Check out the very wild plaza, lobby, and exterior features designed for 127 John Street, an otherwise boring speculative office building developed by William Kaufman (this from P/A April 1972) in Manhattan. Even for the 1970s and the age of supergraphics, it's pretty intense. 1/

Colorful canopies at sharp angles throughout the plaza, a groovy lit tunnel to the elevators, and blue elevators... 2/

The lobby! Oh, the lobby. It's covered by the building but open on the sides. And the chairs... 3/

"Sculptural likeness (above) of Melvyn Kaufman [president of the William Kaufman Organization] was removed when it didn't amuse the public." He is the guy on the right. Not real. 4/

There was a gravel mural of a bird and eggs on the building setback on one side, a cat on the other. Oh, and a giant bird on the rig for washing windows. 5/

Sorry Centre Pompidou. 127 John Street had colorful mechanical infrastructure designating "flow of air and water" before you did. 6/

The building was by Emery Roth and Sons, but who cares about the building? The entry and plaza were by the graphic designer Rudy deHarak, of Corcia-deHarak. Pamela Waters did the mural and mechanical floor. Lighting by Howard Branston, cartoons (below) by Forrest Wilson. 7/

deHarak also designed a clock for the facade of an existing building on Water Street, bottom left in plan, that was surrounded by 127 John Street. 8/

But bad news, folks. I don't think much of this is left. The building is now called 200 Water Street. The clock remains, but the fun stuff otherwise seems to be filled in with a boring glass wall and a small, newer building. 9/

Maybe something still exists on the inside, but that seems doubtful. Alas.

Oh, those? Those are the mirrors that covered the adjoining buildings. As P/A said, "another Fun City special." 10/

Worth noting, too, that this is the same issue that features my very favorite, the supergraphic blueprint facade by James Doman and Associates. I think we all can agree that we deserve a revival of funky, weird, fun supergraphics after all of this. 11/11 https://twitter.com/bgoldst/status/1191769542403461120

Thanks to a tip from @ellenville8, here's Blondie photographed in the tunnel at 127 John Street, by Bob Gruen (l). And here's the punk band Kraut (r).