Solow Building

The Solow Building is at 9 West 57th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, just south of Central Park, between Fifth Avenue to the east and Sixth Avenue to the west. It contains frontage on 57th Street to the south and 58th Street to the north.{{Cite web|title=9 West 57th Street, 10019|url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1273/22|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=New York City Department of City Planning|archive-date=September 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909143935/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1273/22|url-status=live}}{{cite aia5|pages=337}} The Solow Building's site covers {{convert|62,058|ft2||abbr=}}. It measures {{Convert|268|ft||abbr=}} along 57th Street, with a depth of {{convert|200.83|ft}} between 57th and 58th Streets. The Solow Building is near the Park Lane Hotel and the Plaza Hotel to the north, Grand Army Plaza and the General Motors Building to the northeast, the Bergdorf Goodman Building and the Paris Theater to the east, and the Crown Building and 17 West 56th Street to the south.

The surrounding stretch of 57th Street was part of an artistic hub during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=May 9, 1999|title=Streetscapes /57th Street Between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue; High and Low Notes of a Block With a Musical Bent|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/realestate/streetscapes-57th-street-between-avenue-americas-seventh-avenue-high-low-notes.html|access-date=November 18, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127115151/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/realestate/streetscapes-57th-street-between-avenue-americas-seventh-avenue-high-low-notes.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=November 13, 2001|title=Steinway Hall|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2100.pdf|access-date=November 12, 2020|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|pages=6–7|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109230241/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2100.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite fednyc|page=232}} The southern part of the site was occupied by the Pace Gallery, which operated there from 1963 to 1968.{{Cite news|last=Bankoff|first=Caroline|date=June 18, 2018|title=The Stories Behind 5 New York Art Scene Legends|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/t-magazine/new-york-art-scene-legends-stories.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815164821/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/t-magazine/new-york-art-scene-legends-stories.html|url-status=live}} On the northern part of the site was a 14-story building at 4 West 58th Street, containing the Paris Theater.{{Cite news|last=Ennis|first=Thomas W.|date=August 5, 1968|title=News of Realty: Fall Finish Due; Insurance Company Builds 176-acre Industrial Center|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/05/archives/news-of-realty-fall-finish-due-insurance-company-builds-176acre.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815195601/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/05/archives/news-of-realty-fall-finish-due-insurance-company-builds-176acre.html|url-status=live}}{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=503}} The Solow Building also replaced a six-story loft building on 26 West 58th Street that had housed the office of modernist architect Paul Rudolph. The rest of the site was largely composed of low-rise commercial and apartment buildings.{{Cite news|last=Ennis|first=Thomas W.|date=August 16, 1968|title=News of Realty: 45-story Tower; Mormons' Trade Property for 4 Floors of Building|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/16/archives/news-of-realty-45story-tower-mormons-trade-property-for-4-floors-of.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194056/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/08/16/archives/news-of-realty-45story-tower-mormons-trade-property-for-4-floors-of.html|url-status=live}} The Solow Building, as well as the Squibb Building at 40 West 57th Street, were among the first high-rise office developments to be built on West 57th Street following the 1961 Zoning Resolution.{{Cite news|date=June 20, 1971|title=57th Street Store Rents Reported Recovering|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/20/archives/57th-street-store-rents-reported-recovering.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815213003/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/20/archives/57th-street-store-rents-reported-recovering.html|url-status=live}}

9 West 57th Street was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and developed by Sheldon Solow.{{Cite web|title=Solow Building|url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114921/solow-building-new-york-city-ny-usa|access-date=January 1, 2021|publisher=Emporis|archive-date=March 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319040120/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=solowbuilding-newyorkcity-ny-usa|url-status=usurped}} It was built by the Diesel Construction Company.{{Cite news|date=October 31, 1970|title=50-Story Tower Is at Eighth Floor|pages=209|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508406/50-story-tower-is-at-eighth-floor/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815213003/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508406/50-story-tower-is-at-eighth-floor/|url-status=live}} When constructed, the building was also referred to as "9 West"{{Cite news|last1=Lattman|first1=Peter|last2=Troianovski|first2=Anton|author-link2=Anton Troianovski|date=April 1, 2010|title=Vacancies at a Fancy Address, 9 West|language=en|work=The Wall Street Journal|location=New York|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304252704575156800614960386|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814235021/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304252704575156800614960386|archive-date=August 14, 2021|issn=0099-9660}}{{cite magazine|last=Segal|first=Julie|date=June 12, 2017|title=Sunset on 57th Street|url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1505pbxx8zkgk/sunset-on-57th-street|journal=|id={{ProQuest|1923238765}}|magazine=Institutional Investor|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816021953/https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1505pbxx8zkgk/sunset-on-57th-street|url-status=live}} and "Tower 9". The building is {{convert|689|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall, with 50 stories,{{cite web|title=Solow Building – The Skyscraper Center|url=http://legacy.skyscrapercenter.com/new-york-city/solow-building/1465/|access-date=August 17, 2021|website=Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat}} although some sources cite the building as having 49 stories. Weidlinger Associates was the structural engineer and Code Consultants Inc. was the code consultant.

According to Solow, the building was designed to have "magnificent views" and areas for workers to relax because "such surroundings attract and keep good workers to such a degree that corporate tenants are willing to pay premium rents to get them".{{Cite news|date=July 14, 1972|title=This 'Ivory Tower' Sits on Cloud Nine|pages=20|work=The Pittsburgh Press|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508624/this-ivory-tower-sits-on-cloud-nine/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815213002/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508624/this-ivory-tower-sits-on-cloud-nine/|url-status=live}} The building is distinguished by curved facades on its northern and southern elevations, which taper at higher stories. 9 West 57th Street was the first major structure in New York City to be developed with a sloped facade.{{cite news|last=Horsley|first=Carter B.|date=March 26, 1972|title=Sloping Office Buildings Make Provocative Midtown Debut: Sloping Buildings Make Debut Here|page=R1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119466315}}}}

The north and south facades curve inward from ground level to the 18th floor, where it rises upward to the 50th story. The building is {{Convert|64|ft}} narrower at the 18th floor than at ground level.{{cite magazine|date=Oct 1970|title=Graphics Antics|url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1970-10.pdf|journal=Architectural Forum|volume=134|pages=25|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815213004/https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1970-10.pdf|url-status=live}} The massing is similar to the W.R. Grace Building, completed around the same time;{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=March 12, 1974|title=New Grace Building Is Flamboyant Pop|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/12/archives/new-grace-building-is-flamboyant-pop-an-appraisal.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018163513/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/12/archives/new-grace-building-is-flamboyant-pop-an-appraisal.html|url-status=live}} the initial, rejected design of the Solow Building was used for the Grace Building.{{cite web|title=W. R. Grace Building|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114922|access-date=August 31, 2010|publisher=Emporis|archive-date=September 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930040249/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114922|url-status=usurped}}{{cite web|last=Horsley|first=Carter B.|title=9 West 57th Street|url=https://www.thecityreview.com/57w9.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|website=The Midtown Book|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817155621/https://www.thecityreview.com/57w9.html|url-status=live}} The sloped design came from an early concept in which the elevators were placed outside the main structural core, though this idea was not feasible. Bunshaft instead decided to use curved facades on the north and south elevations, avoiding the need for rectangular setbacks.{{cite magazine|date=Apr 1970|title=Block-Buster Approach to Architecture|url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1970-04.pdf|journal=Progressive Architecture|volume=51|pages=41|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232804/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1970-04.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=October 23, 2015|title=9 West 57th Street – Office Tower|url=https://www.som.com/projects/9_west_57th_street__office_tower|access-date=August 17, 2021|website=SOM|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629033319/https://www.som.com/projects/9_west_57th_street__office_tower|url-status=live}} One author compared the curves to the face of a ski slope.

