McGraw-Hill Building
The McGraw-Hill Building at 330 West 42nd Street is a landmark 33-story skyscraper completed in 1931, designed by Raymond Hood and J. Andre Fouilhoux. Its daring blue-green terracotta facade and pronounced horizontal banding challenged the vertical orthodoxy of its era, earning it a place in MoMA’s landmark 1932 International Style exhibition alongside the finest modern buildings in the world.
At a glance
- Type
- Skyscraper / Office building
- Period
- 1930–1931
- Style
- Art Deco / Art Moderne / International Style
- Location
- 330 West 42nd Street, Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, NY 10036, USA
- Coordinates
- 40.7575° N, 73.9917° W
- Architect(s)
- Raymond Hood and J. Andre Fouilhoux (Hood, Godley and Fouilhoux)
Overview
Rising 485 feet in 33 stories over Hell’s Kitchen, the McGraw-Hill Building is one of New York City’s most architecturally adventurous skyscrapers. Its surface is clad entirely in distinctive blue-green glazed terracotta tiles alternating with green-framed casement windows, creating a shimmering horizontal rhythm unlike anything else on the Manhattan skyline. Completed in just 14 months at a cost of $3.34 million, it originally housed the headquarters of McGraw-Hill Companies before transitioning to mixed office and residential use in a major 2021 renovation.
History
Construction began on December 29, 1930, with Starrett Brothers employing roughly 800 workers on the site. McGraw-Hill Companies occupied three-quarters of the 575,000 square feet of space upon completion in 1931, using the building as their global headquarters for decades. The building later served Group Health Insurance under the name GHI Building before reverting to the McGraw-Hill name. A major renovation launched in 2021 converted the upper floors to residential apartments while preserving the remarkable facade and landmark lower floors, extending the building’s life and purpose into the twenty-first century.
Architecture & Design
Where most New York skyscrapers of the period emphasised verticality, Hood and Fouilhoux deliberately inverted the convention. Strong horizontal spandrel bands in blue-green terracotta link every window bay across the facade, giving the tower a streamlined, machine-age quality closer to the emerging International Style than to traditional Art Deco ornamentalism. Hood chose the distinctive blue-green colour specifically for its ability to harmonise with the sky under all weather conditions. The building was selected as one of only two American skyscrapers represented in the Museum of Modern Art’s groundbreaking 1932 International Style exhibition curated by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, confirming its status as a bridge between Art Deco and the architectural modernism that followed.
Cultural significance
The McGraw-Hill Building occupies a rare hinge point in American architectural history. Designed in the final year before the Great Depression halted large-scale construction, it distilled Hood’s career-long move from Gothic Revival toward pure modernism. Its inclusion in MoMA’s 1932 exhibition gave the building international visibility and secured its place in architectural historiography. The American Institute of Architects has cited the building as one of New York City’s finest examples of the transitional moment between Art Deco and the International Style.
Visiting today
The building is best appreciated from the street, where the full extent of the blue-green facade can be seen. The lobby area is accessible during office hours. The ongoing residential conversion of upper floors means the building remains active and well-maintained. Nearby, the Theater District and Times Square offer additional architectural and cultural attractions within easy walking distance.
Getting there
The nearest subway stations are Times Square–42nd Street (A, C, E, N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3 lines) and Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E lines), both within a five-minute walk. The M42 and M104 bus routes serve 42nd Street directly. As with all Midtown Manhattan locations, public transit is far preferable to driving.
Sources & resources
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