives/before-this-sevenday-wonder-in-construction-is-completed-it-will-be.html|title=Before This Seven-Day Wonder in Construction Is Completed It Will Be Overtopped by the Tall Tower of the Metropolitan Life|date=December 29, 1907|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624221921/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/12/29/archives/before-this-sevenday-wonder-in-construction-is-completed-it-will-be.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Dublin|1943|p=236}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=7}}; {{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=125}}; {{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=361, 364–366|ps=.}}</ref> The tower is older than its model, since St Mark's Campanile had collapsed in 1902 and was replaced in 1912;<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> it is also more than twice as large as St Mark's Campanile.<ref name="Nash 2005">{{cite book |last=Nash |first=Eric |title=Manhattan Skyscrapers |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-56898-652-4 |publication-place=New York |page=13 |oclc=407907000}}</ref>

Like the facades of many [[early skyscrapers]], the tower's exterior was divided into three horizontal sections similar to the components of a [[column]]—namely a base, shaft, and [[Capital (architecture)|capital]]—in both its original and renovated forms. These three sections include usable space inside and are collectively {{Convert|660|ft||abbr=}} tall. The tower is topped by a {{Convert|40|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} pyramidal roof, which is slightly set back and contains a cupola and lantern.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /> The tower was originally sheathed in [[Tuckahoe marble]], provided by the main contractor, the [[Hedden Construction Company]].<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 7" /> During the 1964 renovation, plain [[limestone]] was used to cover the tower and the east wing, replacing LeBrun's old [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance Revival]] details with a streamlined, modern look.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /><ref name="Nash 2005" /> The tower was designed with oversized exterior details to make it seem smaller than it actually was.<ref name="Stichweh2009" /><ref name="Nash 2005" />

Some {{Convert|7500|ST|LT t|abbr=|sp=us}} of steel were used in the tower's structural frame.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /> The footings of the tower are {{Convert|60|ft||abbr=}} deep, supported by twelve columns on the edges and eight columns inside the plot, and anchored to a layer of [[bedrock]] between {{Convert|28|and|46|ft|abbr=}} deep.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 7" /><ref name="AA p. 128">{{harvnb|The American Architect|1909|ps=.|p=128}}</ref> The main columns at the tower's corners measure {{convert|2|by|2|ft}}. They bear [[structural load]]s of up to {{Convert|10.4|e6lb|kg|abbr=}} when [[wind pressure]] was taken into account.<ref name="sun19080628"/><ref name="Frost Sames p. 387" /> The structural steel frame of the tower, and of its former east wing, is encased in reinforced concrete. The marble and brickwork used in the building is anchored to the structural steel frame, while the floors are made of inverted concrete arches.<ref name="AA p. 128" /> As a consequence of all the marble used in the Met Life Tower, it weighed about {{convert|38000|ST|LT t}} when first built, or about twice as much as the [[Singer Tower]].<ref name="sun19080628">{{cite news|date=June 28, 1908|title=Buildings as Big as a Town|page=22|work=New York Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57353608/|access-date=August 13, 2020|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=February 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228143957/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57353608/buildings-as-big-as-a-town/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Facade ====
The base comprises the first and second stories.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /> The lowest portion of the facade along Madison Avenue and 24th Street contains a {{Convert|5|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} [[Water table (architecture)|water table]] made of granite, which wraps around to the east wing. At the first floor, there are two rectangular show windows and a small doorway on Madison Avenue, and two show windows flanking a larger entrance on 24th Street. On the second floor, the Madison Avenue and 24th Street sides each contain three short tripartite windows.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" />

When the tower was built, the base comprised the first through fifth stories.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /> A large [[cornice]] was located above the fourth story, and smaller cornices above the second and fifth stories.<ref name="MetLife p. 44" /> The original ornamentation on the rest of the tower was relatively restrained, except around the clock faces.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 7" /> The 1960s renovation replaced the marble between the first and fifth stories, and between the 20th and 36th stories, with limestone.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" />

The "shaft" of the tower spans the third through 28th floors.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=9}}</ref> The southern facade of the tower contains windows only above the 11th story, and the eastern facade contains windows above the 12th story, because the former east wing was located below these floors.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 14">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=14}}</ref> On each floor, the "shaft" contains three sets of three windows per side.<ref name="Nash 2005" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /> The exception is at the 25th through 27th floors, where the building's clock faces are located. On these floors, there are two paired windows on the outer edges of the tower. The 29th and 30th floors serve stylistically as "transitional stories", with ten windows per side on each floor; the 29th floor contains a single arrangement of 10 windows, while the 30th-floor windows have been divided into five pairs.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /> This is largely the same arrangement as the original, except that in LeBrun's design, the "shaft" comprised the sixth through 30th floors.<ref name="MetLife p. 45" />

The 31st through 38th floors comprise the tower's "capital". The 31st through 33rd floors are arranged as a [[loggia]] with [[Arcade (architecture)|arcades]] containing five arches on each side. The facade of the tower is recessed behind the arcade, and a balustrade wraps around the edges of the arcade, creating a patio.<ref name="MetLife p. 45" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> When built, the arcade was composed of stone columns, but these were replaced with masonry columns in the 1960s renovation.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" /> On the 34th floor, there are five windows per side, corresponding to the arches below.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /> The setback tower rises from the 35th through 38th stories as a freestanding [[plinth]]. On these floors, the window arrangement indicates that the northern and southern facades are wider than the western and eastern facades, with six windows to the north and south, and four to the west and east.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=10}}</ref>

==== Clock ====
[[File:Clock of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower.jpg|thumb|Detailed view of the clock face on the tower's Western side]]
A [[clock face]] is centered on all four sides of the tower from the 25th through 27th floors. Each clock face is {{convert|26.5|ft|m}} in diameter, while the numerals on the clock faces are four&nbsp;feet (1.2&nbsp;m) tall.<ref name="Nash 2005" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /><ref name="MetLife p. 47" /> The numerals and minute markers on the clock faces are edged with copper, while the minute and hour hands are made of iron with a copper sheathing.<ref name="sun19080628"/><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /><ref name="MetLife p. 47"/> The minute hands weigh {{Convert|1000|lb|kg|abbr=}} and are {{Convert|17|ft||abbr=}} long, while the hour hands weigh {{Convert|700|lb|kg|abbr=}} and are {{Convert|13.33|ft|m|abbr=}} long.<ref name="MetLife p. 47">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=47}}</ref><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /> The mechanism was controlled by electricity, a novelty upon the tower's completion.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" /> The master clock, which controlled the large clock faces as well as a hundred other clocks in the same complex, was located on the first floor of the former home office, and ran with a maximum error of five seconds per month.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 390">{{harvnb|Frost|Sames|1909|p=390|ps=.}}</ref>

The clock faces were the largest in the world upon their completion.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> The clock faces are made of reinforced concrete. Blue glazed tiles run along the circumference of each face; in addition, there is a tiled corona at the center of each face. The clock faces contain ornamentation by Pierre LeBrun, of Napoleon LeBrun and Sons. These include dolphins and shells on the [[spandrel]]s at each face's corner, as well as marble wreaths with fruit-and-flower motifs on the faces themselves.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 9" /><ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 1909|title=The Metropolitan Tower|journal=Architects' and Builders Magazine|volume=10|pages=432|number=41}}</ref>

==== Roof ====
[[File:Metropolitan Life Tower from the East River (6217379852).jpg|thumb|The pyramidal roof of the tower has dormer windows and is topped by a peristyle and cupola.]]
The pyramidal roof comprises the 39th and higher floors, and is set off by a cornice at the 39th-story level. [[Dormer]] windows protrude from the roof on the 39th through 43rd floors; these dormers contain semi-circular hoods, except for the 39th-floor dormers, which do not contain any hoods. The higher floors of the roof have fewer windows on each side.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32"/>{{Efn|On the 40th through 44th floors, the north and south facades contain 4, 4, 3, 2, and 1 windows per side, respectively, while the west and east facades contain 3, 3, 2, 1, and 1 windows per side.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10" />}} The 44th floor is illuminated by two small windows on each side, located between ribs that rise to support a square viewing platform on the 45th floor. The 46th and 47th floors comprise a two-story-tall [[peristyle]], supported by eight columns. The 48th floor contains a gold-colored aluminum cupola with eight windows. The topmost level is the 49th floor, which consists only of a platform with a gold-colored aluminium railing.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32"/>{{efn|Other sources cite the balcony level as being the 46th floor, if only usable stories are counted,<ref name="MetLife p. 45" /> or the 50th floor.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 389">{{harvnb|Frost|Sames|1909|p=389|ps=.}}</ref>}} The 41st through 45th floors are accessible only by a staircase.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 4">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> The viewing platform was originally publicly usable, receiving 120,000 visitors from around the world between 1909 and 1914.<ref>{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|pp=59–60}}</ref>