The north and south walls are made of gray-tinted glass. Immediately above the ground level, the north and south elevations end in a large gutter, which collects rainwater.{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=504}} Custom rails were installed on the facade for the window-washing scaffolds. The glass panels consist of windows as well as spandrels in between stories. The panels are attached to the superstructure by black gaskets made of neoprene.{{cite magazine|date=Jun 1971|title=Buildings on the way up|url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1971-06.pdf|journal=Progressive Architecture|volume=52|pages=28|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817155620/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1971-06.pdf|url-status=live}}

The western and eastern facades are clad in tan bands of travertine limestone. On either side is a narrow window opening spanning several stories. The building's structural steel bracing crosses diagonally in front of these windows. The sections of the steel bracing in front of the windows are coated with black aluminum.

File:Moving of the Orange "9" to 9 West 57th Street.jpg

The building has a setback of {{Convert|36|ft}} from 57th Street and {{Convert|49|ft}} from 58th Street. A plaza extends in front of the building on both 57th and 58th Streets. The plaza is clad in travertine{{Cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Deborah|date=January 4, 1981|title=Pedestrians Find 'New' Sidewalks Are Often Slippery|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/realestate/pedestriansl-find-new-sidewalks-are-often-slippery.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816230811/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/04/realestate/pedestriansl-find-new-sidewalks-are-often-slippery.html|url-status=live}} and extends the width of the block from 57th to 58th Streets.

A red sculpture of the digit "9" on the 57th Street side of the building was designed by Ivan Chermayeff.{{cite book | last=Poulin | first=Richard | title=Graphic Design and Architecture, A 20th Century History: A Guide to Type, Image, Symbol, and Visual Storytelling in the Modern World | publisher=Rockport Publishers | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-61058-633-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0kf0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA170 | access-date=June 12, 2020 | page=170 | archive-date=September 3, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903214839/https://books.google.com/books?id=0kf0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA170 | url-status=live }}{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=505}}{{Cite news|last=Schneider|first=Daniel B.|date=June 18, 2000|title=F.Y.I.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/nyregion/fyi-761672.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223008/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/nyregion/fyi-761672.html|url-status=live}} The sculpture weighs {{Convert|6|ST|LT t}} and measures about {{Convert|10|ft}} high by {{Convert|5|ft}} wide. It faces east toward Fifth Avenue and is supported by a three-story column in the basement.{{Cite news|last=Heller|first=Steven|date=December 14, 2003|title=ART; A Laboratory for Sign Language|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/books/art-a-laboratory-for-sign-language.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202230544/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/books/art-a-laboratory-for-sign-language.html|url-status=live}} The sculpture was installed because Solow thought the plaza as designed was excessively large, and also because Solow wanted to draw attention away from the bare walls of other nearby buildings.{{Cite news|last=Roberts|first=Sam|date=March 4, 2016|title=New York's Sidewalks, Unsung Moneymakers|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/nyregion/new-yorks-sidewalks-unsung-moneymakers.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410002227/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/nyregion/new-yorks-sidewalks-unsung-moneymakers.html|url-status=live}} The idea for the sculpture had come after Chermayeff had joked that the facade could be a "launching pad" for the "9". After the sculpture was first installed in 1972, Solow had removed the sculpture for a year due to a dispute over where it should be placed.{{Cite news|last=Reif|first=Rita|date=March 23, 1975|title=Legacy of Art Remains After Surge in Building|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/23/archives/legacy-of-art-remains-after-surge-in-building-a-legacy-of-art.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232803/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/23/archives/legacy-of-art-remains-after-surge-in-building-a-legacy-of-art.html|url-status=live}} He ultimately agreed to install the sculpture on the sidewalk, initially paying the city $1,000 annually in rent. By the 1990s, the sculpture was described in The New York Times as "a cultural artifact as well as the building's signature".{{Cite news|last=Lyons|first=Richard D.|date=April 18, 1990|title=Real Estate; More Buildings Unite Art and Commerce|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/18/business/real-estate-more-buildings-unite-art-and-commerce.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004733/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/18/business/real-estate-more-buildings-unite-art-and-commerce.html|url-status=live}}

The 58th Street side of the plaza contains Moonbird, a sculpture by Joan Miró.{{Cite news|last=Wright|first=Christian L.|date=February 24, 2012|title=A Sidekick Street|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/realestate/west-58th-street-block-by-block-a-sidekick-street.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817181729/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/realestate/west-58th-street-block-by-block-a-sidekick-street.html|url-status=live}} The sculpture, originally commissioned in 1966, is {{Convert|14|ft}} tall and made of bronze. Solow installed Moonbird in 1994, saying that "it is one of my very favorite sculptures"; he already had a print of the same work. Before Moonbird was installed, the 58th Street side of the plaza had a {{Convert|12|ft|adj=on}} "mobile" by Alexander Calder. Solow removed the mobile after realizing the work could fall onto pedestrians in the wind.{{Cite news|last=Brozan|first=Nadine|date=September 26, 1994|title=Chronicle|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/26/nyregion/chronicle-356832.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817183244/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/26/nyregion/chronicle-356832.html|url-status=live}}

9 West 57th Street is structurally supported by columns above the public plaza, creating the appearance of an arcade. Storefronts on either side were originally planned. Two basement shopping levels were originally connected to the plaza by a pairs of escalators on both 57th and 58th Street.{{Cite news|last=Oser|first=Alan S.|date=December 16, 1998|title=Commercial Real Estate; A Tenancy Transformation for an Office Tower on 57th Street|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/16/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-tenancy-transformation-for-office-tower-57th-street.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181237/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/16/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-tenancy-transformation-for-office-tower-57th-street.html|url-status=live}} The retail space, covering {{Convert|45000|ft2}}, remained empty for thirty years after the building's completion.{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=July 4, 2017|title=A Holdout Delays a Developer's Latest High-Rise Dream|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/nyregion/sheldon-solow-57th-street.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181245/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/nyregion/sheldon-solow-57th-street.html|url-status=live}} Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates then designed the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant in the space, which opened in 2000. The 230-seat restaurant covers {{Convert|13000|ft2}} and is accessed by a stair inside a {{Convert|275|ft2|adj=on}} cylindrical entrance from the lobby.{{cite magazine|last=Beamon|first=Kelly|date=Mar 2001|title=Brave new brasserie|volume=23|page=41|id={{ProQuest|233483116}}|magazine=Hospitality Design}} The basement also has a parking garage.{{cite web|title=Portfolio|url=https://solowresidential.com/portfolio/9-west-57th-street?i=3|access-date=August 17, 2021|website=Solow Residential|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817152715/https://solowresidential.com/portfolio/9-west-57th-street?i=3|url-status=live}}

The lobby was designed to extend the entire block between 57th and 58th Streets, with glass walls on either side. The lobby is clad with marble. During the Solow Building's construction, Bunshaft had said that marble "is beautiful, it weathers beautifully and it expresses structure in design".{{cite news|last=Tonner|first=Leslie|date=August 22, 1971|title=Marble Regaining Popularity in Office Buildings Here: Marble Regaining Popularity|page=R1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119301487}}}} Because Solow wanted to maintain an "exclusive aura", he banned tenants from using phones in the lobby. The 58th Street side of the lobby has a newsstand and a retail area.

