The MetLife Building, originally called the Pan Am Building, is a skyscraper located at 200 Park Avenue in New York City. The Pan Am Building was the largest commercial office building in the world when it opened on March 7, 1963.It is an important part of the Manhattan skyline and one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States. Pan American World Airways was the building´s owner for many years. In 1981, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company purchased the building from Pan Am. In 2005, MetLife sold the building for $1.72 billion, the highest recorded price for an office building in the United States at the time. The building was also known for its helicopter service to John F. Kennedy International Airport, a seven-minute flight that left from the rooftop helipad. This service was offered only between December 21, 1965 and February 18, 1968 and for a few months in 1977 and was ended after a spectacular accident that killed five people.
