MetLife Building, Office skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, US
The MetLife Building is a 246-meter (807-foot) office tower in the Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, rising 59 floors above street level into the skyline. The facade combines concrete with large glass panels that give the structure its geometric appearance.
On March 7, 1963, the tower opened as headquarters for Pan Am airline, whose logo once adorned the facade. In 1981 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company acquired the property and gave it its current name.
The name recalls the insurance company Metropolitan Life, which has owned the tower since the early 1980s and created thousands of jobs in the financial district. Today numerous companies occupy the office floors while commuters stream daily through the lower levels toward the station.
The property has 85 elevators and a direct underground connection to Grand Central Terminal, which eases access to several subway lines. Entrances are located on multiple street sides so visitors can easily find the passageway to the station.
Until 1968 a rooftop heliport carried passengers directly to JFK airport before a fatal accident ended commercial flights. The platform still exists today but no longer serves helicopters.
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