You've seen it a thousand times in the background of every New Year’s Eve broadcast. That massive, 48-story tower with the 300-foot spire and the four-sided Nasdaq sign pulsing with stock tickers. For the longest time, everyone just called it the Condé Nast Building. It was the undisputed throne of the magazine world, the place where Vogue and Vanity Fair editors essentially decided what the rest of the planet was going to wear.
But things changed. Honestly, the story of 4 Times Square isn't just about a magazine empire moving downtown to the World Trade Center in 2014. It’s actually a story about a building that was way ahead of its time—and how it’s managed to reinvent itself when everyone thought it was becoming a relic of the "glamour" era.
Why 4 Times Square was the Original "Green" Skyscraper
Back in the late 90s, when the Durst Organization was putting this thing up, "sustainability" was mostly a buzzword for people living in off-grid yurts. It definitely wasn't a priority for Manhattan office developers. But Douglas Durst had a different idea.
Basically, 4 Times Square became the first major environmentally responsible skyscraper in the United States. It wasn't just a PR stunt, either. The architects at Fox & Fowle (now FXCollaborative) baked efficiency into the actual bones of the structure.
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- Solar Panels in the Walls: If you look at the south and east facades of the upper 19 floors, those aren't just decorative panels. They’re thin-film photovoltaic skins. They generate electricity directly from the sun, right there on the side of the building.
- Fuel Cells: Long before it was trendy, the building used two 200-kW fuel cells on the fourth floor. These things provide 100% of the nighttime electric demand using natural gas, and the only byproducts are hot water and carbon dioxide.
- Fresh Air Overload: While most office buildings just recirculate the same stale air, this tower was designed to pump in 50% more fresh air than the city code required. It even has dedicated exhaust shafts to vent out specific rooms so the "office smell" doesn't linger.
It’s kinda funny looking back. People at the time thought the Durst family was crazy for spending the extra money on these features. Now? Every new building in Midtown is trying to play catch-up to standards set in 1999.
The Ghost of the Gehry Cafeteria
If you were a "somebody" in the early 2000s, you were eating lunch at 4 Times Square. Specifically, on the fourth floor.
Condé Nast commissioned Frank Gehry—the guy who did the Guggenheim in Bilbao—to design their cafeteria. It was legendary. We’re talking about massive, undulating glass panels that looked like frozen waves. It was where Anna Wintour and Graydon Carter held court.
When Condé Nast packed up and moved to One World Trade Center, there was a lot of hand-wringing about what would happen to that space. Would it be demolished? Well, the Durst Organization actually spent about $150 million on a massive renovation of the building's amenities to keep it competitive. They kept the bones of the Gehry design but updated the vibe.
The building now features a 45,600-square-foot amenity floor called "Well& by Durst." It’s got a food hall managed by Michelin-starred chef Charlie Palmer. It’s a far cry from the exclusive, "you can't sit with us" energy of the 2000s, but it’s probably a lot more functional for the people actually working there today.
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Who actually works at 4 Times Square now?
After the magazine titan left, the building didn't stay empty for long. The "Condé Nast Building" name is technically dead, replaced by the more corporate 151 West 42nd Street or simply 4 Times Square, but the tenant list is arguably more diverse than it ever was.
- Nasdaq: They are the big fish now. Not only do they have the MarketSite at the base, but they moved their global headquarters here, taking up about 180,000 square feet.
- BMO Capital Markets: The Bank of Montreal has a massive presence here, occupying multiple floors.
- TikTok: This was the big one. In 2020, TikTok signed a lease for over 230,000 square feet. It was a huge signal that Times Square was still a magnet for tech and media, even if the "print" media era was fading.
- SS&C Technologies: They’ve expanded their footprint here significantly over the last few years.
It's a weird mix. You have high-frequency traders, lawyers from firms like Venable LLP, and kids filming dance videos in the same 809-foot tower.
The Spire That Keeps New York Connected
One thing people usually miss is that 4 Times Square is basically a giant antenna that happens to have offices underneath it.
After 9/11, the city's broadcast infrastructure was a mess. The 300-foot mast atop this building became a critical backup site for almost every major FM radio and TV station in the city. Even today, if something happens to the transmitters at the Empire State Building or One World Trade, 4 Times Square is the "fail-safe" that keeps the city's signals alive. It’s one of the few places in the world where the rooftop is arguably more valuable than some of the office floors.
Addressing the "Times Square is Dead" Myth
There’s this narrative that Midtown office space is a "zombie" zone. You’ve probably seen the headlines. But 4 Times Square sort of proves the opposite.
The building stays full because it’s at the absolute center of the world's most accessible transit hub. You have the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W, and S trains right under your feet. For a company like TikTok or Nasdaq, that’s an unbeatable recruiting tool. People hate the tourists, sure, but employees like being able to get home in 20 minutes.
The building's success is also a testament to "Class A" upgrades. By adding a 4,000-square-foot outdoor terrace on the 4th floor and high-end conference spaces, the owners made it impossible to ignore. It’s not just a box where you sit at a desk; it’s a place people actually want to be.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you’re interested in the architecture or the business side of 4 Times Square, here’s how you can actually engage with it:
- Visit the Nasdaq MarketSite: You can’t just wander into the office floors, but the ground-level MarketSite is often open for events, and it’s the best place to see the building’s tech-heavy energy.
- Look Up at Night: Check out the spire. The lighting often changes based on holidays or events. It’s a masterpiece of structural engineering that most people ignore while looking at the digital billboards.
- Study the "Durst Standard": If you’re into green building, 4 Times Square is the textbook. Look into the "PureCell" fuel cell system they use—it’s still the gold standard for on-site power generation in dense urban environments.
- Monitor the Leasing Trends: Watch who moves into the remaining small pockets of space. It’s a perfect barometer for the health of the New York City economy. When fintech moves in, the market is hot. When media moves out, things are shifting.
The Condé Nast era was flashy and fun, but 4 Times Square today is something more interesting: a living, breathing example of how New York architecture can evolve without losing its soul. It’s efficient, it’s crowded, and it’s incredibly loud—exactly what a skyscraper in the heart of Manhattan should be.