The only New York City contribution from Mies van der Rohe, it is apparently the epitome of the modernist era, while based on a classical mentality – a favourite of 1960s. Its main attraction is the fact that this cubic structure, expressed by extruded bronze I-beams competing with rather menacing dark glass, can change colour from different angles – from bronze to black. The tower sits squarely on a series of two story bronze columns and is surrounded by a twenty-eight foot high arcade. Much of the building's success comes from its elegant proportions, and its relation to the overall site: the building is set back from the street, the forecourt uses reflecting pools and a low boundary wall in green marble to set the building off. Here Mies van der Rohe expressed his belief that structure is spiritual.

Written by  George Monkhouse.

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