AXA Center
New York, USA

HEIGHT: 229m/752 feet
FLOORS: 54 floors
COMPLETION: 1986
ARCHITECT: Edward Larrabee Barnes Associates

was built in 1985-1986 to Seventh Avenue as the western tower on the block owned by the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
The facade of this 54-storey building is of brown granite gridiron pattern on white background. The tower rises to the height of 228.5 m through two setbacks, indicated by recessed bays on the facade. The plain top has only vertical striping in addition to the arched windows of the Equitable boardroom at the ends.

Included within the 142,660 m² state-of-art building is a 100-seat auditorium, a fitness club and several restaurants as an effort to attract tenants to this then professionally unfashionable part of Midtown. Similarly, the building was connected to the extensive Rockfeller Center underground concourse, and a renovation was undertaken in the eastern Equitable building on the Sixth Avenue side.

On the ground floor there is a through-block galleria as well as the Equitable (now AXA) Gallery for art exhibitions.

In 1986 Roy Liechtenstein enhanced the vast, skylighted entrance atrium with his large (22.3 x 10.8 m) Mural with Blue Brushstroke. Primarily a collage of his earlier works, the mural was sketched on the wall with the aid of slide projectors, and then painted.

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v156/AtlanticaC5/AXA.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/equitable.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v156/AtlanticaC5/AXA2.jpg

http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC_Images/203.jpg

I really hate this building with a passion, I'll spare you the details except to say it's FUGLY!:cool:

3/10

7/10

The setbacks make it look interesting. If it had been a plain box it would be worse.

I don't think the setbacks work very well. It just ends up looking like they didn't bother to try to conceal the elevator boxes on top, except for that out of place looking arch. This is a damn ugly building... I'm glad it's not in my city. 4.0/10

yeah it is ugly...not too much to it at all.

4.5/10

Would look much better IMO if that block wasn't on top.

3.0

well ugly seems to be the key word on this one huh?...the design isn't to terrible until the top with what looks like a LEGO block stuck on the roof and the colors are hideous....5/10...

not a very nice building

:puke:

The building is not bad
7/10

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<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by enzo </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>I really hate this building with a passion, I'll spare you the details except to say it's FUGLY!:cool:

3/10</td></tr>
</table>

Ugly. Everybody hates it.

I don't mind it, it's just there kinda-thing. Not particularly offensive. But low scores for not being spectacluar all 'round. It's probably quite spectacular inside the glass-enclosed arch though.

4.5 @ the most.

Eereyone seems to hate it. But in my opinion it isn't that bad.

6/10

The color is ugly and the shape, too! 5/10

MASSIVE & classic form ! 3,5

well, it doesnt impress me that much, but its an alright lookin building, id say about ...6/10..

5/10 - it's too blocky, and the set backs for once don't help - nor does that severely out of place arch on top, which does nothing for its unity or proportion. And the brown mullions, feebly struggling to give this contraption a bit of height, are utterly powerless and are pulled back to earth with a creashing thud by the "yipes-stripes !" effect of the windows and spandrels...

I like this tower.I made a pic of the tower myself
http://www.photoways.com/partenaires/photoways/photos/1/2/129258/zoom/51129258.jpg

A 8/10

it's ok I guess - 5/10

i dont like this 5

I don't like it either.
5

3 Ugly and awkward

Just ok. Not special.....but I like this one. 8/10

The top part of this building is BUTT UGLY. Those semi-circle glass parts on the ends ruined it!!! The colours aren't that much better either. 4/10

5/10

4/10. It should just be what its good at..be a box...those setbacks look like a half-hearted attempt at some originality...

doesnt look that bad imo, 7

4.5

ew.

I think it looks pretty good, 8/10

nice idea, but too boxy 5/10

7

Disgusting !

2/10

not bad...its ok, good thing its a setback. 7/10

facade: not my fav style
form: ok
points: 6.5

4/10


I don't like it

The top part is very ugly, I like the colors 4,5/10

4/10

5.5

I have seen worse towers, and I have definetly seen better ones! At least it's kind of tall.

That thing on the top is not good.. if it wasn't for that one the tower would at least have looked good from a distance.

The top isn't very nice, but for the rest it's ok. 6.5

The top is really ugly. 4.5/10

i don't like it and the top made it worse

4/10

whaaaat... this building aint that bad. in fact, it's one of my fave in nyc. it's the perfect balance between postmodernism and int'l style. and its color'sreally nice too. but i think this one's better off in houston, next to reliane energy plaza. those two will make a good pair.

9.5

I really hate this building with a passion, I'll spare you the details except to say it's FUGLY!:cool:

3/10
I don't know why, but that's approximately my attitude. I just hate it for some reason. 6.5/10 for me. That's pretty low on my grading scale.

Yeah, this building makes no sense. It has an ok base though. So I'll rate it...5/10.

4/10 Horrible building.

I don't the colour 6/10

Such low marks! I like the setbacks, horizontal striping and the big arched windows at the top. 8/10

All I have to say is ew. 3.5.

