Olympic Tower

Olympic Tower
General information
Location	641 Fifth Avenue Manhattan, New York
Coordinates	40°45′33″N 73°58′34″W / 40.75917°N 73.97611°W / 40.75917; -73.97611
Construction started	1971
Completed	1974
Cost	$95 million (equivalent to $457 million in 2023)
Owner	Oxford Properties
Management	Oxford Properties
Height
Roof	620 ft (190 m)
Top floor	590 feet (180 m)
Technical details
Floor count	51
Floor area	1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Developer	Victory Development Corporation, Arlen Realty and Development Corporation
Engineer	W. A. DiGiacomo & Associates (mechanical) Max Siegel Associates (zoning)
Structural engineer	James Ruderman
Main contractor	Tishman Realty & Construction

Olympic Tower is a 51-story, 620 ft-tall (190 m) building at 641 and 645 Fifth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the mixed-use development contains condominium apartments, office space, and retail shops. The tower is named after Olympic Airways, whose president Aristotle Onassis jointly developed the tower with the Arlen Realty and Development Corporation between 1971 and 1974. It was the first skyscraper to be constructed within a special zoning district to encourage retail and mixed-use development along Fifth Avenue.

The building's glass facade is designed to reflect St. Patrick's Cathedral immediately to the south. The superstructure is made of steel on the lower stories and cast concrete on the upper stories. The first two stories contain a public atrium, Olympic Place, which connects the 51st and 52nd Street facades. The next 19 stories contain office space while the top 30 stories contain 230 condominium apartments. Upon Olympic Tower's completion, architectural writers such as Ada Louise Huxtable and Christopher Gray criticized its design.

Construction of Olympic Tower dates to the late 1960s, when Best & Co. sought to build an office tower above their store at Fifth Avenue and 51st Street. Morris Lapidus was initially hired for the project, but the plans were changed after the zoning district was created. When the building was completed, wealthy non-American buyers purchased most of its residential units. Crown Acquisitions bought Olympic Tower from its original owners in the 2010s.