Located between 49th and 50th Streets, the 745 Seventh Avenue project is a built-to-suit office building in Midtown Manhattan. The building, which was initially designed for Morgan Stanley-Dean Witter, was purchased by Barclays Capital in 2008. The granite, metal and glass building rises through a series of alternating setbacks, which help to maximize floor area while complying with stringent New York City sky exposure requirements. The ground floor contains retail space, two generous lobbies, separate entrances on Seventh Avenue, 49th and 50th Streets, a porte-cochere, auditorium, public plaza, subway entrance, and a pedestrian connection to the Rockefeller Plaza concourse system. By integrating a block-long LED display within the curtain wall, the building satisfies the strict signage guidelines of the Times Square Business Improvement District (BID). Because of its proximity to Times Square the signage is developed to gesture towards 1585 Broadway and to the “bow tie” intersection. The skin of the building is principally composed of two wall types. The predominant wall type alludes to the buildings of Rockefeller Center with vertical piers. These piers, four feet wide and six feet apart, are clad in gray granite. Both vision and shadow box panels are clad with a clear, un-tinted glass. The remaining wall surfaces are clad in clear glass with a shadow box at the spandrel.