5/10 poor design particularly the top

I think it would look much better if the arch at the top wasnt surrounded by a square. Otherwise the building is just kinda plain. 6/10

An average building, lacking grace and style.

The colours are just WRONG. :)

5.5

I give it a 6/10

Damn it's ugly!!! Expecially because of it's colour!! 3.5/10

I think it's fine.... :ohno:

5/10

6.0

7/10 good but not great

That is shit, 2/10

6.5/10

Nice, but could be better. Since it fits so well in NYC, though, I'll give it an 8/10.

I think the building is okay until the top! It looks so weird a tall box is right ontop of it, so odd!
7/10

sb wanted do do sth oryginal
looks as it looks
ugly!
3/10

oh come on guys, even if this building's not that good, it at least deserves a better ranking than that concrete hulk ryugyong hotel in pyongyang (which has a higher average rating than this building rite now)!

im really surprised that other unpopular ROT skyscrapers in nyc like metlife, 1 liberty plaza, 1 penn plaza, and the exxon/mcgraw-hill buildings are having higher average ratings than this building.

7.5/10

3 or less

horrible design :(

7/10

Brown is never a good colour for a tower. 6.5/10

Poor design, especially the colours :no: 5/10

8/10.

6.5/10

8/10

8/10. I like the top.

mmmkay. 6

its not the coolest building in the world. 5.0

5,5/10

5/10

4.5/10

Well, what a pity that this modern building is using granite cladding to reproduce international style -_- In fact I wouldn't mind the color scheme and maybe the building would look quite ok if they just stopped it at the arched window. But the boxy top is definitely not nice.
I'll go over 3 because the good quality of the cladding material saves it from being a dated eyesore but seriously, that was close.
4.

5.5/10

a 6 for me...this building looks better at st level, where u can't see the top...the lobby is grand..very nice.....but it fall short of good...

I like this building, could be better though, 7/10

7.5/10

This building looks like it is desperate to lose its virginity, though it is still a virgin in dislike. It looks good in different angles, but standing close to it makes it look so flat and boxy like. But some emphasis are here, just didn't use enough gravy. It looks good, don't hate the building, this deserves a 6/10.

6/10

5.5/10

a bit plain 7/10

I used to hate this building. Until i ended up working a block away for a while. After staring at it everyday, its really not bad. these pics dont do it justice. Id show you my pics if i knew how to get them on the website. anyways I started to see it in a new light and itsfar from being a bad building. its in my top 20 of NYC.

8.5/10

2/10 :(

7/10

5/10

6.5/10

4.5/10 because I know there is much, much worse than this.

Ugly, awful, I hate the top. Monster

8/10

3/10

6/10.

7.5/10

4/10

just 5.....

5,5/10

not my taste 7/10

1/10

8/10

7.5/10

6/10

i stayed in the Sheraton hotel just across the street from AXA center so i had a pretty good view of the building, nothing that special

6/10

4/10

5/10. not even worthy being among nyc's grand talls.

8. nice.

Below 3, the color is just fugly, and what's with the weird shape?

4/10

If you do not like it you hate it type of building.

I hate it.

5/10

I didn't like the shape and the colour. 6/10.

7 not very intresting..

Nah i do not like this building. A 4 out of 10.

4.5/10

The color is terrible, it is very boxy ,and they could have done a better job with the crown,At least the shape isn't too plain and its kind of tall,6/10

7/10

It's ugly. 3/10

4/10

7/10

Yeah, this building makes no sense. It has an ok base though. So I'll rate it...5/10.

8.5/10

quite nice 7/10

5/10

5/10

8/10

4/10

Not much to say about this one, kinda bland- 5/10

6/10 Not so bad, but I would make the white parts either brown or glassy.

3/10

nice but old design 6/10

5/10

Ugly and awkward

4/10

2/10...the roof shape is nasty!looks like its got a hat!

5,5/10

6. nothing special

6/10

4/10 i dont like the design

Nothing special.

7/10

7/10

5/

9/10

7/10

5/10

5/10

I don't like the top :/
6.5/10

10/10

6/10

6.5/10

7/10

4/10

7/10.

7. Regards.

6/10

7/10

voted 6/10 too boxy for me...very traditional.

Really really heavyhanded and awful. 4

7/10

7.5

Ugly top, ugly color, ugly shape!:ohno:
5/10

6/10

Nothing special, but the setbacks help.

6/10

7/10

Nice colours, but I've seen better postmodernist buildings. 6.5/10

6.0
I hate the top.

7/10

6/10

8/10

average 5/10

Without this 'eye' on the roof it would be ok

4.5/10

7.5/10

5/10

5/10

4/10

5/10

6 o.k but stubby.

6/10

6/10

7/10

It is easy to jump on the bandwagon and criticise this building but the bandwagon exists for a reason...its a silly ugly building. I give it 3 rather than 2 because I'm a nice guy.

7,5/10

Looks good from far!;)

7.5/10
Not bad

3/10

Hideous. I just threw up a little.

7.5/10.

Meh. 6/10

8/10

5/10

7/10

7.5/10
Nothing special. I do like the clad though.

6/10

It's OK. 6/10

7.5 nothing special...