The tower contains four bells within the peristyle. These include a {{Convert|7000|lb||abbr=|adj=on}} [[B♭ (musical note)|B♭]] bell on the west, a {{Convert|3000|lb||abbr=|adj=on}} [[E♭ (musical note)|E♭]] bell on the east, a {{Convert|2000|lb||abbr=|adj=on}} [[F (musical note)|F♮]] bell on the north, and a {{Convert|1500|lb||abbr=|adj=on}} [[G (musical note)|G♮]] bell on the south.<ref name="NYCL pp. 10-11">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|pp=10–11}}</ref> The bells were the highest in the world at the time of their construction.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" /> These are respectively struck by hammers weighing 94, 71, 61, and 54 pounds (equivalent to {{Convert|94|lb|kg|abbr=|disp=number}}, {{Convert|71|lb|kg|abbr=|disp=number}}, {{Convert|61|lb|kg|abbr=|disp=number}}, and {{Convert|54|lb|kg|abbr=|disp=number}} kg respectively). A fifth hammer, weighing {{Convert|131|lb||abbr=}}, strikes the 7,000-pound bell each hour. The smaller hammers strike the bells every 15 minutes.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 11">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=11}}</ref>{{efn|The four smaller hammers strike the respective bells at the following intervals: four blows at 15 minutes past the hour, eight blows at 30 minutes past the hour, twelve blows at 45 minutes past the hour, and sixteen blows each hour on the hour.<ref name="MetLife p. 46" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 11" />}} On weekdays between 9{{Nbsp}}a.m. and 10{{Nbsp}}p.m., and on weekends between 10{{Nbsp}}a.m. and 10{{Nbsp}}p.m., the bells played "[[Messiah Part III|I Know That My Redeemer Liveth]]" every 15 minutes.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schneider|first=Daniel B.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/nyregion/fyi-643300.html|title=F.y.i.|date=April 26, 1998|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 9, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001135043/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/nyregion/fyi-643300.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The bells were not given nicknames: rather, Metropolitan Life referred to each bell by its cardinal direction.<ref name="Heimer 1960">{{cite news|last=Heimer|first=Mel|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48269873/|title=My New York|date=March 31, 1960|work=White Plains Journal-News|access-date=April 8, 2020|page=5|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232142/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48269873/my-new-york/|url-status=live}}</ref>

An eight-sided, {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} beacon is located at the top of the cupola. As designed, the white lantern is lit after 10:00&nbsp;p.m., and momentarily turns off every 15 minutes when red and white lights flash the time.<ref name="MetLife p. 46" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32"/>{{efn|The red lights flash at the following intervals: once at 15 minutes past the hour, twice at 30 minutes past the hour, three times at 45 minutes past the hour, and four times each hour on the hour. After the red light flashes, a white light flashes the number of hours at the present time, and then the white lantern turns on again. For instance, 10:15&nbsp;p.m. would be signified by one red flash followed by ten white flashes.<ref name="sun19080628"/><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 15">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=15}}</ref><ref name="MetLife p. 46" />}} The beacon was one of a few broadly visible features of the New York City nighttime skyline until the mid-20th century.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Connors|first=Anthony|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/met-life-building-article-1.787854|title=Then and Now: The Met Life Building|date=April 12, 1998|work=New York Daily News|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109081249/http://www.nydailynews.com/met-life-building-article-1.787854|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Interior ====
When built, the tower section featured granite floors and metal interior furnishings, though there was very little wood trim, unlike other contemporary structures. The lower floors contained bronze grillwork and doorways, especially around the elevators, while on the upper floors, ornamental iron is used for the metalwork around the elevators.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 388" /> The second-floor spaces contained offices of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and contained white marble [[wainscoting]], plaster cornices, marble [[Fireplace mantel|mantels]], etched-glass doors facing the executive offices, and red mahogany door, wall, and window panels.<ref name="Frost Sames p. 388">{{harvnb|Frost|Sames|1909|p=388|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 5">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=5}}</ref> Each of the tower's floors are up to {{Convert|5,400|ft2||abbr=}} in area, smaller than the floor areas of most other nearby office buildings.<ref name="Kennedy 1985">{{Cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Shawn G.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/03/business/about-real-estate-metropolitan-life-vacating-tower-now-a-landlord.html|title=About Real Estate; Metropolitan Life, Vacating Tower, Now a Landlord|date=April 3, 1985|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128034942/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/03/business/about-real-estate-metropolitan-life-vacating-tower-now-a-landlord.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the 1960s renovation, the tower was fitted with more modern furnishings such as [[air conditioning]], [[Dropped ceiling|acoustic ceiling tiles]], and automatic elevators, to match the new eastern wing. Marble floors were one of the few holdovers of the previous decor.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" /> The staircase leading to the top floors of the tower also retains its original decoration, including cast-iron railings, ceramic-tile wainscoting, marble [[stair tread]]s, and landings with mosaic-tile floors.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 4" />

Since 2015, the tower section has been a 273-room luxury hotel called the New York Edition Hotel, with per-night hotel room rates starting at $600.<ref name="Alberts 20152">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/5/28/9955934/tour-the-new-york-edition-hotel-carved-from-a-clocktower|title=Tour the New York Edition Hotel, Carved From a Clocktower|last=Alberts|first=Hana R.|date=May 28, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108115821/https://ny.curbed.com/2015/5/28/9955934/tour-the-new-york-edition-hotel-carved-from-a-clocktower|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Moss 2015">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2015/05/08/edition-new-york-hotel-ian-schrager-marriott.html|title=MetLife Clocktower gets new life with Schrager, Marriott collaboration|last=Moss|first=J. Jennings|date=May 8, 2015|website=New York Business Journal|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=May 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514234331/http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2015/05/08/edition-new-york-hotel-ian-schrager-marriott.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Most of the historic detail in the interior was removed in the individual hotel rooms, but there are some remaining vestiges, such as the original scalloped ceilings.<ref name="Moss 2015" /> On the second floor is an upscale restaurant called [[The Clocktower (restaurant)|The Clocktower]], a [[Michelin Guide|Michelin-starred]] eatery<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Abbe|url=https://guide.michelin.com/us/washington-dc/people/jason-atherton-the-clocktower-nyc-michelin-star/news|title=The First Day I Got My Michelin Stars: The Clocktower's Jason Atherton|date=February 27, 2018|work=Michelin Guide|access-date=April 5, 2020|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031037/https://guide.michelin.com/us/washington-dc/people/jason-atherton-the-clocktower-nyc-michelin-star/news|url-status=live}}</ref> headed by British chef [[Jason Atherton]].<ref name="Alberts 20152" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ny.eater.com/2015/7/28/9054963/clocktower-restaurant-review-stephen-starr|title=The Clocktower Bucks All the Trends and Is Better For It|last=Sutton|first=Ryan|date=July 28, 2015|publisher=Eater|access-date=May 4, 2018|archive-date=May 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505135005/https://ny.eater.com/2015/7/28/9054963/clocktower-restaurant-review-stephen-starr|url-status=live}}</ref> The restaurant has a dining area, a separate bar, and a room with a billiards table, and is only accessible through the building's lobby.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wells|first=Pete|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/dining/restaurant-review-the-clocktower-in-midtown-south.html|title=Restaurant Review: The Clocktower in Midtown South|date=August 25, 2015|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220193500/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/dining/restaurant-review-the-clocktower-in-midtown-south.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== One Madison Avenue<span class="anchor" id="East wing"></span> ===
[[File:23rd St Park Av 08 - MetLife Tower.jpg|thumb|The east wing, also known as One Madison Avenue, prior to its expansion in the 2020s. The clock tower is in the background to the left, while the [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] is in the background to the right.]]
The east wing is at One Madison Avenue, and was fourteen stories tall when completed in 1955,<ref name="NYCityMap" /> measuring {{Convert|240|ft}} high.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933">{{cite web |last=Stabile |first=Tom |date=September 12, 2023 |title=Massive Demo, Giant Columns Create a Modern New York City Classic |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/57088-massive-demo-giant-columns-create-a-modern-new-york-city-classic |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=Engineering News-Record}}</ref> It extends east to Park Avenue South, covering nearly the entire block,<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 5">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=5}}</ref><ref name="Ennis 1955">{{Cite news|last=Ennis|first=Thomas W. Jr. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/04/24/archives/metropolitan-life-modernizes-madison-square-office-center.html|title=Metropolitan Life Modernizes Madison Square Office Center|date=April 24, 1955|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 13, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232151/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/04/24/archives/metropolitan-life-modernizes-madison-square-office-center.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and originally had nearly {{Convert|1.2|e6ft2||abbr=}} of interior space.<ref name="Lueck 2005">{{Cite news|last=Lueck|first=Thomas J.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/nyregion/1-billion-deal-turns-metlife-into-condos.html|title=$1 Billion Deal Turns MetLife Into Condos|date=March 31, 2005|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425065103/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/nyregion/1-billion-deal-turns-metlife-into-condos.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the early 2020s, the 10th through 14th stories were demolished (accounting for nearly half the building's height),<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> and an 18-story glass-faced office tower was built over the roof of the ninth floor.<ref name="Gannon 2018">{{cite web|last=Gannon|first=Devin|date=December 3, 2018|title=Nomad's One Madison Avenue is getting an 18-floor addition designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox|url=https://www.6sqft.com/nomads-one-madison-is-getting-an-18-floor-addition-designed-by-kohn-pedersen-fox/|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=6sqft|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202171205/https://www.6sqft.com/nomads-one-madison-is-getting-an-18-floor-addition-designed-by-kohn-pedersen-fox/|url-status=live}}</ref> The glass tower covers {{convert|530000|ft2||abbr=}}, giving the expanded structure {{convert|1.4|e6ft2|m2}} of usable office space.<ref name="Young 2020">{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Michelle |date=November 20, 2020 |title=MetLife Building Sky Bridge Being Demolished at Madison Square |url=https://untappedcities.com/2020/11/20/metlife-building-skybridge-demolished/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120172916/https://untappedcities.com/2020/11/20/metlife-building-skybridge-demolished/ |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |website=Untapped New York |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Construction Dive 2020">{{cite web |last=Goodman |first=Jennifer |date=November 18, 2020 |title=$2.3B office tower breaks ground in New York City despite COVID-19 challenges |url=https://www.constructiondive.com/news/23b-office-tower-breaks-ground-in-new-york-city-despite-covid-19-challeng/589274/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119005836/https://www.constructiondive.com/news/23b-office-tower-breaks-ground-in-new-york-city-despite-covid-19-challeng/589274/ |archive-date=November 19, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |website=Construction Dive}}</ref>