The first floor also houses Solow's private art gallery, including works by Franz Kline, Henri Matisse, and Alberto Giacometti. The gallery is managed under the non-profit Solow Art and Architecture Foundation, which receives tax exemptions from being nominally open to the public. However, the gallery is perpetually closed,{{cite web|last=Anuta|first=Joe|date=April 23, 2018|title=Developer's museum off-limits to the public|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20180423/REAL_ESTATE/180429961/developer-sheldon-solow-s-museum-is-off-limits-to-the-public|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Crain's New York Business|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232806/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20180423/REAL_ESTATE/180429961/developer-sheldon-solow-s-museum-is-off-limits-to-the-public|url-status=live}} even to tenants. Some of the artwork was visible from the street despite being inaccessible. This prompted criticism and the creation of a parody website describing the gallery's operating hours as "Monday, inaccessible; Tuesday, closed; Wednesday, no public hours; Thursday, not open; Friday, same as the rest of the week; Saturday, none; Sunday, absolutely not". After Solow's death in late 2020, his widow Mia Fonssagrives-Solow announced she would open his art collection to the public.{{Cite news|last=Kazakina|first=Katya|date=December 20, 2020|title=What Will Become of a Tycoon's Art Gems?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/arts/design/solow-art-museum-auction.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232803/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/20/arts/design/solow-art-museum-auction.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Boucher|first=Brian|date=November 19, 2020|title=Billionaire Sheldon Solow Allegedly Gamed the Tax System for Years With His Inaccessible Art Museum. Now His Widow Will Make It Public|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sheldon-solow-collection-public-museum-1924976|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Artnet News|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232803/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sheldon-solow-collection-public-museum-1924976|url-status=live}}

The second floor was designed with a {{Convert|26|ft|adj=on}} ceiling, although a {{Convert|18000|ft2|adj=on}} mezzanine above the second floor was erected during the Solow Building's construction. Designed by Bernard M. Deschler for the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, the mezzanine was installed because Morgan Guaranty wanted to keep its investment managers and research specialists near each other.{{Cite news|date=October 13, 1974|title=Bank Installs 'Floating' Floor|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/13/archives/bank-installs-floating-floor.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815164820/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/13/archives/bank-installs-floating-floor.html|url-status=live}} The mezzanine hangs from the ceiling using metal alloy bars.{{cite news|last=Metz|first=Robert|date=June 30, 1974|title=Trying to Keep $23-billion at Work: Investing|page=140|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|120123652}}}} The second floor and mezzanine is still marketed as a trading floor {{As of|2021|lc=y}}. The fourth floor contains a two-story mechanical space, which is hidden on the exterior.{{Cite news|last=Horsley|first=Carter B.|date=January 22, 1978|title=Office Towers' Machinery Often on Hidden Floors|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/22/archives/office-towers-machinery-often-on-hidden-floors-floors-for-office.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815223154/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/22/archives/office-towers-machinery-often-on-hidden-floors-floors-for-office.html|url-status=live}}

The typical upper story has a rectangular layout around a service core in the center, which contains the building's elevators and stairs. The upper stories are served by 24 elevators, which are divided into elevator banks serving different groups of floors. Above the 23rd story, the north facade has a direct view of Central Park. Overall, the tower has a gross floor area of about {{Convert|1400000|ft2|0}}, with 33 elevators in total. There is about {{Convert|20000|ft2}} of amenity space on the 27th floor, including a 40-seat coffee lounge and a meeting room for over 100 people.{{cite web |last=Schiavo |first=Amanda |date=February 13, 2025 |title=The Plan: Soloviev Revamps 9 West 57th Amenity Space |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2025/02/soloviev-9-west-57th-design/ |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website=Commercial Observer}} In addition, there is a health club with a salt room, fitness equipment, plunge pools, and a golf simulator. The upper stories also include a tenant-only restaurant, Vista.{{cite web |last=Hughes |first=C. J. |date=January 9, 2025 |title=Solow Building hires restaurateurs behind one of world’s best bars for tenant-only eatery |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/midtowns-solow-building-hires-kent-hospitality-group-food-offerings |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website=Crain's New York Business}}{{cite web |last=Cheng |first=Andria |date=January 10, 2025 |title=Manhattan office tower overlooking Central Park adds full-floor amenities space |url=https://www.costar.com/article/730192395/manhattan-office-tower-overlooking-central-park-adds-full-floor-amenities-space |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website=CoStar |language=en}}

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) had acquired the lots at 10–20 West 58th Street in 1962, with plans to build a skyscraper of between 30 and 40 stories. The LDS Church planned to rent some of the building's space as offices.{{Cite news|last=Phillips|first=McCandlish|date=January 11, 1962|title=Mormons to Build Skyscraper On 58th Opposite Plaza Hotel; Church Plans to Use Part of 30-Story Building and Rent the Remainder|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/01/11/archives/mormons-to-build-skyscraper-on-58th-opposite-plaza-hotel-church.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194054/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/01/11/archives/mormons-to-build-skyscraper-on-58th-opposite-plaza-hotel-church.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=January 11, 1962|title=Mormon Skyscraper Here|page=21|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1326123136}}}} The church had also acquired a site at 11 West 57th Street. Sheldon Solow started acquiring parcels on 57th and 58th Streets in 1965,{{cite news|last=Whitehouse|first=Franklin|date=March 29, 1970|title=A 'Loner' Is Building on 57th St.: A 'Loner' Is Building on 57th Street|page=239|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|118961824}}}} hiring several brokers to avoid raising suspicion that he was assembling a large lot.{{Cite news|date=August 21, 1970|title=He Has a Secret-- A Skyscraper|pages=63|work=Newsday (Nassau Edition)|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83500372/he-has-a-secret-a-skyscraper/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194056/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83500372/he-has-a-secret-a-skyscraper/|url-status=live}} Solow ended up acquiring 17 parcels,{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=November 15, 2007|title=Towering Vision by Developer Stirs East Side|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/realestate/15solow.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232814/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/realestate/15solow.html|url-status=live}}{{Efn|Including the LDS lot, he acquired 9–21 West 57th Street, as well as 10–26 and 36–40 West 58th Street.}} including the LDS site, ultimately assembling a {{Convert|54000|ft2|adj=on}} site between 57th and 58th Streets. While Solow could not outright buy 4 West 58th Street, he acquired a leasehold on the building, as well as air rights that allowed an increase in the size of his proposed skyscraper. Bergdorf Goodman's president Andrew Goodman refused to sell the store building or its air rights to Solow.

File:9 West 57th Street Construction, January 1970.jpg

In August 1968, Solow announced that he had hired Gordon Bunshaft to design a {{Convert|800000|ft2|adj=on}}, 45-story building on the site. The LDS Church planned to take up four stories in the building. Solow's tower was planned to contain a wide base and curving facades, which tapered at higher stories. The lots at 36–40 West 58th Street were separated from the rest of the site by a parking lot, so Solow planned a 13-story, 225-space garage on these lots. The original design would have contained balconies on the east and west.{{cite news|date=August 25, 1968|title=Tapered Tower to Rise on 57th Street|page=R1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|118407918}}}} By the end of that year, the building was increased to 47 stories and {{Convert|1.1|e6ft2}}. The LDS Church withdrew from the project due to a dispute over mortgage. Cosmetics company Avon Products decided to lease 20 stories in June 1969 and finalized the decision that November.{{Cite news|date=November 4, 1973|title=Broker Wins Big Judgment In Dispute on Commissions|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/04/archives/broker-wins-big-judgment-in-dispute-on-commissions.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814235014/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/04/archives/broker-wins-big-judgment-in-dispute-on-commissions.html|url-status=live}} In doing so, Avon abruptly canceled plans to relocate to Rockefeller Center, even though rent at the Solow Building was higher than that at Rockefeller Center, and even though Solow did not plan to allow Avon to formally name the building after itself.

