Above the base is a 42-story tower that brings the structure to its maximum height; this is flanked to the west and east by wings that rise to the 13th story.

The consultant John B. Peterkin designed the original plans to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, while architects Harrison & Abramovitz became involved in 1952 and redesigned the structure in the International and Moderne styles.

The Socony–Mobil Building was constructed between 1954 and 1956 as a speculative development by Peter B. Ruffin, who acquired a long-term lease from the site's owners, the Goelet family.

Ruffin persuaded several tenants to move into 150 East 42nd Street, including the Socony–Mobil oil company, which occupied half the building upon its completion.

[5] The largest lessee, furniture-design company Pottier & Stymus, built a six-story brick factory/showroom building on the site[6] that burned down in 1888[7] and was rebuilt by the Goelets.

[5] The subway entrance is owned by the New York City Transit Authority and consists of two escalators, a maintenance room, and a heating plant.

The facade of the base is composed mostly of dark-blue, opaque tinted glass windows, with slightly projecting moldings made of stainless steel;[17][21] this contrasts with the adjacent buildings, which are primarily clad with terracotta.

[23] The facade of the upper 42 stories consists of approximately 750,000 pounds (340,000 kg) of 0.038-inch (0.97 mm) thick pleated chromium nickel panels, described as being 20-gauge "Type 302" stainless steel.

[24][26] To ensure the patterns would be created to the correct specifications, the architects made full-sized plaster models and hired metal-die workers.

Originating inside the basement of the Socony–Mobil Building, the passage curved northwest and then west under 42nd Street to the mezzanine of the subway station.

[32] The tunnel was reopened in the late 2010s as part of the complex's renovation,[33][34] and new sidewalk staircases were built at the southeastern corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

[35] Developers John W. Galbreath and Peter B. Ruffin convinced the Goelet estate, the previous owners of the site, to erect an office building on their land at Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street.

Based on proposals for Rockefeller Center, it called for a brick-clad office tower over an airport-bus terminal at ground level.

[16] The plan did not progress because of doubts over how the large site would be developed, as well as the challenges in securing the long-term leases that the Goelets wanted.

[4] After the Mobil deal was finalized, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the National City Bank of New York collectively loaned $37.5 million for the project.

[41] Harrison & Abramovitz hired Turner Construction as general contractors[37][42] and Edwards & Hjorth as structural engineers.

[24] Though the builders later claimed that "no accidents" had occurred during construction,[46] there was an incident in August 1955 in which the scaffolding sagged, forcing an evacuation of nearby blocks.

[19][57] Architectural historian Robert A. M. Stern wrote that the development of the Socony–Mobil Building represented the gradual move of office tenants from lower to midtown Manhattan.

[19] The structure was the subject of several bomb attacks by the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña (FALN) in the 1970s.

[60] In 1987, the building was sold to the Japanese firm Hiro Real Estate Company in a transaction estimated to be worth $200 million.

[62] The Socony–Mobil Building was renovated in 1995, during which it was cleaned for the first time,[1] and the elevators, mechanical systems, lobby, and concierge desk were restored.

[67][68] The next month, real estate investor David Werner entered a contract to purchase the building for $900 million.

[71][72] By the 2010s, the building's tenants included Dentsu Aegis Network,[73][74] as well as Mount Sinai Health System on multiple floors.

A contemporary Architectural Forum article said that much of the controversy revolved around the facade: "some dislike it because it reminds them of the metal ceiling of an old store.

"[77] Architectural critic Lewis Mumford was among the detractors: He described the facade as "a disaster" and said that "From the street, this new building looks as if it were coming down with measles.

A writer for The New York Times stated that "the curtain-wall or shell type of construction around skyscrapers has brought the metallic look to the skyline".