The Pan Am Building, today MetLife Building, is a 59-story
skyscraper at 200 Park Avenue and 45th Street, north of Grand Central Terminal,
in Midtown Manhattan. It was completed in 1963 and is 808 feet (246 m) tall.
The site was originally occupied by a six-story building for baggage handling, part of the Grand Central Terminal complex, later converted into an office building (see photo below).
In February 1958, the office building was announced as the Grand Central Building by the owner's representative James D. Landauer Associates (illustration on the right). The Grand Central Building, Inc. was the owner and builder. The Diesel Construction Company was the general contractor. It was designed by Richard Roth, Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi,
It was initially known as Grand Central Building or Grand Central City and construction began in 1959. In September 1960, Pan Am founder Juan Trippe became the major lessee of the building, which became officially known as the Pan Am Building in December 1960. The building was officially opened on March 7, 1963.
The helipad on top of the building was closed in 1977 after an accident that killed five people.
In 1978, Pan Am acquired full ownership of the property. In July 1980, Pan Am sold the building to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife). The sale was finalized in 1981. The signs were changed in January 1993 and the 200 Park Avenue became known as the MetLife Building. In 2005, the skyscraper was sold to Speyer Properties Tishman. A renovation began in 2018.
