Socony-Mobil Building
150 East 42nd Street | also 375 Lexington Avenue, 640 3rd Avenue | Murray Hill | built 1955
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Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1888
Fire destroys the Pottier & Stymus furniture factory on the future site of the tower
The Goelet family leased land near Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street to various tenants. The largest, the furniture-design firm Pottier & Stymus, built a six-story brick factory and showroom there, on ground later covered by the stainless steel tower. It burned down in 1888, and the Goelets rebuilt it. The block also held hotels, a garage and two theaters before the skyscraper replaced them.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1953
Socony-Vacuum signs a letter of intent to lease more than half of the planned tower
In July 1953 executives of the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company signed a letter of intent to take more than half of the skyscraper that developers Peter B. Ruffin and John W. Galbreath planned for the Goelet estate's land. Backed by that and other leases, a $37.5 million construction loan was pledged by the Equitable Life Assurance Society and National City Bank.
“…in July 1953, executives of the Socony-Vaccum Oil Company signed a letter of intent to lease more than half the structure.”
- 1954
Developers Galbreath and Ruffin run the steam shovel at the groundbreaking
Ground was broken on March 30, 1954. Developers John W. Galbreath and Peter B. Ruffin ran the steam shovel for the ceremonial first scoop of earth. Representatives of the architects, the contractors and the Goelet Estate also attended.
“Ground was broken on March 30, 1954. The ceremony was attended by Galbreath and Ruffin who 'operated the steam shovel that scooped the first bit of earth from the site,'…”
- 1955
Peter Ruffin leases the whole building before it is finished
By February 27, 1955, every floor was leased. Developer Peter B. Ruffin boasted that it was the first time one man had leased a whole building holding multiple tenants, and said he had saved himself and John Galbreath two million dollars in brokers' commissions. Tenants signed up included F. W. Woolworth, American Express and First National City Bank on the lower floors.
- 1955
Sagging scaffolding forces the evacuation of nearby blocks during construction
In August 1955, while workers were installing the tower's stainless steel panels, scaffolding on the building sagged and nearby blocks had to be evacuated. The builders afterward said there had been no accidents during construction. Installation of the 7,000 panels had begun that May.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1956
The first skyscraper clad entirely in stainless steel opens for Socony-Vacuum
Harrison & Abramovitz designed the 45-story tower, which broke ground on March 31, 1954, and opened on October 17, 1956. Its walls are covered with about 7,000 embossed stainless steel panels weighing 750,000 pounds in all, making it the first skyscraper fully clad in the metal. Socony-Vacuum, later Mobil Oil, moved from Lower Manhattan to take about half the space.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1956
A stainless steel container of tenants' predictions goes into the cornerstone at the opening celebration
The opening of the building was celebrated on October 17, 1956, and Benjamin F. Fairless, a director of United States Steel, cut the ribbon. The company had supplied the embossed panels. A stainless steel container placed in the cornerstone held assorted consumer products and predictions made by executives of several major tenants.
“Benjamin F. Fairless, director of the United States Steel Corporation, which supplied the embossed panels, cut the ribbon and a stainless steel container was inserted into the cornerstone.”
- 1966
Socony-Mobil renames its stainless-steel tower the Mobil Building
When Socony-Mobil Company becomes Mobil Oil Corporation in 1966, its Midtown headquarters at 150 East 42nd Street takes on the new name as well. The switch reflects the parent company's nationwide rebranding rather than any change to the tower itself. Mobil eventually moves out, and by the time the building is sold in 1987 its own namesake tenant is already relocating elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1977
A FALN bomb kills an office worker inside the Mobil Building
A bomb planted by the Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN explodes inside the Mobil Building on August 4, 1977, killing an office worker. It is one of several FALN bombings against the tower during the 1970s, including a 1970 attack that also hit numerous other office buildings in the area.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1987
Mobil sells its Midtown tower to a Japanese real estate firm
Mobil Oil sells its namesake stainless-steel skyscraper to the Japanese firm Hiro Real Estate Company for about $200 million, as the company plans to move its headquarters elsewhere. Occupancy falls sharply afterward, dropping to roughly 15 percent amid the early-1990s recession, before a 1995 renovation and new tenants such as American Airlines help fill the building back up.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2003
The city landmarks the steel-clad tower over its owner's objections
Less than 50 years after it opened, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Socony-Mobil Building a city landmark on February 25, 2003, despite objections from the building's owner. The tower, 572 feet tall, had been engineered by Edwards & Hjorth and built by Turner Construction.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Socony-Mobil BuildingWikipedia
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