Demolition on the site had begun in early 1969 when Solow acquired the lots at 30–34 West 58th Street, creating a continuous site for his development. As a result, the proposed building was redesigned yet again. In early 1970, Solow announced that his 50-story office building would contain {{Convert|1.5|e6ft2}}, a third of which was leased by Avon.{{Cite news|date=January 30, 1970|title=An Office Building To Rise 50 Stories On W. 57th Street|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/30/archives/an-office-building-to-rise-50-stories-on-w-57th-street.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815195603/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/30/archives/an-office-building-to-rise-50-stories-on-w-57th-street.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=February 7, 1970|title=Avon Leases on 57th St.|pages=26|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83509865/avon-leases-on-57th-st/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220738/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83509865/avon-leases-on-57th-st/|url-status=live}} By that April, Avon had increased its space to {{Convert|700000|ft2}} across 25 floors.{{cite news|date=April 14, 1971|title=Avon to Consolidate 7 Units In Mid-Manhattan Building|page=2|work=Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|id={{ProQuest|133612574}}}} A corrugated {{Convert|280|by|10|ft|adj=on}} sign was erected in front of the construction site. It was designed so it read "Solow Building Company" from one angle and "9 W 57" from another. By that October, the steelwork had reached the eighth floor. During construction, a dislodged crane hurt five workers,{{Cite news|date=October 29, 1970|title=A Crane Goes Boom on 57th – One Hurt|pages=78|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510371/a-crane-goes-boom-on-57th-one-hurt/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220739/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510371/a-crane-goes-boom-on-57th-one-hurt/|url-status=live}} and two electricians died after falling down an elevator shaft.{{Cite news|date=November 28, 1970|title=2 Electricians Killed in Fall At New Building on 57th St.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/28/archives/2-electricians-killed-in-fall-at-new-building-on-57th-st.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194058/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/28/archives/2-electricians-killed-in-fall-at-new-building-on-57th-st.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=November 28, 1970|title=8-Story Fall Kills Two|pages=30|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508986/8-story-fall-kills-two/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220737/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83508986/8-story-fall-kills-two/|url-status=live}} The building topped out in June 1971. Anne Healy designed a pair of seven-story-tall arrowheads for the topping-out event.{{cite magazine|date=July–August 1971|title=Highrise Art|url=https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1971-07-08.pdf|journal=Architectural Forum|volume=135|pages=29|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815213003/https://usmodernist.org/AF/AF-1971-07-08.pdf|url-status=live}}

Though 9 West 57th Street was completed when large numbers of companies were leaving New York City, Solow was not worried about the trend.{{Cite news|date=June 18, 1971|title=Exodus Doesn't Phase This Builder|pages=29|work=Philadelphia Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83509158/exodus-doesnt-phase-this-builder/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220739/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83509158/exodus-doesnt-phase-this-builder/|url-status=live}} Avon's offices had opened in August 1972 on the 9th to 34th floors. Another major lessee in the building was Morgan Guaranty (later J.P. Morgan & Co.), which rented {{Convert|250000|ft2}} of office space in August 1973, occupying the 2nd floor and the 6th to 11th stories. The building was more than 80 percent occupied at that point.{{Cite news|date=August 26, 1973|title=News of the Realty Trade|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/26/archives/morgan-guaranty-signs-big-lease-ibm-lease-news-of-the-realty-trade.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194056/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/26/archives/morgan-guaranty-signs-big-lease-ibm-lease-news-of-the-realty-trade.html|url-status=live}} Other original tenants included the U.S. Shoe Corporation on the 40th floor;{{cite news|date=October 10, 1971|title=Arlen Interests Buy 4 Shopping Centers|page=R8|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119229837}}}} the National Shipping and Trading Corporation{{Cite news|date=September 29, 1974|title=News of the Realty' Trade|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/29/archives/continental-grain-moving-uptown-57th-st-lease-rental-construction.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815194054/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/29/archives/continental-grain-moving-uptown-57th-st-lease-rental-construction.html|url-status=live}} and the Lionel Corporation on the 41st floor;{{cite news|date=May 7, 1972|title=Lionel Corp. Takes Space On 57th St.|page=R6|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119569657}}}} Sony Corporation of America on the 42nd and 43rd floors;{{Cite news|date=January 13, 1973|title=Sony Leases 57th St. Space|pages=208|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510046/sony-leases-57th-st-space/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220738/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510046/sony-leases-57th-st-space/|url-status=live}} and Chanel on the 44th floor.{{Cite news|date=October 28, 1972|title=Chanel Signs Lease|pages=199|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510477/chanel-signs-lease/|access-date=August 15, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220740/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83510477/chanel-signs-lease/|url-status=live}} In its early years, the building attracted tenants such as Elf Aquitaine,{{Cite news|date=October 16, 1976|title=Office Space Leased|pages=206|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83582212/office-space-leased/|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004733/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83582212/office-space-leased/|url-status=live}} the Commercial Bank of Australia,{{Cite news|date=February 5, 1977|title=Aussie Bank in Bow Here|pages=216|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83582238/aussie-bank-in-bow-here/|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004735/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83582238/aussie-bank-in-bow-here/|url-status=live}} and Deutsche Bank.

File:Contact Sheet of 9 West 57th Street, 1970s.jpg

After its completion, 9 West 57th Street became one of New York City's most prestigious office buildings.{{Cite web|last=Piore|first=Adam|date=March 31, 2008|title=Solow courts new battles|url=https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-solow-way/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816170545/https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-solow-way/|url-status=live}} By the late 1980s, the Solow Building, along with the General Motors Building and the Seagram Building, charged some of the city's highest rents.{{Cite news|last=McCain|first=Mark|date=July 23, 1989|title=Commercial Property: Office Rents; Rock-Bottom and Top-Drawer Space in Manhattan|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/23/realestate/commercial-property-office-rents-rock-bottom-and-top-drawer-space-in-manhattan.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507230507/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/23/realestate/commercial-property-office-rents-rock-bottom-and-top-drawer-space-in-manhattan.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Berkowitz|first=Henry|date=August 29, 1988|title=Going for Glitz in Office Space; Developers scramble to build high-rent space for the image-conscious|pages=127, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83577832/high-rent-buildings/ 134], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83577889/high-rent-buildings/ 137]|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83577707/going-for-glitz-in-office/|access-date=August 16, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816230329/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83577707/going-for-glitz-in-office/|url-status=live}} In spite of the fact that architects considered neither the General Motors Building nor the Solow Building to be architecturally distinguished, their proximity to Central Park allowed their respective owners to charge high rents. During the mid-1990s, when tenants at other office buildings in New York City were subleasing their space at a discount, space at 9 West 57th Street was being subleased at a premium.{{cite magazine|last=Schmuckler|first=Eric|date=October 16, 1995|title=No more great deals: Subleasing in Manhattan is hot and getting more expensive|volume=11|issue=42|page=33|id={{ProQuest|219180442}}|magazine=Crain's New York Business}}{{Cite news|last=Deutsch|first=Claudia H.|date=June 11, 1995|title=Commercial Property/Sublet Space; Conventional Ideas About Subleasing Are Changing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/realestate/commercial-property-sublet-space-conventional-ideas-about-subleasing-are.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817142329/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/realestate/commercial-property-sublet-space-conventional-ideas-about-subleasing-are.html|url-status=live}}

