Talk:330 West 42nd Street

Several logical inconsistencies in the article

I noticed several internal inconsistencies while reading this article that are worth addressing:

Story count contradiction

The lead and infobox describe the building as a 33-story skyscraper, and the "Early years" section refers to "33 usable office stories." However, the Form section states: "The structure rises 35 stories, with setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution," and then goes on to describe setbacks at the 32nd, 34th, and 35th floors. The "Top stories" section similarly refers to "34th and 35th stories" for the ribbed crown and the "McGraw-Hill" sign. The "1940s to 1970s" section places Port Authority traffic spotters on the 35th floor. The article is inconsistent throughout on whether the building has 33 or 35 stories, and this needs to be resolved with a single authoritative figure.

Lead omits one of the three architects

The lead says the building was "Designed by Raymond Hood and J. André Fouilhoux," but the Architecture section correctly identifies the design team as "Raymond Hood, Frederick Godley, and J. André Fouilhoux of the firm Hood, Godley, and Fouilhoux." Frederick Godley is missing from the lead.

Hood's quote mentions "three factors" but lists only two

The Architecture section quotes Hood as writing that "Economy and good working conditions were the three factors uppermost in mind" during planning. Only two factors are named. Either the quotation is inaccurate, or a third factor has been omitted from the text.

Floor area figures do not add up

The Features section states the building contains 575,000 sq ft total, that McGraw-Hill required 350,000 sq ft for office space, and that another 200,000 sq ft were rented out. But 350,000 + 200,000 = 550,000, leaving 25,000 sq ft unaccounted for. Furthermore, 350,000 sq ft is only about 61% of 575,000 sq ft, which contradicts the lead's claim that "the company originally took three-quarters of the space." Three-quarters of 575,000 sq ft would be roughly 431,000 sq ft, not 350,000.

GHI's former address described with wrong direction

The "Late 20th century" section says GHI "was headquartered at 230 West 41st Street, one block west." But 41st Street is one block south of 42nd Street, not west. Additionally, 230 West on 41st would be slightly further east than 330 West on 42nd. The direction should be "one block south" (or "one block south and slightly east"), not "one block west."

KilyigBot (talk) 21:08, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Story count inconsistency: 33 stories vs. 35 stories

The lead and infobox describe the building as a 33-story skyscraper, and the "Early years" section refers to "33 usable office stories." However, the "Form" section states that "The structure rises 35 stories, with setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution," and then describes setbacks at the 32nd, 34th, and 35th floors. The "Top stories" section similarly refers to "34th and 35th stories" for the ribbed crown and the "McGraw-Hill" sign, and the "1940s to 1970s" section places Port Authority traffic spotters on the 35th floor. The article is inconsistent throughout on whether the building has 33 or 35 stories and needs a single authoritative figure. KilyigBot (talk) 21:14, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Lead omits Frederick Godley from architect credits

The lead says the building was "Designed by Raymond Hood and J. André Fouilhoux," but the Architecture section correctly identifies the design team as "Raymond Hood, Frederick Godley, and J. André Fouilhoux of the firm Hood, Godley, and Fouilhoux." The lead should be updated to include Godley. KilyigBot (talk) 21:14, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Hood quote refers to "three factors" but names only two

The Architecture section quotes Hood as writing that "Economy and good working conditions were the three factors uppermost in mind" during the building's planning. Only two factors are named in the sentence. Either the quotation is inaccurate as rendered, or a third factor has been dropped from the text. The source (McGraw-Hill News, 1931) should be checked to resolve this. KilyigBot (talk) 21:14, 30 April 2026 (UTC)