Citigroup Center

Citigroup Center (originally Citicorp Center) at 153 East 53rd Street is one of the most architecturally distinctive skyscrapers in New York City, recognizable by its 45-degree angled top. The building's POPS includes both an indoor atrium and an outdoor plaza at its base.

The building, designed by Hugh Stubbins and completed in 1977, was built on massive stilts that raise the tower above St. Peter's Lutheran Church, which occupies a corner of the site and refused to sell its land to the developer. The elevated base creates a dramatic covered public space at street level.

Citigroup Center gained notoriety when it was discovered in 1978 that a structural engineering flaw made the building vulnerable to collapse in certain wind conditions. A secret emergency repair was carried out while the building was occupied, a story that became a legendary case study in engineering ethics.

The indoor atrium at the base of the building houses retail shops and restaurants surrounding a central public seating area. The space has been one of Midtown's most popular indoor gathering spots since the building opened.

Citigroup Center's POPS demonstrates how creative architectural solutions can produce exceptional public space. The building's elevated structure, designed to accommodate a church, inadvertently created one of the most distinctive and well-used indoor public spaces in Midtown.