By contrast, aside from banking tenants, the commercial space at the ground level and basements sat largely empty through to the end of the 20th century.{{Cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=April 1, 2010|title=Empire Built by Developer Shows Signs of Distress|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/nyregion/01solow.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903214908/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/nyregion/01solow.html|url-status=live}}{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|pp=504–505}} The below-ground space had been meant for antique and art dealers and a restaurant. One factor in the commercial space's lack of tenants was the fact that the ground-level storefronts were placed too far behind the street. Solow was also reluctant to actually rent the space, as he claimed he needed the right tenant. The first "right" tenant was Deutsche Bank,{{Cite news|last=Oser|first=Alan S.|date=July 16, 1980|title=Real Estate; Stores Rent Slowly in High-Rises 1981 Deficit Predicted|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/07/16/archives/real-estate-stores-rent-slowly-in-highrises-1981-deficit-predicted.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816230813/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/07/16/archives/real-estate-stores-rent-slowly-in-highrises-1981-deficit-predicted.html|url-status=live}} which opened a ground-floor banking space in 1979, about five years after the building was finished.{{cite news|last=Bennett|first=Robert A.|date=May 16, 1979|title=Deutsche Bank Opens U.S. Drive: West Germans Expected to Be Stiff Competitor|page=D1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|120808448}}}} The building's {{Convert|60000|ft2}} of underground retail space had not seen a single tenant a decade later.{{Cite news|last=Oser|first=Alan S.|date=February 5, 1989|title=Perspectives: Superluxury Rentals; Building for the Wealthy on E. 72d Street|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/05/realestate/perspectives-superluxury-rentals-building-for-the-wealthy-on-e-72d-street.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004735/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/05/realestate/perspectives-superluxury-rentals-building-for-the-wealthy-on-e-72d-street.html|url-status=live}}

The late 1990s saw several high-profile departures, including those of Sony{{Cite news|last=Rothstein|first=Mervyn|date=April 3, 1996|title=Real Estate;Sony makes a number of moves in Manhattan to put more of its businesses under one roof.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/03/business/real-estate-sony-makes-number-moves-manhattan-put-more-its-businesses-under-one.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411175147/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/03/business/real-estate-sony-makes-number-moves-manhattan-put-more-its-businesses-under-one.html|url-status=live}} and J.P. Morgan & Co.{{Cite news|last=Rothstein|first=Mervyn|date=November 27, 1996|title=J. P. Morgan Takes Space For Private Bank Group|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/27/business/j-p-morgan-takes-space-for-private-bank-group.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004733/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/27/business/j-p-morgan-takes-space-for-private-bank-group.html|url-status=live}} Avon reportedly tried to buy 9 West 57th Street, but after Solow was unwilling to sell, Avon moved out at the end of its lease in 1997. Prior to formally moving out, Avon subleased some of its space.{{Cite news|last=Deutsch|first=Claudia H.|date=January 14, 1996|title=Commercial Property/Looking Back, and Ahead;Outlook: Cloudy, With Silver Linings|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/realestate/commercial-property-looking-back-and-ahead-outlook-cloudy-with-silver-linings.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817142327/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/14/realestate/commercial-property-looking-back-and-ahead-outlook-cloudy-with-silver-linings.html|url-status=live}} Most of Avon's old space was occupied by Nationsbanc Montgomery Securities, which had been acquired by NationsBank and then merged with BankAmerica Corporation, parent company of Bank of America. Nationsbanc Montgomery had {{Convert|350000|ft2}} in 9 West 57th Street by December 1998, more than any other tenant in the building. Despite the departures, new tenants at the Solow Building continued to sign leases at premium rates.{{Cite news|last=Holusha|first=John|date=April 18, 1999|title=Commercial Property /The First Quarter of 1999; The Office Market Softens a Bit, but It's Still Strong|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/18/realestate/commercial-property-first-quarter-1999-office-market-softens-bit-but-it-s-still.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817142325/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/18/realestate/commercial-property-first-quarter-1999-office-market-softens-bit-but-it-s-still.html|url-status=live}} Concurrently, Solow had hired Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer to redesign the unused retail space in the basement. Two of the escalators were removed to make way for the entrance to the Brasserie 8 1/2 restaurant. The restaurant opened in 2000.{{Cite news|last=Grimes|first=William|date=September 13, 2000|title=RESTAURANTS; Journey to the Planet Brasserie|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/13/dining/restaurants-journey-to-the-planet-brasserie.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903214909/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/13/dining/restaurants-journey-to-the-planet-brasserie.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Hodgson|first=Moira|date=September 11, 2000|title=A Showcase for the Classics: French Food and Modern Art|url=https://observer.com/2000/09/a-showcase-for-the-classics-french-food-and-modern-art/|access-date=August 17, 2021|website=Observer|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817142325/https://observer.com/2000/09/a-showcase-for-the-classics-french-food-and-modern-art/|url-status=live}}

File:SolowBuilding.jpg

Solow sought a $400 million loan for the building in February 2002,{{cite magazine|date=February 15, 2002|title=Solow seeks giant loan on Manhattan trophy|pages=1, 10|id={{ProQuest|208438377}}|magazine=Commercial Mortgage Alert}} and Dresdner Bank gave him the loan that July.{{cite magazine|date=July 12, 2002|title=Dresdner wins loan on Solow's NY trophy|pages=1, 11|id={{ProQuest|208431980}}|magazine=Commercial Mortgage Alert}} The Solow Building was still considered a desirable location into the 21st century, in part because of its Central Park views.{{cite news|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=August 19, 2013|title=Prime Lot, Empty for Years (Yes, This Is Manhattan)|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/nyregion/prime-lot-empty-for-years-yes-this-is-manhattan.html|access-date=August 25, 2013|archive-date=August 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823170640/http://www.nytimes.com//2013//08//20//nyregion//prime-lot-empty-for-years-yes-this-is-manhattan.html|url-status=live}} When Solow refinanced the building in 2002, the building was 80 percent occupied and was estimated to earn $90 million a year in net operating income. In an unofficial listing of New York City skyscrapers in 2007, the New York Observer listed the Solow Building as one of the city's most expensive buildings.{{cite web|last=Koblin|first=John|date=April 9, 2007|title=The Ten Most Expensive Buildings|url=https://observer.com/2007/04/the-ten-most-expensive-buildings/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Observer|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223006/https://observer.com/2007/04/the-ten-most-expensive-buildings/|url-status=live}} The top floors of the building were being marketed at {{Convert|175|$/ft2||abbr=}} per year, while the average annual rent for "premium" Midtown office space was {{Convert|85|$/ft2||abbr=}} per year.{{Cite news|last=Pristin|first=Terry|date=June 28, 2006|title=Demand for Midtown Office Space Pushes Prices Up|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/realestate/commercial/demand-for-midtown-office-space-pushes-prices-up.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223006/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/realestate/commercial/demand-for-midtown-office-space-pushes-prices-up.html|url-status=live}} Nearby buildings such as 712 Fifth Avenue, the Carnegie Hall Tower, the General Motors Building, and 888 Seventh Avenue also had high asking rates.{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Claire|date=March 14, 2007|title=Paying Up to See a Long, Long Way|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/realestate/commercial/14view.html|access-date=July 8, 2021|website=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710031844/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/realestate/commercial/14view.html|url-status=live}}

