The exterior cladding system--horizontal spandrel panels between the windows, narrow vertical limestone mullions between windows, and vertical limestone piers--is similar in design to the cladding system used at the Empire State Building. Shreve Lamb & Harmon, the architectural firm that designed the Empire State, has also designed this building. The lessons learned for expediting the construction of the larger building uptown have probably been applied to the design of the exterior cladding of this structure.