were. Architect Henry N. Cobb also described such buildings as having "a very strong, hostile, and aggressive visual impact". Upon Bunshaft's 1990 death, The New York Times wrote that the building was "cited by a civic group as a negative example of New York City architecture". Herbert Muschamp believed the traditional philosophy of form following function did not work for buildings like 9 West 57th Street, writing: "If this was honest architecture, as the modern movement had defined it, then perhaps it was time buildings learned how to tell pretty lies." Not everyone disliked the design of the Solow Building; it was regarded largely positively by the public, which expressed interest in 9 West 57th Street's unusual shape. According to Drexler, "the immense curved glass wall is an exhilarating spectacle, not as architecture but as urban theater, as fascinating as a fountain". During the 1970s, the Solow Building was nicknamed the "bell bottom building" for its shape. Architect Wallace Harrison also expressed his support for sloped buildings like the Solow Building, saying that the slope "gives a smooth line that appears to give added height by disappearing perspective". See also List of tallest buildings in New York City References Notes Citations Sources External links Solow Residential website SOM website Midtown Manhattan Office buildings completed in 1974 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan Skyscrapers on 57th Street (Manhattan) 1974 establishments in New York City