1211 Avenue of the Americas

1211 Avenue of the Americas, also known as the News Corp. Building, is an International Style skyscraper on Sixth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Formerly called the Celanese Building, it was completed in 1973 as part of the later Rockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the "XYZ Buildings". Celanese, its primary tenant, later moved to Dallas, Texas. The building is owned by Ivanhoé Cambridge as of 2023^[update].^[3]

1211 Avenue of the Americas
1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan
Alternative names	Celanese Building News Corp. Building
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Offices and television studios (Dow Jones & Company, Fox News, New York Post, The Wall Street Journal)
Architectural style	International Style
Location	1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	40.758464°N 73.981806°W / 40.758464; -73.981806
Construction started	1968
Completed	1971
Opening	1973
Owner	Ivanhoé Cambridge
Height
Roof	592 ft (180.44 m)
Top floor	558 feet (170 m)
Technical details
Floor count	45
Floor area	1,854,912 sq ft (170,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators	36
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Wallace Harrison (Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris)
Developer	Rockefeller Group Development Corporation
Main contractor	Celanese Corporation and Rockefeller Center, Inc.
References
[1][2]

The structure has a simple slab-like shape devoid of any decoration, its prosaic façade consisting of vertical alternating limestone and glass stripes. The façade stone piers are supernumerary; there are twice as many of them as structurally necessary. The glass bands are contiguous and offer no indication of floor levels. These features ably create the visual lack of scale, so the tower does not look overly bulky.^[4]

Background

Fox News studios at street level

The building was part of the later Rockefeller Center expansion (1960s–1970s) dubbed the XYZ Buildings.^[4] Their plans were first drawn in 1963 by the Rockefeller family's architect, Wallace Harrison, of the architectural firm Harrison & Abramovitz.^[5] Their letters correspond to their height. 1251 Avenue of the Americas is the "X" Building as it is the tallest at 750 ft (229 m) and 54 stories, and was the first completed, in 1971. The "Y" is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, which was the second tower completed (1973) and is the second in height (674 ft and 51 stories). The "Z" Building, the shortest and the youngest, is 1211 Avenue of the Americas with 45 stories (592 ft).^[6]

The structure is LEED-certified at a silver-level designation by USGBC.^[7] In January 2025, RXR Realty bought a 49% ownership stake in 1211 Avenue of the Americas.^[8][9]

Notable tenants

The building served as the global headquarters for the original News Corporation, founded by Australian-born businessman Rupert Murdoch in 1980. It continues to serve as the headquarters for subsequent spin-offs Fox Corporation (2019–present) and the present-day News Corp (2013–present), and until 2019, 21st Century Fox (2013–2019). The building is well-known for housing the main Fox News studios, part of the Fox News Group which is currently owned by Fox Corp, as well as its streetside plaza, known as Fox Square. News Corp divisions housed located in the building include Dow Jones & Company, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post.

Other companies unaffiliated with News Corp that lease office space in the building include Annaly Capital Management and Ropes & Gray LLP.

Studios

• B - After the Bell, Fox Business Tonight, Making Money, and Varney & Co.
• D - Gutfeld!
• E - Bulls & Bears, Countdown to the Closing Bell, First Things First, Fox Report, and Journal Editorial Report
• G - Cavuto Live, Mornings with Maria, and Your World with Neil Cavuto
• J - America's Newsroom, America Reports, Fox & Friends First, Justice with Judge Jeanine, Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,^[10] and Hannity
• M - The Five, Fox & Friends, Outnumbered, Jesse Watters Primetime, and The Story with Martha MacCallum
• N - The Evening Edit
• W - Fox Weather

See also

• 1221 Avenue of the Americas
• 1251 Avenue of the Americas

References

1. "Emporis building ID 114547". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
2. 1211 Avenue of the Americas at Structurae
3. "1211 Avenue of the Americas". Retrieved October 8, 2019.
4. Nash, Eric (1999). Manhattan Skyscrapers. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 127. ISBN 9781568981819. Retrieved December 28, 2018. Celanese Building.
5. Krinsky, Carol H. (1978). Rockefeller Center. Oxford University Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-19-502404-3.
6. "XYZ Buildings Exxon Building McGraw-Hill Building Celanese Building". Manhattan Skyscrapers. New York, NY: Princeton Archit.Press. 2005. pp. 127–130. doi:10.1007/1-56898-652-1_57. ISBN 978-1-56898-545-9.
7. "1211 Avenue of the Americas". 42 floors. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
8. "RXR buys stake in Ivanhoe Cambridge's 1211 Sixth Ave, Fox News HQ". The Real Deal. January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
9. Cunningham, Cathy; Coen, Andrew (January 8, 2025). "RXR Takes 49% Stake in Ivanhoé Cambridge's 1211 Avenue of the Americas". Commercial Observer. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
10. "'Sunday Morning Futures' moves to Studio J". News Cast Studio. August 13, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2020.