Prior to the construction of 3 Park Avenue, the armory of the 71st Regiment, New York National Guard was originally located at the address. The first armory of the 71st Regiment burnt down in 1902 and a replacement was completed in 1905 on a slightly larger section of land. The architectural firm of Clinton and Russell designed the second armory and in 1935 it was described as "Manhattan’s ugly old brownstone" by Time magazine, which was a reflection of a wider perception of the structure. The armory was eventually demolished during the 1960s and a decade passed before the site was redeveloped. The building was designed by the Shreve, Lamb and Harmon architectural firm, designers of the Empire State Building. Rosenwasser/Grossman Consulting Engineers, P.C. is listed as the structural engineering firm for the building in 2014. In the year 2000, the owner of the building was Three Park Avenue Building Company LP, but the property formed part of the Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation's portfolio in June 2014. The building's lobby was renovated in 2001. In 2016, Cohen Brothers retained César Pelli'sPelli Clarke Pelli architects to design a renovation of the lobby. Changes included new metal canopies, gray granite, and columns at the exterior plaza, renovations of the of retail space, and new wood paneling, glass walls, lighting, and elevator cabs for the lobby. In December 2018, Citibank provided $182 million in debt to refinance the building.
Description
The 42-story building consists of a combination of commercial tenants and several specialty schools including Unity Center for Urban Technologies, Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language, and Murray Hill Academy. The Norman Thomas High School was formerly located in the building. The Emporis website documents 12 elevators within the building, a virtual address of "101–111 East 33rd Street" and an architectural height of. The building is notable for its diagonal alignment and the bright light colored bricks used for its construction and the same bricks are used for the small plaza at the building's main entrance. A sculpture titled "Obelisk to Peace", created by Irving Marantz in 1972, is situated at the main entrance and is a height of, made from bronze and is set on a polished granite base. The entrance to the school is on the East 33rd Street side of the building, where arcade and plaza space exists; although a bench is situated at the entrance, New York State Penal Law prohibits trespassing. In 2000, the space on the 34th Street side was almost identical to the 33rd Street arcade and plaza, but lacked a bench and sign.