Bank of America had taken space on the Solow Building's second floor and mezzanine, which had originally been designed as Morgan Guaranty's trading floor. Though the trading floor was able to fit 300 people, Solow had refused to make alterations to allow the bank to add 200 traders.{{cite web|last=Geiger|first=Daniel|date=September 20, 2011|title=Natixis nixes deal at 9 West 57th Street|url=https://rew-online.com/natixis-nixes-deal-at-9-west-57th-street/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Real Estate Weekly|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181237/https://rew-online.com/natixis-nixes-deal-at-9-west-57th-street/|url-status=live}} After Bank of America moved to the Bank of America Tower in 2008,{{cite web|last=Mulholland|first=Sarah|date=December 23, 2011|title=Deutsche Bank Said to Win Loan for Solow's Midtown 9 West|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-23/deutsche-bank-said-to-win-625-million-loan-for-solow-s-9-west|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Bloomberg|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000434/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-12-23/deutsche-bank-said-to-win-625-million-loan-for-solow-s-9-west|url-status=live}} about half the building was empty for two years. By 2010, the top three floors were among the building's vacant spaces.{{Cite web|date=April 2, 2010|title=Solow's 9 West tower nearly half-vacant|url=https://therealdeal.com/2010/04/02/sheldon-solows-9-west-57th-street-tower-nearly-half-vacant/|url-status=live|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000436/https://therealdeal.com/2010/04/02/sheldon-solows-9-west-57th-street-tower-nearly-half-vacant/}} This was a much higher vacancy rate than the citywide average, despite the building's luxury reputation and the ongoing Great Recession. The vacancies were in part because Solow asked much higher rates per square foot compared to nearby buildings, and he was obstinate in not charging lower rents. According to The New York Times, he asked one potential tenant {{Convert|200|$/ft2}}, but he became "furious" when the tenant leased space at the General Motors Building at {{Convert|130|$/ft2}}. In another case, financial services firm Natixis already occupied space on upper floors and wanted to rent the trading floor, but the firm reneged on its offer because Solow would not allow Natixis to expand the trading floor.

Though Solow was able to attract additional tenants over the next year, the building continued to face problems, including in 2011, when all but one of the elevators between the lobby and 27th floor simultaneously failed.{{cite web|last=Lattman|first=Peter|date=August 15, 2011|title=Private Equity's Elevator Problem|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/speaking-of-elevators/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=DealBook|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181236/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/speaking-of-elevators/|url-status=live}} The same year, two tenants signed large leases,{{Cite news|last=Satow|first=Julie|date=January 17, 2012|title=Tenants Gain Advantage in Office Tower Market|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/realestate/commercial/tenants-gaining-advantage-in-market-for-manhattans-prime-buildings.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817183245/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/realestate/commercial/tenants-gaining-advantage-in-market-for-manhattans-prime-buildings.html|url-status=live}} and Solow refinanced the building with a $625 million commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) loan from Deutsche Bank.{{cite web|last1=Burke|first1=Mack|last2=Young|first2=Celia|last3=Coen|first3=Andrew|date=December 28, 2011|title=Solow Nabs $625M for 9 W. 57th Street|url=https://commercialobserver.com/2011/12/9-west-57-secures-625-million-refinancing-loan/|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Commercial Observer|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000433/https://commercialobserver.com/2011/12/9-west-57-secures-625-million-refinancing-loan/|url-status=live}} Within two years, rental rates at the Solow Building were among the highest in Manhattan.{{Cite news|last=Melouney|first=Carmel|date=July 29, 2013|title=Leases for Prime Manhattan Office Push Higher|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323610704578630161953494482|access-date=May 7, 2020|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=November 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104044202/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323610704578630161953494482|url-status=live}} By 2016, the building was 64 percent occupied by 26 companies. The Solow Building, along with 520 Madison Avenue and 65 East 55th Street, were among the Midtown buildings charging high rents. This was part of a trend in which buildings typically occupied by hedge funds and investment firms charged higher rents.{{cite web|last=Segal|first=Julie|date=May 30, 2017|title=Hedge Funds Face Higher Manhattan Rent|url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1505pygv9qr7v/hedge-funds-face-higher-manhattan-rent|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Institutional Investor|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816003440/https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1505pygv9qr7v/hedge-funds-face-higher-manhattan-rent|url-status=live}} The same year, Solow refinanced the building with a $1.2 billion mortgage from JPMorgan Chase. The loan was used to pay back the older CMBS loan from Deutsche Bank.{{cite web|date=August 9, 2016|title=Solow closes $1.2B mortgage for 9 West 57th Street|url=https://rew-online.com/solow-closes-on-1-2b-mortgage-for-9-west-57th-street/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Real Estate Weekly|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816232315/https://rew-online.com/solow-closes-on-1-2b-mortgage-for-9-west-57th-street/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Katz|first=Rayna|date=September 8, 2016|title=Solow Realty Nabs Midtown Office Mortgage|url=https://www.globest.com/sites/raynakatz/2016/09/08/solow-realty-nabs-midtown-office-mortgage/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=GlobeSt|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816230812/https://www.globest.com/sites/raynakatz/2016/09/08/solow-realty-nabs-midtown-office-mortgage/|url-status=live}} A July 2016 appraisal valued the building at over $3.4 billion, making the property one of the most valuable office buildings in Manhattan.{{cite web|date=September 14, 2016|title=JPMCC 2016-JP3 Structural & Collateral Term Sheet|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1013611/000153949716003526/n728_ts-x5.htm|access-date=July 31, 2019|publisher=SEC|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731205529/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1013611/000153949716003526/n728_ts-x5.htm|url-status=live}} Solow finally decided on lowering rental rates for some vacant space in late 2017 after several large tenants such as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Providence Equity, and Silver Lake left the building.{{Cite web|last=Bockmann|first=Rich|date=November 8, 2017|title=Manhattan office rents saw biggest decline in 3 years: Colliers|url=https://therealdeal.com/2017/11/08/manhattan-office-rents-saw-biggest-decline-in-3-years-colliers/|url-status=live|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000447/https://therealdeal.com/2017/11/08/manhattan-office-rents-saw-biggest-decline-in-3-years-colliers/}} By 2018, the building had a 70 percent occupancy rate; Solow's son, Stefan Soloviev, attributed the increased occupancy rate to his own actions.{{Cite news|last=Hughes|first=C. J.|date=April 6, 2018|title=A Real Estate Dynasty Passes the Torch|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/realestate/a-real-estate-dynasty-passes-the-torch.html|access-date=August 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181235/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/realestate/a-real-estate-dynasty-passes-the-torch.html|url-status=live}}

Following Sheldon Solow's death in 2020, Soloviev reorganized his late father's firm, and the newly constituted Soloviev Group took over operation of 9 West 57th Street.{{cite web|last=Hall|first=Miriam|date=April 12, 2021|title=Sheldon Solow's Son Announces New Firm With Major Hires|url=https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/construction-development/sheldon-solows-son-announces-formation-of-new-real-estate-company-108481|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Bisnow|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816230813/https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/construction-development/sheldon-solows-son-announces-formation-of-new-real-estate-company-108481|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Sasha|date=April 12, 2021|title=Stefan Soloviev, Sheldon Solow's Son, Launches Soloviev Group|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/04/12/stefan-soloviev-sheldon-solows-son-reorganizes-family-firm/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715204943/https://therealdeal.com/2021/04/12/stefan-soloviev-sheldon-solows-son-reorganizes-family-firm/|url-status=live}} Soloviev added two swimming pools, several conference rooms, and a fitness center. Another restaurant, Cucina 8 {{Frac|1|2}}, replaced the old Brasserie restaurant in the basement in late 2021.{{Cite news|last=Fabricant|first=Florence|date=2021-12-14|title=Casa Dani, From a Celebrated Spanish Chef, Opens in Manhattan West|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/14/dining/nyc-restaurant-openings.html|access-date=2024-03-07|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} By mid-2023, the building was 90 percent occupied, amid a general decline in office-building occupancy rates across New York City.{{cite web | last=Baird-Remba | first=Rebecca | title=9 West 57th Street Seals 3 Leases With Finance, Real Estate Companies | website=Commercial Observer | date=August 8, 2023 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/08/9-west-57th-street-seals-3-new-leases-with-finance-real-estate-companies/ | access-date=March 7, 2024}}{{cite web | last1=Cifuentes | first1=Kevin | last2=Connery | first2=Harrison | title=9 West 57th Street More Than 90 Percent Full | website=The Real Deal | date=August 7, 2023 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/08/07/9-west-57th-street-more-than-90-percent-full/ | access-date=March 7, 2024}} The Real Deal attributed the building's high occupancy rate to its central location, as well as the fact that Soloviev was more involved with his tenants than his father had been.{{cite web |last=Westenhaver |first=David |date=October 28, 2023 |title=The Daily Dirt digs into Soloviev's success at 9 West 57th |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/10/28/the-daily-dirt-digs-into-solovievs-success-at-9-west-57th/ |access-date=March 7, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}} An amenity area on the 27th floor, and a health club, were completed in 2025 as part of a $40 million renovation. Kent Hospitality Group was hired that January to operate the tenant-only Vista restaurant. Billy Durney was also selected to operate a restaurant on the first floor, within the Brasserie space, which was to open later in 2025.{{Cite news |last=Moskin |first=Julia |date=2025-01-17 |title=A Brooklyn Barbecue Pioneer Sets His Sights on Manhattan Fine Dining |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/dining/hometown-bar-b-que-manhattan-restaurant.html |access-date=2025-02-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Orlow |first=Emma |date=January 21, 2025 |title=A Cambodian Restaurant Is on the Way From Red Hook Tavern Employees |url=https://ny.eater.com/2025/1/21/24345842/hop-billy-durney-new-restaurant-kent-hospitality-cambodian-red-hook-brooklyn |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website=Eater NY}} Arch Amenities Group operated the health club and meeting spaces.{{cite web |date=February 14, 2025 |title=Soloviev Adds Food and Beverage Amenities at 9 West 57th Street |url=https://www.connectcre.com/stories/soloviev-adds-food-and-beverage-amenities-at-9-west-57th-street/ |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website=Connect CRE}}