==== Facade ====
The lowest two floors contain a granite facade, while the remaining stories contain a facade of Alabama limestone, as well as stainless-steel [[spandrel]]s between each window. As designed, there were setbacks behind the 2nd, 10th, and 12th floors.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 5" /> A portion of the office structure's facade along Madison Avenue was replaced in the 2020s with a glass wall, and a metal canopy is placed at the bottom of the glass wall, marking an entrance to One Madison Avenue.<ref name="Young 2021">{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Michael |date=January 17, 2021 |title=One Madison Avenue's Renovation and Expansion Project Ramps Up in the Flatiron District, Manhattan |url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/01/one-madison-avenues-renovation-and-expansion-project-ramps-up-in-the-flatiron-district-manhattan.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514172631/https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/01/one-madison-avenues-renovation-and-expansion-project-ramps-up-in-the-flatiron-district-manhattan.html |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |access-date=May 14, 2021 |work=New York YIMBY}}</ref>

There is a double-height transitional story separating the limestone east wing below from the glass tower above.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> The glass addition contains roof terraces on the 10th and 11th floors,<ref name="Gannon 2018" /> rising {{Convert|124|ft}} above the sidewalk.<ref name="Marani u313">{{cite web |last=Marani |first=Matthew |date=February 17, 2025 |title=KPF's Overhaul of a Madison Avenue Office Offers a Template for Upgrading Manhattan's Commercial Stock |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/17359-kpfs-overhaul-of-a-madison-avenue-office-offers-a-template-for-upgrading-manhattans-commercial-stock |access-date=February 20, 2025 |website=Architectural Record}}</ref> The glass addition is separated from the roof of the 1955 structure by large diagonal steel trusses.<ref name="Marani u313" /><ref name="Wachs 2023 e458">{{cite web |last=Wachs |first=Audrey |date=August 9, 2023 |title=What's That New Glass Building Attached to the Old Met Life Tower? |url=https://www.curbed.com/2023/08/one-madison-avenue-office-ibm-kpf-madison-square-park.html |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=Curbed}}</ref> in addition to a massive truss above the 1955 structure's roof.<ref name="Davidson y081">{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Justin |date=November 21, 2024 |title=The History of the Modern Office in One Building |url=https://www.curbed.com/article/architecture-review-one-madison-metropolitan-life-office-tower.html |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=Curbed}}</ref> The trusses are clad with [[fiberglass]].<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> Each of the annex's glass panes is made of four panels and measures {{convert|10|by|18|ft}} across.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> The facade of the glass addition contains dark horizontal mullions at three-story intervals.<ref name="Young 2021" /><ref name="Marani u313" /> Vertical mullions are also positioned along the facade, spaced every {{Convert|15|ft}}.<ref name="Marani u313" /> There are also limestone decorative elements on the glass annex, which were carved from the same quarry as the original tower.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" />

==== Interior ====
One Madison Avenue's internal structure consists of a steel frame.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 5" /> Thirteen mega-columns rise from the base of the 1950s wing to support the weight of the 2020s glass annex; nine of the mega-columns date from the wing's original construction, while four were added in the 2020s renovation.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /><ref name="Marani u313" /> Some of these columns are as wide as {{Convert|5|ft2}} across.<ref name="Marani u313" /> The use of mega-columns permitted the interiors to have more column-free space.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> In addition, the east wing's mechanical core serves the original 1950s wing, the glass addition, and the original clock tower.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /><ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> Fresh air is circulated throughout One Madison Avenue's interior.<ref name="Cheng 2024 j598">{{cite web |last=Cheng |first=Andria |date=March 27, 2024 |title=Trophy Tower That Combines Past and Future Attracts Tenants Such As IBM |url=https://www.costar.com/article/1850686923/trophy-tower-that-combines-past-and-future-attracts-tenants-such-as-ibm |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=CoStar}}</ref> The slab-to-slab height between each story is {{Convert|10|ft}}.<ref name="Marani u313" />

One Madison Avenue is connected to the [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] by a preexisting tunnel.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32" /> Until 2020, the buildings were also connected by a sky bridge on the eighth floor.<ref name="Young 2020" /> At the southeastern corner, on the basement level, there is a direct entrance to the downtown platform of the [[New York City Subway]]'s [[23rd Street (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)|23rd Street]] station, served by the {{NYCS trains|Lexington local day}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=2018 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: 23 Street (6) |url=https://new.mta.info/document/786 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218051330/https://new.mta.info/document/786 |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=September 13, 2018 |website=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|mta.info]] |publisher=[[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]}}</ref>

The lobby of One Madison Avenue was combined with that of the clock tower when the east wing was originally constructed. It consists of floors and walls made of white marble and darker-marble accents, as well as a [[sheet rock]] ceiling with lighting panels, and stainless-steel doors and trim. Above the lobby are the office floors, which contain sheet rock walls and dropped ceilings; around the elevator lobbies, the floors are made of terrazzo tiles, and the walls contain a [[travertine]] veneer.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 5" /> The lowest six floors were served mainly by escalators, and the upper floors were served by elevators.<ref name="Ennis 1955" /> There was also wood paneling on the walls near the executive offices.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 5" /> A replica of the original home office's board room was built on the 11th floor of the east wing, and featured mahogany wainscoting, a coffered ceiling, and leather covering the walls.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 15" /> Following the 2020s renovation, a {{Convert|7000|ft2|adj=on}} tenant area called the Commons was built across the lobby and basement spaces,<ref name="Marani u313" /> and a 350-seat auditorium was built on the lower floors.<ref name="Nehring 2024 g512">{{cite web |last=Nehring |first=Abigail |date=September 6, 2024 |title=The Plan: IBM's Diaspora Reunites at One Madison Avenue |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/09/ibm-office-design-one-madison-avenue/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer}}</ref>

When the glass addition was completed, it contained a {{Convert|15000|ft2||abbr=|adj=on}} food market, and a {{Convert|9000|ft2||abbr=|adj=on}} tenants' lounge and fitness center.<ref name="Young 2020" /><ref name="Construction Dive 2020" /> The annex's anchor tenant, IBM, installed a wave-shaped light fixture in the lobby, as well as a blue bar and a technology center on the second floor.<ref name="Nehring s550">{{cite web |last=Nehring |first=Abigail |date=September 6, 2024 |title=The Plan: IBM's Diaspora Reunites at One Madison Avenue |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/09/ibm-office-design-one-madison-avenue/ |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer}}</ref> There is also a rooftop terrace measuring {{Convert|11000|ft2}} and various gardens measuring about {{Convert|1|acre|ft2 m2}}.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> The rooftop terrace was designed by [[David Rockwell]].<ref name="Gannon 2024 e457">{{cite web |last=Gannon |first=Devin |date=April 10, 2024 |title=One Madison Avenue unveils new swanky steakhouse by Daniel Boulud and lush rooftop garden |url=https://www.6sqft.com/one-madison-avenue-unveils-lush-rooftop-garden-and-stylish-steakhouse-by-daniel-boulud/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=6sqft}}</ref> Another terrace, measuring {{Convert|25000|ft2}}, is reserved for the building's anchor tenant.<ref name="Nehring 2024 g512" />

=== Original home office ===
The original home office occupied what is now the east wing. The section facing 23rd Street was 11 stories tall and the section on 24th Street was 12 stories tall,<ref name="MetLife p. 62" /> with a total height of {{Convert|165|ft||abbr=}}.<ref name="rer19070126">{{cite magazine|date=January 26, 1907|title=Manhattan's Highest Skyscraper|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_039_4.pdf|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=79|pages=331|via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]]|number=2028|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126054900/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_039_4.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Designed by [[Napoleon LeBrun]], it contained Italian Renaissance motifs along the entire facade.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /> The home office was erected in multiple sections, with the 23rd Street side being completed first.<ref name="MetLife pp. 61-63">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|pp=70–72}}</ref>

==== Facade ====
[[File:MetLife Building East Wing (1 Madison Avenue).jpg|thumb|Original home office, seen in 1911]]
The tower and home office originally had a facade of [[ashlar]] on the first story, and an elaborate arcade of columns and pilasters on the second and third stories. The main entrance along Madison Avenue, as well as {{Convert|150|ft||abbr=}} of the 23rd Street facade, contained slightly projecting columns, which created [[portico]]es.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /><ref name="MetLife p. 44">{{harvnb|ps=.| Metropolitan Life Insurance Company | 1914 | p=44}}</ref> Similar to the original design of the tower, the original home office had a large cornice above the fourth floor and smaller cornices above the second and fifth floors.<ref name="MetLife p. 44" /> On the fourth through ninth floors, the facade was arranged with deeply molded and decorated reveals, as well as carved [[mullions]]. These elements were arranged to form an arched arcade, which extended through the ninth floor; the windows were located in slightly recessed [[Bay (architecture)|bays]] between each arch.<ref name="MetLife p. 45" />

