Raymond Hood established himself as one of the foremost architects in the United States with this building, his first major commission in New York City.

In 1923, the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company, impressed by Raymond Hood's radiator cover designs, commissioned Hood to design an office building and showroom on a small plot overlooking Bryant Park.

Hood set an eighteen story tower atop a four story base that matched its neighbors in height.  The base, with its tight covering of black granite and large show windows, is an impressive street-level entity, yet it does not detract in the least from the towering bulk of the building.

The main shaft of the building is clear and simple.   Hood used "courts" at the sides of the tower, and chamfered corners to insure that the building would always maintain an individual identity on the street no matter what might be built adjacent to it in the future.

Every aspect of the building was meant to convey the high quality of the American Radiator Company's products.  The black brick of the tower is especially effective in giving the building a dignified and unified look.

The relatively small amount of "crown" detailing and the skillful and restrained use of guilded terra-cotta ornament added to the sense of attention to small detail.