After 9 West 57th Street opened, many financial firms took space there, and the building became associated with finance. Companies with offices there included hedge funds and private equity organizations.{{cite news|last1=Kazakina|first1=Katya|last2=Clark|first2=Patrick|last3=Oster|first3=Patrick|date=November 17, 2020|title=Sheldon Solow, Billionaire Real Estate Developer, Dies at 92|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-17/sheldon-solow-billionaire-real-estate-developer-dies-at-92|access-date=November 18, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117204438/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-17/sheldon-solow-billionaire-real-estate-developer-dies-at-92|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Sheldon Solow|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/sheldon-solow/|access-date=July 22, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927194128/https://www.forbes.com/profile/sheldon-solow/|url-status=live}} One early tenant, shoe company Nine West, named itself after the building, which was the company's first location.{{Cite news|last=Petersen|first=Melody|date=December 6, 1997|title=A Good Fit Is Starting to Pinch; Nine West Tries to Fend Off Investigations and Debt|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/06/business/good-fit-starting-pinch-nine-west-tries-fend-off-investigations-debt.html|access-date=August 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817142329/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/06/business/good-fit-starting-pinch-nine-west-tries-fend-off-investigations-debt.html|url-status=live}} {{As of|2024}}, law firms and hedge funds continue to occupy much of the space, including:{{Cite web|date=March 13, 2019|title=9 West 57th Street {{!}} TRD Research|url=https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/9-west-57th-street/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=TRD Research {{!}} Published by The Real Deal|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000433/https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/9-west-57th-street/|url-status=live}}

• Apollo Global Management{{Cite web|date=August 14, 2018|title=Apollo expands at Solow's 9 West 57th St.|url=https://therealdeal.com/2018/08/14/apollo-expands-at-solows-9-west-57th-st/|url-status=live|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=September 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903214910/https://therealdeal.com/2018/08/14/apollo-expands-at-solows-9-west-57th-st/}}{{cite web|last1=Young|first1=Celia|last2=Rizzi|first2=Nicholas|last3=Loria|first3=Keith|date=August 14, 2018|title=Apollo Global Management Expands HQ on West 57th Street|url=https://commercialobserver.com/2018/08/apollo-global-management-expands-hq-on-west-57th-street/|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Commercial Observer|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000445/https://commercialobserver.com/2018/08/apollo-global-management-expands-hq-on-west-57th-street/|url-status=live}}
• Coatue Management{{cite web|last=Geiger|first=Daniel|date=November 28, 2012|title=Investment firm steps up NY's priciest place|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121128/REAL_ESTATE/121129926/investment-firm-steps-up-ny-s-priciest-place|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Crain's New York Business|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000454/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121128/REAL_ESTATE/121129926/investment-firm-steps-up-ny-s-priciest-place|url-status=live}}
• Davidson Kempner Capital Management{{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Lois |date=October 23, 2023 |title=Soloviev Group Inks Davidson Kempner to Lease at 9 West 57th |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/10/23/soloviev-group-inks-davidson-kempner-to-lease-at-9-west-57th/ |access-date=March 7, 2024 |website=The Real Deal}}{{cite web |last=Nehring |first=Abigail |date=October 24, 2023 |title=Davidson Kempner Moves HQ to 96K SF at 9 West 57th Street |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2023/10/davidson-kempner-lease-9-west-57th-street/ |access-date=March 7, 2024 |website=Commercial Observer}}
• D1 Capital Partners{{cite web|date=November 7, 2017|title=Hedge fund leases full floor office space in 9 West 57th Street|url=https://rew-online.com/hedge-fund-leases-full-floor-office-space-in-9-west-57th-street/|access-date=August 15, 2021|website=Real Estate Weekly|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816004940/https://rew-online.com/hedge-fund-leases-full-floor-office-space-in-9-west-57th-street/|url-status=live}}
• Forty North Capital LLC{{cite web|last=Rosen|first=Daniel Edward|date=October 25, 2011|title=A Room With A View (Of Central Park)|url=https://observer.com/2011/10/a-room-with-a-view-of-central-park/|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Observer|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000445/https://observer.com/2011/10/a-room-with-a-view-of-central-park/|url-status=live}}
• Platinum Equity{{cite web | last=Cryan | first=Elizabeth | title=Soloviev lands three new office leases at 9 West 57th | website=The Real Deal | date=April 10, 2025 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/04/10/soloviev-lands-three-new-office-leases-at-9-west-57th/ | access-date=April 16, 2025}}{{cite web | last=Hallum | first=Mark | title=Hess Group Takes 20K SF at Soloviev’s 9 West 57th Street | website=Commercial Observer | date=April 9, 2025 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2025/04/hess-group-9-west-57th-street/ | access-date=April 16, 2025}}
• Sculptor Capital Management
• Tiger Global Management{{Cite web|date=July 2, 2013|title=Hedge fund Tiger leases 35th floor at Solow Building|url=https://therealdeal.com/2013/07/02/hedge-fund-tiger-leases-35th-floor-at-solow-building/|url-status=live|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816000435/https://therealdeal.com/2013/07/02/hedge-fund-tiger-leases-35th-floor-at-solow-building/}}

The corporate offices of Avis Budget Group (37th floor) are also located in the building.{{cite news |last1=Geiger |first1=Daniel |title=Hot dog! Rents hit nearly $200 a square foot in 2 office deals |url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130530/REAL_ESTATE/130539991/hot-dog-rents-near-200-a-square-foot-in-2-deals |work=Crains New York |date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402120238/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130530/REAL_ESTATE/130539991/rents-hit-nearly-200-a-square-foot-in-2-office-deals |archive-date=April 2, 2017}}

