SOM’s design of the subway entrance at 560 Lexington Avenue is part of a larger renovation of the office tower lobby and its surrounding plaza. Constructed in the 1980s, this Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) was originally characterized by dark brick and bronze-colored metal panels and framing. The subway entrance, surrounded by an enclosure composed of the same dark materials, was secured at night by an industrial roll-down gate, obstructing views throughout the plaza. Because of the plaza’s status as a Privately Owned Public Space—permitting a higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) on site—SOM worked with New York City Planning to ensure the renovation’s design and amenities met public needs. SOM integrated benches into the subway enclosure and framed the plaza’s two “Brick Relief” murals with light-colored limestone, resulting in an enlivened public space. The design for the new plaza and subway entrance sought to brighten the space with a lighter palette of limestone and white granite, and create visibility and openness throughout the plaza with a glass and steel enclosure. The curvilinear and highly-transparent enclosure around subway entrance is a feature in itself, welcoming visitors into the plaza, the renovated lobby beyond, and the New York Public Library and subway below.
The curved glass of the enclosure is self-supporting, eliminating the need for any vertical mullions, which would obstruct views, and enhancing the sculptural quality of the entrance. The metal and glass enclosure exists as both a feature in the plaza and a solution to the security needs of the subway entrance. The entrance door to the subway was designed as a glass swing gate and engineered to nest in the curvilinear, concave form of the glass enclosure. When the door is open, signage elements direct visitors to the mezzanine and subway levels below. When the subway is closed at night, the enclosure remains a beautiful element that sits quietly in the plaza, while securing the entrance. Below the glass enclosure, the design language of the entrance’s geometry continues with curved limestone walls and glass guardrails, inviting pedestrians to the entrance of the New York Public Library and the subway turnstiles beyond. In total, new materials and lighting in the plaza create a bright, fresh and reimagined public amenity. Both the new LED lighting integrated into the ceiling panels and the abundance of natural light at the subway entrance invite visitors to enjoy the reinvigorated public space. Together, the new glass and metal storefronts of the building lobby and adjacent retail, and the new curvilinear subway enclosure increase visibility and comfort in the plaza at 560 Lexington Avenue.