The cast limestone facade of the Hearst Magazine Building, now the base, is a New York City designated landmark with of surface area. It is divided horizontally into the two lowest stories, three intermediate stories, and a sixth-story attic. The base's northeastern and southeastern corners are chamfered. A balustrade runs in front of the third-story windows, supported by a shelf with notches, and interrupted by the chamfered corners. A parapet runs above the fifth story, except in the bays above the entrance arches on Eighth Avenue and 57th Street, and at the chamfered corners. With the construction of the Hearst Tower, the base's existing facade was retrofitted to meet updated city seismic codes. Because the original office space was replaced with the atrium in the Hearst Tower's construction, the windows on the third through sixth stories of the facade illuminate the atrium.