==== Interior ====
Inside the building, a large marble corridor ran between the entrances at Madison Avenue and Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue South).{{efn|The section of Fourth Avenue adjacent to the Metropolitan Life Tower was renamed Park Avenue South in 1959,<ref>{{cite news|title=Sign Ban Is Voted on Two Avenues|last=Bennett|first=Charles G.|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C1EFD345C1A7B93C4A9178ED85F4D8585F9|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 6, 1959|access-date=July 31, 2010|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103170110/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C1EFD345C1A7B93C4A9178ED85F4D8585F9|url-status=live}}</ref> after the demolition of the original home office.<ref name="Gray 1996" />}}<ref name="MetLife p. 48">{{harvnb|ps=.|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|p=48}}</ref><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 124">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=124|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="AA p. 126">{{harvnb|The American Architect|1909|ps=.|p=126}}</ref> Accessible from this hallway was a [[United States Postal Service|United States Post Office]] branch, a [[Western Union]] telegraph booth, a bank, telephone booths, and numerous shops. Cross-passages ran north and south to 24th and 23rd Streets, and stairs led to the subway station's downtown platform.<ref name="MetLife p. 46" /><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 124" /> The main rotunda was at the Madison Avenue entrance, measuring {{Convert|40|ft||abbr=}} square and {{Convert|70|ft||abbr=}} high, from which a stairway ascended to the second floor. Within the home office, there were 38 elevators, serving 1,100 tenants.<ref name="MetLife p. 49">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=49}}</ref> The elevators were grouped in several banks throughout the building, although these were not all connected except at the lobby.<ref name="AA pp. 126-127">{{harvnb|The American Architect|1909|ps=.|pp=126–127}}</ref> The original home office also contained an extensive fire sprinkler system with standpipes and automatic sprinklers.<ref name="MetLife p. 50">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=50}}</ref>

The home office served as the nexus of Metropolitan Life's operations and largely contained an [[open plan]] work space.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 131"/> The exception was the executive offices, which were decorated with mahogany.<ref name="MetLife p. 78">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=78}}</ref> The interior layout was rearranged approximately every five years, at least in the building's early history, though the interior arrangements were always focused on worker efficiency.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 131" /> The original home office also had several interior courts.<ref name="AA p. 127">{{harvnb|The American Architect|1909|ps=.|p=127}}</ref>

The structure was generally not publicly accessible, and employees' movements were closely monitored.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 131">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=131|ps=.}}</ref> Conversely, there were also many amenities for employees, including a library, auditorium, gymnasium, and medical and dental offices. There was also a recreational space on the roof of the home office's 23rd Street portion,<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 132">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=132|ps=.}}</ref> and through the larger complex's extensive system of kitchens and dining rooms,{{efn|When the [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] opened in 1932, the tunnel under 24th Street provided access to the basements of that building, which contained a kitchen and two dining room levels.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 13">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=13}}</ref>}} the company offered free lunch to every employee between 1908 and 1994.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 132" /> Though the home office accommodated 14,500 workers by 1938, they were split up into different social hierarchies, with immigrants in service jobs, women in seamstresses' and cleaners' jobs, and native-born workers of both genders in white-collar jobs.<ref name="Moudry (2005) pp. 133-134">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|pp=133–134|ps=.}}</ref>

== History ==

Before the home office at Madison Square was completed, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (now [[MetLife]]) had been headquartered at three buildings in [[Lower Manhattan]],<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /><ref name="MetLife p. 612">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=69}}</ref><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 122">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=122|ps=.}}</ref> all of which have been demolished.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /> Its first headquarters was at 243 Broadway, which the company occupied between 1868 and 1869.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=3}}</ref><ref name="MetLife p. 612" /><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 122" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> This headquarters comprised two and a half rooms totaling "not more than 900 square feet" ({{Convert|900|ft2|m2|abbr=|disp=out}}): one for the president and another for the remaining staff.<ref name="MetLife p. 612" /> In 1870, Metropolitan Life moved to [[319 Broadway]]'s third floor, a slightly larger space that also contained a supply room. The company moved again in 1876 to [[Park Place (Manhattan)|Park Place]] and [[Church Street and Trinity Place|Church Street]], during which its operations grew rapidly: by 1889, Metropolitan Life had outgrown the Church Street building.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /><ref name="MetLife p. 612" /> The company had $250 million in industrial life insurance policies by 1891.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 11">{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1978|p=11}}</ref>

At the time, life insurance companies generally had their own buildings for their offices and branch locations. According to architectural writer Kenneth Gibbs, these buildings allowed each individual company to instill "not only its name but also a favorable impression of its operations" in the general public.<ref>{{harvnb|Gibbs|1984|ps=.|p=25}}</ref><ref name="NYCL (Guardian) p. 7">{{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1541.pdf|title=Germania Life Insurance Company Building|date=September 6, 1988|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|page=7|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=October 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012005524/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1541.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> This had been a trend since 1870,<ref name="NYCL (Guardian) p. 7" /><ref>{{harvnb|Gibbs|1984|ps=.|p=24}}</ref> with the completion of the former [[Equitable Life Building (Manhattan)|Equitable Life Building]] in Manhattan's Financial District.<ref name="NYCL (Guardian) p. 7" /><ref>{{harvnb|Gibbs|1984|ps=.|p=39}}</ref> Furthermore, life insurance companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries generally built massive buildings to fit their large clerical and records-keeping staff.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 122" />

=== Original home office construction ===
[[File:Met Life Tower building under construction 1908.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Tower portion under construction in 1908; the home office has already been completed]]

In 1890, the company purchased the {{Convert|125|by|145|ft|adj=on}} site at the corner of Madison Avenue and 23rd Street, across from [[Madison Square and Madison Square Park|Madison Square Park]].<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /><ref name="MetLife p. 612" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /> Joseph Fairchild Knapp, Metropolitan Life's president,<ref group="lower-alpha">Joseph F. Knapp was also the father of philanthropist [[Joseph P. Knapp]].</ref> hired Napoleon LeBrun to design a seven-story Italian Renaissance office building on 23rd Street between Madison Avenue and Fourth Avenue.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /> Work commenced in May 1890 with the demolition of five brownstone mansions at 23rd Street and Madison Avenue.<ref name="rer19070126" /> Knapp died before the structure's completion,<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /> and the building was subsequently expanded to 11 stories.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /> Metropolitan Life occupied the second through fifth floors for its own use, but soon afterward expanded to the sixth and ninth stories, while filling the ground-story storefront spaces.<ref name="MetLife p. 612" /> The company occupied the first portion of the home office in early 1893.<ref name="rer19070126" /><ref name="AA p. 125"/> At the time, it had 650 workers.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 133">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=133}}</ref>

The first section of the home office was completed in mid-1894.<ref name="rer19070126" /> By that time, the company had full control of almost all lots on the north side of 23rd Street between Madison and Fourth Avenues, as well as a frontage of {{Convert|115|ft||abbr=}} on 24th Street.<ref name="The New York Times 1894">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/09/28/archives/in-the-real-estate-field-the-academy-of-designs-building-sold-it-is.html|title=In the Real Estate Field; the Academy of Design's Building Sold|date=September 28, 1894|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232141/https://www.nytimes.com/favicon.ico|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYEW-Academy-1894">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48223368/|title=The Academy Sold|date=September 27, 1894|work=New York Evening World|access-date=April 7, 2020|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232142/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48223368/the-academy-sold/|url-status=live}}</ref> One lot on 23rd Street was not acquired until June 1895; once Metropolitan Life bought that plot, it built a two-story structure on the remaining plot, which was later raised to 11 stories. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Life built a 12-story building on the plots along 24th Street, which was completed in October 1895 and was occupied that November.<ref name="MetLife p. 62">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=70}}</ref><ref name="rer19070126" /> Additionally, the Standard National Bank opened a branch on the home office's Madison Avenue side in 1895.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/06/16/archives/standard-bank-to-open-commodious-quarters-in-metropolitan-life.html|title=Standard Bank to Open|date=June 16, 1895|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232141/https://www.nytimes.com/1895/06/16/archives/standard-bank-to-open-commodious-quarters-in-metropolitan-life.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Metropolitan Life made a purchase offer for the [[National Academy of Design]] site at Fourth Avenue and 23rd Street in 1894;<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 124" /><ref name="The New York Times 1894" /><ref name="NYEW-Academy-1894" /> however, the company did not acquire title to the land until June 1899, thus completing its property acquisition on 23rd Street.<ref name="MetLife p. 63">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=72}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/06/02/archives/academy-of-design-sold-the-metropolitan-life-insurance-company-buys.html|title=Academy of Design Sold; The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Buys the Property for $440,000 in Cash.|date=June 2, 1899|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232142/https://www.nytimes.com/1899/06/02/archives/academy-of-design-sold-the-metropolitan-life-insurance-company-buys.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An eastern extension of the home office to Fourth Avenue opened in 1901, followed by an L-shaped extension along 24th Street and Fourth Avenue in 1902, which enclosed the southwest corner of that intersection.<ref name="AA p. 126" />

