renovation of the subway entrance, office tower lobby, surrounding plaza at 560 Lexington Avenue has created a bright, fresh, reimagined public amenity in town Manhattan.

Constructed in the 1980s, this Privately Owned Public Space was originally acterized by dark brick bronze-colored metal. Surrounded by an enclosure composed of the same dark materials, the subway entrance was secured at night by an industrial roll-down gate, obstructing views throughout the plaza.

SOM sought to brighten this public space with a light palette of limestone, white granite, stainless steel. A highly transparent glass steel subway enclosure provides visibility openness throughout the plaza. This curvilinear structure is self-supporting, eliminating the need for obstructive vertical mullions enhancing the sculptural quality of the entrance. Its integrated stainless steel benches provide seating in the plaza, while a glass swing gate, engineered to nest in the concave form of the enclosure, offers an elegant solution to the security needs of the subway station.

Below, the design language of the enclosure’s geometry continues with curved limestone walls glass guardrails, inviting pedestrians down a sweeping staircase to the subway New York Public Library branch beyond.

The glass, limestone, granite, steel material palette carries into the office tower lobby, where acid-etched, mirror-backed glass feature walls compliment the building’s new reception desk elevator cabs. New metal glass storefronts also contribute to the modernization of 560 Lexington Avenue, drawing even more visitors to enjoy this reinvigorated public amenity for the town neighborhood of New York City.