File:57th St 5th Av td 06 - Solow Building.jpg

Sheldon Solow filed over 200 lawsuits during his lifetime, including several involving the Solow Building. The first such lawsuit involving the building was prompted when Solow refused to pay both Avon's broker and 9 West 57th Street's rental agent. Avon's broker Williams Real Estate sought its promised commission, as did Cushman & Wakefield, which held a contract with Solow as the building's exclusive rental agent. After a jury trial in State Supreme Court, in 1973, Solow was ordered to pay commissions of $150,000 to Cushman & Wakefield and $1.7 million to Williams. Solow aggressively protected the building's trademark, suing Avon in 1975 for publishing promotional materials that referred to 9 West 57th Street as the "Avon Building".{{cite web|date=November 17, 2020|title=Solow, billionaire real estate developer, dies at 92|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/solow-billionaire-real-estate-developer-dies-92|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=Crain's New York Business|agency=Bloomberg|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816194259/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/solow-billionaire-real-estate-developer-dies-92|url-status=live}} The case remained dormant for two decades but was revived in the late 1990s, finally being dismissed in 2006.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, several tenants were sued. Solow sued Avon in 1997, claiming it had failed to restore its offices in the building to their original condition. The case was settled out of court with a $6.2 million settlement. Solow, represented by David Boies, also sued JPMorgan Chase for not restoring its offices after moving out.{{Cite news|last=Herman|first=Eric|date=May 17, 2001|title=Legal battle building Gore lawyer David Boies takes developer's case vs. ex-tenants|pages=34|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83557722/legal-battle-building-gore-lawyer-david/|access-date=August 16, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816181236/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83557722/legal-battle-building-gore-lawyer-david/|url-status=live}} In that case, the judge ruled against Solow, finding that JPMorgan had indeed tried to restore its space but that Solow had "substantially interfered" with JPMorgan's ability to do so.{{Cite news|last=Herman|first=Eric|date=February 2, 2002|title=9 W. 57th: Another Loss for Celebrity Lawyer|pages=15|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83558564/9-w-57th-another-loss-for-celebrity/|access-date=August 16, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223006/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83558564/9-w-57th-another-loss-for-celebrity/|url-status=live}} Solow sued W. R. Grace Company in 1999 for spraying asbestos on the building in the early 1970s, despite marketing the asbestos as a safe product.{{cite news|last=Strassel|first=Kimberley A.|date=October 20, 1999|title=Falling From Grace|page=B12|work=Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|id={{ProQuest|1798432301}}}} In addition, Solow and Bank of America had multiple legal disputes during the 2000s.{{cite magazine|last=Lee|first=Barney|date=May 23, 2005|title=If Sihpol Convicted, Solow Can Evict BoA, Judge Rules: Invokes Anti- Drug, Prostitution Rule|page=1|id={{ProQuest|215110501}}|magazine=Money Management Executive}} In one such dispute, Solow had planned to evict the bank if one of the bank's former brokers was convicted of securities fraud, under a law that was normally used for evicting drug dealers and prostitutes.{{Cite news|last=Harrigan|first=Susan|date=June 1, 2005|title=Sihpol case going to jury, Former broker's larceny, fraud trial puts spotlight on probes by New York's attorney general|pages=39|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83574282/sihpol-case-going-to-jury-former/|access-date=August 16, 2021|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816223006/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83574282/sihpol-case-going-to-jury-former/|url-status=live}}

When the building's plans were announced, Progressive Architecture derided the proposal as a literal "block-buster", saying that it "guarantees to obliterate the scale and the street activity" of the art and retail district on 57th Street. Upon its completion, 9 West 57th Street received a large amount of criticism for its design. A New York Times critic wrote in 1972, "a complaint voiced more frequently that the curved design of 9 West 57th Street has little relationship to the erect walls of its neighbors".{{Cite news|last=Jacobs|first=David|date=July 23, 1972|title=The Bunshaft style|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/23/archives/the-bunshaft-style.html|url-status=live|access-date=April 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420002305/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/23/archives/the-bunshaft-style.html|archive-date=April 20, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Ada Louise Huxtable wrote for the same newspaper: "One can only pity one half of the Hotel Plaza's guests facing that 58th Street black glass wall".{{cite news|last=Huxtable|first=Ada Louise|date=June 10, 1973|title=Anti-Street, Anti-People: Architecture|page=156|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119722944}}}} Arthur Drexler, in a foreword to a book about SOM's work, wrote that the controversy over the Solow Building was largely "because it does not rise straight up from the street (as architects have taught everyone to expect)".{{cite book|last=Menges|first=Axel|title=Architecture of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1963–1973|publisher=Monacelli Press|year=2009|isbn=978-1-58093-221-9|publication-place=New York|page=22|oclc=299708720}} The Fifth Avenue Association, which issued architectural awards to new buildings around Fifth Avenue in 1974, criticized the Solow Building as having "urban bad manners", even as it gave Chermayeff an award for his "9" sculpture and praised the building's design details.{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=June 2, 1974|title=Award-Givers Honor a Few and Slab a Wrist|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/02/archives/awardgivers-honor-a-few-and-slap-a-wrist-awardgivers-slap-a-wrist.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815220738/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/02/archives/awardgivers-honor-a-few-and-slap-a-wrist-awardgivers-slap-a-wrist.html|url-status=live}}

Some of the criticism was directed toward the curved form in general. Paul Goldberger said that the Solow and Grace buildings both failed to "make certain gestures toward what exists around them". Jaquelin T. Robertson, the head of New York City's Office of Midtown Planning, likewise expressed his opposition to sloped structures, particularly those that were located in the middle of the block, as the Solow and Grace buildings both were. Architect Henry N. Cobb also described such buildings as having "a very strong, hostile, and aggressive visual impact". Upon Bunshaft's 1990 death, The New York Times wrote that the building was "cited by a civic group as a negative example of New York City architecture".{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Goldberger|date=August 8, 1990|title=Gordon Bunshaft, Architect, Dies at 81|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/08/obituaries/gordon-bunshaft-architect-dies-at-81.html|url-status=live|access-date=April 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410224227/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/08/obituaries/gordon-bunshaft-architect-dies-at-81.html|archive-date=April 10, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Herbert Muschamp believed the traditional philosophy of form following function did not work for buildings like 9 West 57th Street, writing: "If this was honest architecture, as the modern movement had defined it, then perhaps it was time buildings learned how to tell pretty lies."{{Cite news|last=Muschamp|first=Herbert|date=September 26, 1993|title=Architecture View; A Nervous Prism Of a Building For Manhattan|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/26/arts/architecture-view-a-nervous-prism-of-a-building-for-manhattan.html|access-date=August 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815232812/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/26/arts/architecture-view-a-nervous-prism-of-a-building-for-manhattan.html|url-status=live}}

Not everyone disliked the design of the Solow Building; it was regarded largely positively by the public, which expressed interest in 9 West 57th Street's unusual shape. According to Drexler, "the immense curved glass wall is an exhilarating spectacle, not as architecture but as urban theater, as fascinating as a fountain". During the 1970s, the Solow Building was nicknamed the "bell bottom building" because of its shape.{{Cite news|last=Sherman|first=Beth|date=May 26, 1988|title=Architectures top prize is shared by two men who added style to the skylines of New York and Brazil|pages=219|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83583344/architectures-top-prize-is-shared-by/|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817004734/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83583344/architectures-top-prize-is-shared-by/|url-status=live}} Architect Wallace Harrison also expressed his support for sloped buildings like the Solow Building, saying that the slope "gives a smooth line that appears to give added height by disappearing perspective".

• List of tallest buildings in New York City
• Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite NY1960}}

{{commonscat|Solow Building}}

• [https://solowresidential.com/portfolio/9-west-57th-street?i=3 Solow Residential website]
• [https://www.som.com/projects/9_west_57th_street__office_tower SOM website]

{{Midtown North, Manhattan}}

Category:Midtown Manhattan

Category:Office buildings completed in 1974

Category:Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings

Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan

Category:Skyscrapers on 57th Street (Manhattan)

Category:1974 establishments in New York City