Most of the lots on the 24th Street side were purchased starting in 1894 for the construction of a 12-story addition to the home office.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /> The company bought the [[Lyceum Theatre (Park Avenue South)|Lyceum Theatre]] site on Fourth Avenue in 1902.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 4">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> Metropolitan Life bought the corner of Fourth Avenue and 24th Street in 1902–1903 and constructed the next portion of the home office on the Lyceum Theatre and Academy of Design sites. That section was occupied in May 1906.<ref name="rer19070126" /><ref name="MetLife p. 63" /> By 1905, Metropolitan Life had acquired most of the lots on the south side of 24th Street between Madison and Fourth avenues.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 4" /> The only lot the company had not acquired was the [[Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1854)|Madison Square Presbyterian Church]],<ref name="rer19070126" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 125" /> built in 1854 at the southeastern corner of Madison Avenue and 24th Street.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 125">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=125|ps=.}}</ref> The gradual development of the block had led to the construction of other skyscrapers surrounding Madison Square, such as the [[Flatiron Building]] in 1902 and the [[Toy Center|Fifth Avenue Building (now the Toy Center)]] in 1908.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 124" />

=== Tower construction ===
In April 1906, Metropolitan Life bought the church lot, on which it intended to build a {{convert|560|ft|m|adj=on}} tower.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /><ref name="MetLife p. 63" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 4" /> The church building was razed soon after the purchase of the site.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/06/21/archives/at-500foot-tower-to-replace-church-metropolitan-lifes-plans-for-a.html|title=A 500-foot Tower to Replace Church|date=June 21, 1905|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 15, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052453/https://www.nytimes.com/1905/06/21/archives/at-500foot-tower-to-replace-church-metropolitan-lifes-plans-for-a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In exchange for Metropolitan Life's purchase, the church received a {{Convert|75|by|150|ft|abbr=|adj=on}} plot of land across 24th Street that became the site for Stanford White's [[Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1906)|1906 building for the Madison Square Presbyterian Church]],<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 125" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/10/15/archives/new-parkhurst-church-dedicated-yesterday-he-pays-tribute-to-the.html|title=New Parkhurst Church Dedicated Yesterday|date=October 15, 1906|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 15, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052506/https://www.nytimes.com/1906/10/15/archives/new-parkhurst-church-dedicated-yesterday-he-pays-tribute-to-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> sometimes called the "Parkhurst Church" after Reverend [[Charles Henry Parkhurst]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kendall|first=William Mitchell|editor-last1=Hoak|editor-first1=Edward Warren|editor-last2=Church|editor-first2=Willis Humphrey|orig-date=1930|year=2002|title=Masterpieces of American Architecture: Museums, Libraries, Churches and Other Public Buildings|page=105}}</ref> Plans for the proposed clock tower were filed with the [[New York City Department of Buildings]] in January 1907. At the time, the tower was to rise {{Convert|690|ft||abbr=}} above ground, with 48 usable stories, or 50 total.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/01/04/archives/the-50story-tower-its-plan-announced-new-building-will-rise-690.html|title=The 50-Story Tower: Its Plan Announced; New Building Will Rise 690 Feet Above Madison Square|date=January 4, 1907|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408013513/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/01/04/archives/the-50story-tower-its-plan-announced-new-building-will-rise-690.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48224203/|title=World Record Building|date=January 4, 1907|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=April 7, 2020|page=10|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232145/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48224203/world-record-building/|url-status=live}}</ref> The building plans were modified in April 1908, providing for a 54-story tower, though the additional four stories were not built.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48224441/|title=Building to be Higher|date=April 19, 1908|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=April 7, 2020|page=11|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232144/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48224441/building-to-be-higher/|url-status=live}}</ref>

By February 1908, thirty-one stories of the tower had been built.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/02/27/archives/31-stories-of-new-tower-up-eleven-floors-of-metropolitan-life-tower.html|title=31 Stories of New Tower Up; Eleven Floors of Metropolitan Life Tower Will Be Opened on May 1|date=February 27, 1908|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408013515/https://www.nytimes.com/1908/02/27/archives/31-stories-of-new-tower-up-eleven-floors-of-metropolitan-life-tower.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The lower floors of the Metropolitan Life Tower were occupied by May 1908.<ref name="MetLife p. 63" /> The tower was [[topped out]] the following month.<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 28, 1908|title=Lofty Steel Tower All Up|pages=1|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72467709/lofty-steel-tower-all-up/|access-date=March 2, 2021|via=newspapers.com|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232142/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72467709/lofty-steel-tower-all-up/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Metropolitan Life Tower was not completed until 1909,<ref name="MetLife p. 63" /> with one of its original tenants being the [[National Kindergarten Association]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 13, 1909|title=To Promote Kindergarten Education|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/11/13/archives/to-promote-kindergarten-education.html|access-date=February 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232143/https://www.nytimes.com/1909/11/13/archives/to-promote-kindergarten-education.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The tower had cost $6.58 million,<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 3" /> and the expanded complex had 2,800 workers at the time of the tower's completion.<ref>{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|pp=120–125|ps=.}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|p=361|ps=.}}</ref> Metropolitan Life officials held a [[jubilee]] dinner in January 1910 to celebrate the tower's completion.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/01/23/archives/metropolitan-life-has-jubilee-diner-a-thousand-gather-and-celebrate.html|title=Metropolitan Life Has Jubilee Diner; A Thousand Gather and Celebrate the Completion of Its 700-Foot Tower.|date=January 23, 1910|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232143/https://www.nytimes.com/1910/01/23/archives/metropolitan-life-has-jubilee-diner-a-thousand-gather-and-celebrate.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The tower was the world's tallest building until 1913, when it was surpassed by the [[Woolworth Building]] in [[Tribeca]], within lower Manhattan.<ref name="Gray 1996">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=May 26, 1996|title=Streetscapes/Metropolitan Life at 1 Madison Avenue;For a Brief Moment, the Tallest Building in the World|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html|access-date=July 5, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701050813/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 2" /><ref>{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|pp=123–125|ps=.}}</ref> A 1914 company history estimated that the entire complex could accommodate 20,000 visitors and tenants per day.<ref name="MetLife p. 49" />

=== Addition of northern annexes ===
[[File:MetLife Tower & North Building from W 24th St crop.jpg|thumb|upright|The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (right) and the [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] (left)]]

A plot on the north side of 24th Street, measuring {{Convert|75|by|100|ft|abbr=}}, was developed from 1903 to 1905 as the first Metropolitan Annex, a 16-story printing plant building faced in Tuckahoe marble.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 124" /><ref name="MetLife p. 51" /> The annex was designed by LeBrun,<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 14">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=14}}</ref> and it was connected to the main building by a tunnel.<ref name="MetLife p. 51">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=51}}</ref> White's 1906 church building was demolished in 1919<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/05/06/archives/raze-parkhurst-church-famous-piece-of-architecture-making-way-for.html|title=Raze Parkhurst Church|date=May 6, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 15, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052450/https://www.nytimes.com/1919/05/06/archives/raze-parkhurst-church-famous-piece-of-architecture-making-way-for.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to make way for an expansion of the northern annex, which was 18 stories tall.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/09/28/archives/millon-dollar-building-to-replace-parkhurst-church-on-madison.html|title=Million Dollar Building to Replace Parkhurst Church on Madison Avenue|date=September 28, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 15, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215052522/https://www.nytimes.com/1919/09/28/archives/millon-dollar-building-to-replace-parkhurst-church-on-madison.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This annex was designed by [[D. Everett Waid]] and completed in 1921.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 14" />

By the late 1920s, the clock tower, home office, and LeBrun's and Waid's northern annexes were becoming too small to house the continuously growing activities of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Looking to expand, the company acquired a full-block site directly to the north, between East 24th and 25th Streets. Architects [[Harvey Wiley Corbett]] and D. Everett Waid took up the project in 1928.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/11/03/archives/madison-sq-tower-to-rise-100-stories-metropolitan-life-will-erect.html|title=Madison Sq. Tower to Rise 100 Stories|date=November 3, 1929|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303232833/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/11/03/archives/madison-sq-tower-to-rise-100-stories-metropolitan-life-will-erect.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The approved design for what would become the [[Metropolitan Life North Building]] was for a 100-story tower, but the onset of the [[Great Depression]] in 1929 caused the company to build only the 28-story base,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/get-10000000-contract-starrett-brothers-eken-to-erect-metropolitan.html|title=Get $10,000,000 Contract; Starrett Brothers & Eken to Erect Metropolitan Life Building.|date=December 7, 1930|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232214/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/get-10000000-contract-starrett-brothers-eken-to-erect-metropolitan.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which was built in three stages.<ref name="tourflat" /> LeBrun's and Waid's northern annexes remained until 1946, when they were demolished to make way for the final stage of the North Building.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 11">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=11}}</ref> The North Building was completed in 1950 with the structural strength and the number of elevator shafts needed for a possible future expansion.<ref name="Gray 1996" /><ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" />

=== Late 20th century ===

==== 1950s and 1960s renovation ====
[[File:Met Life Skybridge (28017309899).jpg|thumb|left|upright|A sky bridge connected the east wing (left) and the tower (center) with the Met Life North Annex (right).]]
Even with the addition of the North Building, the number of staff in the complex was steadily increasing, with 14,500 workers by 1938.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 133" /> To alleviate this, in 1950, Metropolitan Life announced that it would refurbish its entire headquarters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cooper|first=Lee E.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/25/archives/metropolitan-life-will-redevelop-homeoffice-site-on-madison-ave.html|title=Metropolitan Life Will Redevelop Home-Office Site on Madison Ave.|date=May 25, 1950|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 13, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232146/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/25/archives/metropolitan-life-will-redevelop-homeoffice-site-on-madison-ave.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The initial plans were filed by Leonard Schultz and Associates, but after Schultz's 1951 death, Lloyd Morgan and Eugene Meroni took up the design process.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /><ref name="Ennis 1955" /> In 1952, Morgan and Meroni filed plans with the [[New York City Department of Buildings]] for a completely new structure on the site of the existing home offices.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/05/24/archives/new-offices-planned-metropolitan-life-will-replace-madison-avenue.html|title=New Offices Planned; Metropolitan Life Will Replace Madison Avenue Building|date=May 24, 1952|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 13, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232216/https://www.nytimes.com/favicon.ico|url-status=live}}</ref> A Metropolitan Life press release stated that a new structure was chosen over a renovation because the new structure would have more interior floor space, due to the elimination of the interior courtyard inside the old building, and because new construction was cheaper than renovation.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 15">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=15}}</ref>

Work started in 1953,<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 15" /> and the company demolished auxiliary structures to make way for the new home office building.<ref name="Gray 1996" /><ref name="Ennis 1955" /> The tunnel to the northern annex was retained, and a sky bridge was built at the eighth floor of the new building.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 32"/> To minimize disruption to Metropolitan Life's operations, the new home office was erected in two stages, so construction on one part of the home office could go on while normal operations proceeded in the other portion. The first stage was built between 1953 and 1957; the second, between 1958 and 1960.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 15" />

The tower, the sole structure on the block that remained from the early 20th century, was renovated starting in 1961 to harmonize the design with Morgan and Meroni's east wing.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 16">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1995|ps=.|p=16}}</ref> The firm of [[Starrett Brothers]] & Eken was the general contractor, and [[Purdy and Henderson]] were the structural engineers.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 14" /> During this time, the clock, bells, and roof were rebuilt.<ref name="tourflat" /><ref name="Gray 1996" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/10/05/archives/clock-chimes-silent-bells-removed-during-change-in-metropolitan.html|title=Clock Chimes Silent; Bells Removed During Change in Metropolitan Life Tower|date=October 5, 1961|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The renovation also remodeled the facade so it would be stylistically similar to the east wing, and so the decaying marble was replaced with limestone.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 4" /><ref name="NPS (1995) p. 16" /> Morgan eliminated most of the ornamentation added by LeBrun, though he preserved the clock tower's general proportions, and designed the east wing so that the tower would rise behind setbacks on the 10th, 11th, and 13th floors.<ref name="tourflat" /><ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" /> The project was completed in 1964.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 8" />

==== 1970s through 1990s ====
[[File:Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower at Night with Fog.jpg|thumb|Seen at night]]
In 1982, the Cross & Brown Company leased out four of the floors in the clock tower, the first time in the building's history that space in the tower had been leased to outside tenants. The tower's floor areas were optimal for small organizations, and in 1985, Metropolitan Life vacated the tower, moving all remaining operations to the North Building and the South Building's east wing. At the time, 26 of the 40 lower floors had already been leased.<ref name="Kennedy 1985" />

The South Building underwent a $35 million exterior restoration project between 1998 and 2002. During this time, the tower's marble facade was repaired, a new multicolored lighting system was added, and the cupola was re-gilded.<ref name="Dunlap 2001">{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-tower-s-big-time-restoration-metlife-s-immense-clock-gets.html|title=Commercial Real Estate: A Tower's Big-Time Restoration; MetLife's Immense Clock Gets a Detailed Overhaul|date=August 22, 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 6, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406164713/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/22/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-tower-s-big-time-restoration-metlife-s-immense-clock-gets.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Because the clock tower had been added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1972,<ref name="nhlsum" /> MetLife was eligible for a [[tax break]] on the building.<ref name="Dunlap 2001" />

=== 21st century ===
In March 2005, [[SL Green Realty]] bought the building, intending to convert the clock tower to apartments.<ref name="Lueck 2005" /><ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> The east wing at One Madison Avenue was part of the sale but was not converted to apartments, instead being leased to [[Credit Suisse First Boston]] until at least 2020.<ref name="Lueck 2005" /><ref name="Marani u313" /> Credit Suisse decided in 2017 to leave the building, and the offices were cleared out three years later.<ref name="Marani u313" /> 

==== Conversion of clock tower to hotel ====
SL Green sold the tower and adjacent [[air rights]] for $200 million to [[Africa Israel Investments]] in May 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title=Clock Tower at Five Madison Goes for $200 M|url=http://www.observer.com/2007/clock-tower-five-madison-goes-200-m|work=The New York Observer|last=Acitelli|first=Tom|date=May 15, 2007|access-date=March 1, 2011 | url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517154151/http://www.observer.com/2007/clock-tower-five-madison-goes-200-m|archive-date=May 17, 2011}}</ref> In 2011, [[Tommy Hilfiger]] and a partner signed a contract to buy the clock tower for $170 million, planning to transform it into Hilfiger's first hotel, with luxury condominiums.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/nyregion/hilfiger-plans-a-manhattan-hotel.html|title=Hilfiger Has Plan to Convert MetLife Clock Tower to Hotel|date=May 5, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 9, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030215620/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/nyregion/hilfiger-plans-a-manhattan-hotel.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Hilfiger backed off the project in September 2011.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 31, 2011|url=http://www.kewmanagement.com/marriott-buys-the-clock-tower/|title=Marriott Buys the Clock Tower|publisher=StreetBeat|access-date=November 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407093859/http://www.kewmanagement.com/marriott-buys-the-clock-tower/ |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Africa Israel then sold the tower to [[Marriott International]] in October 2011 for $165 million. Marriott announced in January 2012 that it was converting the tower to the New York Edition Hotel, one of three boutique hotels in the Edition line.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article60705Five_New_EDITION_Hotels_Announced_for_Gateway_Cities.html|title=Five New EDITION Hotels Announced for Gateway Cities|publisher=Marriott|date=January 19, 2012|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118215850/https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article60705Five_New_EDITION_Hotels_Announced_for_Gateway_Cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Edition hotels were sold in January 2013 to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for $815 million.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article75700.html|title=Marriott Sells Three EDITION Hotels for $815 Million|author=Hotel News Resource|date=January 7, 2014|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118215733/https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article75700.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The New York property was conveyed to its new owner on its completion. Marriott continues to manage the hotels under long-term contract, and the New York Edition Hotel opened in May 2015.<ref name="Moss 2015" /><ref name="Alberts 20152" />

====Expansion of One Madison Avenue====
SL Green announced plans in July 2018 to renovate One Madison Avenue when Credit Suisse's lease expired.<ref name="Bockmann 2018 u241">{{cite web |last=Bockmann |first=Rich |date=July 19, 2018 |title=One Madison Avenue |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2018/07/19/sl-green-will-redevelop-one-madison-avenue-when-credit-suisse-lease-expires-in-2020/ |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> After an [[architectural design competition]] with five architects,<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> SL Green hired [[Kohn Pedersen Fox]] in December 2018.<ref name="Gannon 2018" /><ref name="Small 2018 t664">{{cite web |last=Small |first=Eddie |date=December 3, 2018 |title=One Madison Avenue |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2018/12/03/these-are-sl-greens-big-plans-for-one-madison-avenue/ |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> The existing 14-story structure would be reduced to nine floors, and eighteen stories would be built above the ninth floor.<ref name="Gannon 2018" /> [[Tishman Construction]] was the general contractor, while [[Severud Associates]] was the structural engineer on the project.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /><ref name="Marani u313" /> Construction on the renovation started in November 2020, after SL Green received a $1.25 billion construction loan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matsuda |first=Akiko |date=November 16, 2020 |title=SL Green Gets $1.25B Construction Loan For One Madison Avenue |url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/11/16/sl-green-snags-1-25b-construction-loan-for-one-madison-avenue/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116185145/https://therealdeal.com/2020/11/16/sl-green-snags-1-25b-construction-loan-for-one-madison-avenue/ |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite web |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Work begins on $2.3bn Madison Square tower in New York City |url=http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/work-begins-23bn-madison-square-tower-new-york-cit/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120001806/https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/work-begins-23bn-madison-square-tower-new-york-cit/ |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |website=Global Construction Review |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Bartholomew |first=Jem |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Moderna, Virgin Galactic, PNC: What to Watch When the Stock Market Opens Today |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-virgin-galactic-pnc-what-to-watch-when-the-stock-market-opens-today-11605528356 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121165732/https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-virgin-galactic-pnc-what-to-watch-when-the-stock-market-opens-today-11605528356 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The sky bridge to the North Building was demolished as part of the redevelopment of One Madison Avenue.<ref name="Young 2020" />  The glass addition and the renovation of One Madison Avenue was developed by SL Green, Hines, and the National Pension Service of Korea at a cost of $2.3 billion.<ref name="Young 2020" /><ref name="Neubauer City 2020">{{cite web|last=Neubauer|first=Kelsey|date=November 18, 2020|title=Construction Braces For Bitter, Brutal Winter As Coronavirus Cases Surge|url=https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/construction-development/industry-prepares-for-2021-pandemic-winter-106788|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Bisnow|archive-date=November 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121235650/https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/construction-development/industry-prepares-for-2021-pandemic-winter-106788|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Demolition of the old facade was completed by mid-2021,<ref>{{cite web | title=Progressing Ahead of Schedule, Demolition Work Completes at One Madison Avenue | website=KPF | date=July 16, 2021 | url=https://www.kpf.com/news/progressing-ahead-of-schedule-demolition-work-completes-at-one-madison-avenue | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010049/https://www.kpf.com/news/progressing-ahead-of-schedule-demolition-work-completes-at-one-madison-avenue | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | title=One Madison Sparks Interest: Snapshot | website=ENR | date=September 24, 2021 | url=https://www.enr.com/articles/52398-one-madison-sparks-interest-snapshot | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010049/https://www.enr.com/articles/52398-one-madison-sparks-interest-snapshot | url-status=live }}</ref> and workers gutted the interior of the east wing.<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> They started constructing the foundation and mega-columns before demolition was complete;<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /> this involved constructing a concrete core, removing alternating columns, and strengthening existing columns.<ref name="Marani u313" /> Because the clock tower was subject to city-landmark regulations, workers also had to reconstruct part of the tower's facade, which had been left exposed after part of the annex was demolished.<ref name="Marani u313" /> SL Green sold a 25&nbsp;percent interest in the project to an unidentified investor in December 2021, although it retained a 25.5&nbsp;percent interest.<ref>{{cite web | last=Morphy | first=Erika | title=SL Green Sells Stake in One Madison; Other Non-Core Assets Also Trade | website=GlobeSt | date=December 6, 2021 | url=https://www.globest.com/2021/12/06/sl-green-sells-stake-in-one-madison-other-non-core-assets-also-trade/ | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=March 21, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321030155/https://www.globest.com/2021/12/06/sl-green-sells-stake-in-one-madison-other-non-core-assets-also-trade/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Moynihan | first=Dan | title=SL Green Sells 25 Percent Stake in Manhattan's One Madison Ave. Office Redevelopment | website=Commercial Real Estate Direct | date=December 6, 2021 | url=https://crenews.com/2021/12/06/sl-green-sells-25-percent-stake-in-manhattans-one-madison-ave-office-redevelopment/ | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010049/https://crenews.com/2021/12/06/sl-green-sells-25-percent-stake-in-manhattans-one-madison-ave-office-redevelopment/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The sale came shortly after [[Chelsea Piers|Chelsea Piers Fitness]] leased space in the building, becoming the redeveloped structure's first large tenant.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rebong|first=Kevin|date=October 21, 2021|title=SL Green's One Madison Inks First Office Tenant|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/10/21/sl-greens-one-madison-inks-for-56sf-for-first-tenant/|access-date=August 27, 2022|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=August 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010050/https://therealdeal.com/2021/10/21/sl-greens-one-madison-inks-for-56sf-for-first-tenant/|url-status=live|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Rizzi | first=Nicholas | title=One Madison Nabs Its First Tenant With 57K-SF Chelsea Piers Outpost | website=Commercial Observer | date=October 20, 2021 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2021/10/chelsea-piers-one-madison-avenue-sl-green/ | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010049/https://commercialobserver.com/2021/10/chelsea-piers-one-madison-avenue-sl-green/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[IBM]] became the building's anchor tenant in March 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dilakian|first=Steven|date=March 15, 2022|title=IBM Leases SL Green's One Madison Ave As Anchor Tenant|url=https://therealdeal.com/2022/03/15/ibm-inks-328k-sf-as-one-madison-ave-anchor-tenant/|access-date=August 27, 2022|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=October 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001203332/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2022/03/15/ibm-inks-328k-sf-as-one-madison-ave-anchor-tenant/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=IBM Confirmed as Anchor Tenant for One Madison Avenue in Flatiron District, Manhattan | website=New York YIMBY | last=Morris | first=Sebastian | date=March 23, 2022 | url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2022/03/ibm-confirmed-as-anchor-tenant-for-one-madison-avenue-in-flatiron-district-manhattan.html | access-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-date=August 27, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827010722/https://newyorkyimby.com/2022/03/ibm-confirmed-as-anchor-tenant-for-one-madison-avenue-in-flatiron-district-manhattan.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Other initial tenants of the rebuilt building included [[Coinbase]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Nehring |first=Abigail |date=April 15, 2024 |title=Coinbase Inks 67K-SF Deal at One Madison |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/04/coinbase-lease-one-madison-avenue/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=April 16, 2024 |title=Coinbase inks 67K sf lease at One Madison |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/04/16/coinbase-commands-67k-sf-at-sl-greens-one-madison/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}</ref> [[Flutter Entertainment]],<ref>{{cite web | last=Nehring | first=Abigail | title=Sports Betting Giant Flutter to Open Office at One Madison | website=Commercial Observer | date=April 9, 2024 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2024/04/flutter-entertainment-lease-one-madison/ | access-date=September 7, 2024|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | title=NYC: Flutter signs 12-year lease agreement for floor in new office building | website=Yogonet International | date=April 11, 2024 | url=https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2024/04/11/71680-nyc-flutter-signs-12year-lease-agrement-for-floor-in-new-office-building | access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref> [[Franklin Templeton Investments]],<ref>{{cite web | last=Hallum | first=Mark | title=Franklin Templeton Takes 347K SF at SL Green's One Madison | website=Commercial Observer | date=September 29, 2022 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2022/09/franklin-templeton-takes-347k-sf-at-sl-greens-one-madison/ | access-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151350/https://commercialobserver.com/2022/09/franklin-templeton-takes-347k-sf-at-sl-greens-one-madison/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Williams | first=Taylor | title=Franklin Templeton Signs 347,474 SF Office Lease at One Madison Avenue in Manhattan | website=REBusinessOnline | date=October 3, 2022 | url=https://rebusinessonline.com/franklin-templeton-signs-347474-sf-office-lease-at-one-madison-avenue-in-manhattan/ | access-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151353/https://rebusinessonline.com/franklin-templeton-signs-347474-sf-office-lease-at-one-madison-avenue-in-manhattan/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Palo Alto Networks]],<ref name="Hallum 2023 z558">{{cite web | last=Hallum | first=Mark | title=Palo Alto Networks Leases 29K SF in One Madison Avenue | website=Commercial Observer | date=March 27, 2023 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/03/palo-alto-networks-one-madison-avenue/ | access-date=July 24, 2023 | archive-date=July 24, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724204219/https://commercialobserver.com/2023/03/palo-alto-networks-one-madison-avenue/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and a steakhouse and terrace operated by [[Daniel Boulud]].<ref name="Gannon 2024 e457" /><ref>{{cite web | last=Hallum | first=Mark | title=Daniel Boulud Bringing Steakhouse to One Madison Avenue | website=Commercial Observer | date=December 6, 2022 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2022/12/daniel-boulud-bringing-steakhouse-to-one-madison-avenue/ | access-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151343/https://commercialobserver.com/2022/12/daniel-boulud-bringing-steakhouse-to-one-madison-avenue/ | url-status=live }}</ref> 

One Madison Avenue topped out during December 2022,<ref>{{cite web |date=December 13, 2022 |title=SL Green Celebrates the Topping Out of One Madison Avenue in Midtown South |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/sl-green-celebrates-the-topping-out-of-one-madison-avenue-in-midtown-south-01670963097 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151349/https://www.wsj.com/articles/sl-green-celebrates-the-topping-out-of-one-madison-avenue-in-midtown-south-01670963097 |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |access-date=February 13, 2023 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Toma |first=Raluca |date=December 14, 2022 |title=SL Green JV Tops Out Manhattan Skyscraper |url=https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/sl-green-jv-tops-out-manhattan-skyscraper/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151350/https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/sl-green-jv-tops-out-manhattan-skyscraper/ |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |access-date=February 13, 2023 |website=Commercial Property Executive}}</ref> and installation of the building's curtain wall began in early 2023.<ref name="New York YIMBY 2023">{{cite web | title=One Madison Avenue's New Glass Curtain Wall Begins Installation in Flatiron District, Manhattan | website=New York YIMBY | last1=Young | first1=Michael | last2=Pruznick | first2=Matt | date=February 13, 2023 | url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2023/02/one-madison-avenues-new-glass-curtain-wall-begins-installation-in-flatiron-district-manhattan.html | access-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-date=February 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151343/https://newyorkyimby.com/2023/02/one-madison-avenues-new-glass-curtain-wall-begins-installation-in-flatiron-district-manhattan.html | url-status=live }}</ref> By that September, the One Madison Avenue annex was nearly complete, and the building had received a temporary [[certificate of occupancy]];<ref name="Stabile 2023 x933" /><ref name="New York Business Journal 2023 v009">{{cite web | title=One Madison Avenue office tower wraps construction in Midtown | website=New York Business Journal | last=Smith | first=Kevin | date=September 28, 2023 | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2023/09/28/one-madison-avenue-nyc-midtown-wraps-construction.html | access-date=February 26, 2024}}</ref> at the time, the space in the glass addition had been nearly fully leased.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> Around two-thirds of One Madison Avenue's space had been leased by April 2024,<ref>{{cite web |last=Cheng |first=Andria |date=April 10, 2024 |title=SL Green's One Madison, Months After Completion, Is Nearly 64% Leased |url=https://www.costar.com/article/1650639099/sl-greens-one-madison-months-after-completion-is-nearly-64-leased |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=CoStar |language=en}}</ref> and all of the storefronts were leased out by that July.<ref>{{cite web |last=Russo |first=Anthony |date=July 22, 2024 |title=SL Green Reaches Full Retail Occupancy at One Madison Avenue |url=https://www.globest.com/2024/07/22/sl-green-reaches-full-retail-occupancy-at-one-madison-avenue/?slreturn=20240907145150 |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=benefitspro.com}}</ref>

== Impact ==

=== Company promotion ===
[[File:Met life tower crop.jpg|thumb|Seen from the west in 1911]]
Metropolitan Life intended the tower to promote the company's image,<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 126" /> with company president [[John Rogers Hegeman]] calling the building "a symbol of integrity".<ref>{{harvnb|Dublin|1943|ps=.|p=75}}</ref> As such, the tower was surrounded by publicity.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 126">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=126|ps=.}}</ref> It was featured on the front of prominent magazines such as ''[[Scientific American]]'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Coc3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA305|title=A New York Campanile 700 Feet High|date=1908|magazine=Scientific American|publisher=Munn & Company|series=Library of American civilization|volume=98|pages=305|language=en|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=April 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420232146/https://books.google.com/books?id=Coc3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA305|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as on the sides of [[corn flake]] boxes, coffee packets, and cars. Metropolitan Life valued the free publicity surrounding its skyscraper at over $440,000 (equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US|value=0.44|start_year=1909}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 126" /> The company also published three oversized [[monograph]]s with images featuring the building, in 1907, 1908, and 1914.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 132" />

The tower figured prominently in Metropolitan Life's advertising for many years, illustrated with a light beaming from a lantern at the top of its spire and the slogan "The Light That Never Fails".<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 10" /><ref name="Angell">{{Cite book|last=Angell|first=Callie|title=''"Guide to Empire" in'' The Films of Andy Warhol Part II (exhibition brochure)|publisher=The Whitney Museum of American Art|year=1994|pages=16}}</ref><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 128">{{harvnb|Moudry|2005|p=128|ps=.}}</ref> While other life insurance companies, such as the [[New York Life Insurance Company]] and [[Equitable Insurance Company]], used sculptural representations for their respective symbols, Metropolitan Life used the building itself to represent the company's work and ideals.<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 128" />

=== Reception ===
Though not structurally distinctive, the Metropolitan Life Tower nevertheless was highly scrutinized, being the world's tallest building upon its completion.<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 7" /> The design of the tower won critical acclaim within the American architectural profession.<ref>{{harvnb|Landau|Condit|1996|pp=366–367|ps=.}}</ref> The [[American Institute of Architects]]' New York chapter called the clock tower "the most meritorous work of the year" upon its completion.<ref name="NPS (1978) p. 3" /><ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 126" /> The writer Roberta Moudry observed that "the tower appeared from [Madison Square Park] as an entity unto itself", distinct from other tall structures nearby, and at the time of its construction, "serve[d] as a timely large-scale public declaration of civic stature and ethical responsibility".<ref name="Moudry (2005) p. 125" /> The [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] described the original home office's design as doing "much to establish Metropolitan Life in the eyes and the mind of the public."<ref name="NYCL (1989) p. 3" /> In a company history book written shortly after the building's completion, Metropolitan Life had characterized the structure as "the most beautiful home office in the world".<ref name="MetLife p. 64">{{harvnb|Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|1914|ps=.|p=74}}</ref>

Members of the public also viewed the clock tower positively, with one anonymous reviewer calling the clock "a reassuring melody to hear on a trustworthy schedule".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/28/archives/critic-at-large-metropolitan-lifes-clock-is-back-on-job-sounding.html|title=Critic at Large; Metropolitan Life's Clock Is Back on Job, Sounding the Hours With Solemnity|date=April 28, 1964|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 8, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> One newspaper columnist stated that when the clock faces' hands were taken apart for cleaning in 1937, "letters poured in, asking what went on".<ref name="Heimer 1960" /> On December 11, 1984, to celebrate the building's 75th anniversary, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a pictorial [[Cancellation (mail)|cancellation]] that depicted the Metropolitan Life Tower, which was available only on that day.<ref>{{Cite news|title=U.S. Postal Service to issue one-day-only pictorial postal cancellation commemorating New York City's Metropolitan Life Tower|date=December 4, 1984|work=PRNewswire|page=NYPRFNS1}}</ref> 

Audrey Wachs of ''[[Curbed]]'' wrote in 2023 that, although the clock tower was by then "one of the stubbier silhouettes on the city skyline", it still "dominates" its neighborhood.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> Wachs also wrote that, "compared with its showy predecessor, One Madison Avenue is an introvert" because the annex's trusses and terraces could not be seen from ground level, and because the glass curtain walls were not fully transparent due to the presence of window screens.<ref name="Wachs 2023 e458" /> Justin Davidson, writing for the same publication in 2024, described the clock tower and the two annexes as symbolizing the fact that "the architecture of business changes, and it’s always chasing the future".<ref name="Davidson y081" />

=== Landmark status ===

The South Building's tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1978,<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|title=Federal Register: 44 Fed. Reg. 7107 (Feb. 6, 1979)|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|date=February 6, 1979|url=http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf | access-date=March 8, 2020|page=7539<!--(PDF p. 339)--> | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230122005/http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/fedreg/fr044/fr044026/fr044026.pdf | archive-date=December 30, 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> and became a [[New York City designated landmark]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite nycland|page=79}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/14/nyregion/met-life-tower-named-a-new-york-landmark.html|title=Met Life Tower Named A New York Landmark|date=June 14, 1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 5, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128113122/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/14/nyregion/met-life-tower-named-a-new-york-landmark.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Metropolitan Life Home Office Complex'', which includes the tower and the adjacent North Building, was added to the National Register on January 19, 1996.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> The east wing was not included in the Home Office Complex designation, nor in any of the other landmark designations, due to its relatively recent construction.<ref name="NPS (1995) p. 15" />

== See also ==
{{portal|Architecture|New York City|NRHP}}
* [[Early skyscrapers]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in the United States]]
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets]]

{{-}}

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web|first=George R.|last=Adams|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/catalogmedia/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/78001874_NHL.pdf|title=Historic Structures Report: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building|date=June 2, 1978|publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]]|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1978}}}}
* {{cite book|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001129267|title=A family of thirty million : the story of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|last=Dublin|first=Louis I.|year=1943|publisher=Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|via=HathiTrust|access-date=April 9, 2020|archive-date=January 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117165920/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001129267|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last1=Frost|first1=H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQDOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA387|title=The Engineering Digest|last2=Sames|first2=C.M.C.|publisher=Technical Literature Company|year=1909|issue=v. 6}}
* {{cite book|last=Gibbs|first=Kenneth|title=Business architectural imagery in America, 1870–1930|publisher=UMI Research Press|year=1984|isbn=978-0-8357-1575-1|oclc=10754074}}
* {{cite web|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/95001544.pdf|title=Historic Structures Report: Metropolitan Life Home Office Complex|date=December 5, 1995|publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]]|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1995}}}}
* {{cite nysky}}
* {{cite book|last=Moudry|first=Roberta|editor-last=Moudry|editor-first=Roberta|year=2005|chapter=The Corporate and the Civic: Metropolitan Life's Home Office Building|title=The American Skyscraper: Cultural Histories|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-62421-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gspVWg2WRR0C}}<!--DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-07182-8_10 is another source published in 2006, but has the same text-->
* {{cite book|author=Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|url=https://archive.org/details/metropolitanlife00metruoft|title=The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company: Its History, Its Present Position in the Insurance World, Its Home Office Building and Its Work Carried on Therein|publisher=Metropolitan Life Insurance Company|year=1914}}
* {{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1530.pdf|title=Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower|date=June 13, 1989|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1989}}|access-date=November 29, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224152536/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1530.pdf|url-status=live}}
* {{cite magazine|date=October 6, 1909|title=The Metropolitan Tower|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101082377399&view=1up&seq=11|journal=The American Architect|volume=96|issue=1763|pages=125–129|ref={{harvid|The American Architect|1909}}|access-date=October 7, 2020|archive-date=October 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011124630/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101082377399&view=1up&seq=11|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.editionhotels.com/new-york/ Edition Hotel New York official website]
* [https://slgreen.com/properties/1-madison-avenue One Madison Avenue official website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Singer Building]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Skyscraper#History of the tallest skyscrapers|Tallest building in the world]]|years=1909–1913}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Woolworth Building]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of tallest buildings in the United States|Tallest building in the United States]]|years=1909–1913}}
{{s-end}}
{{MetLife|state=autocollapse}}
{{East Side of Manhattan (14th-34th Streets)}}
{{Park Avenue}}
{{Buildings in New York City timeline}}
{{Hotels in New York City}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1900s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1909 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:1960s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:2020s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:2024 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:23rd Street (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Clock towers in New York City]]
[[Category:Flatiron District]]
[[Category:Former world's tallest buildings]]
[[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Madison Avenue]]
[[Category:MetLife|Tower]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County]]
[[Category:Office buildings completed in 1909]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan]]