- New York Life Building
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New York Life Building
As seen from the observation deck at the Empire State BuildingLocation: 51 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York Coordinates: 40°44′34″N 73°59′08″W / 40.74278°N 73.98556°WCoordinates: 40°44′34″N 73°59′08″W / 40.74278°N 73.98556°W Built: 1928 Architect: Cass Gilbert[1] Architectural style: Gothic Revival[2] NRHP Reference#: 78001876 Significant dates Added to NRHP: June 2, 1978[3] Designated NHL: June 2, 1978 [4] Designated NYCL: 2000 For other uses, see New York Life Building (disambiguation).The New York Life Insurance Building, New York, located at 51 Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, across from Madison Square Park, is the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company.
Contents
History
Tower Top, from the north
Designed in 1926 by Cass Gilbert, who also designed the landmark Woolworth Building, the massive building, which was inspired by Salisbury Cathedral,[5] rises forty stories to its pyramidal gilded roof and occupies the full block between 26th and 27th Streets, Madison Avenue and Park Avenue South, a rarity in Manhattan. The building stands 615 feet (187 m) tall and contains 40 floors.[6] It was the last significant Gilbert skyscraper in Manhattan.
From 1837–1889, the site was occupied by the Union Depot of the New York and Harlem and the New York and New Haven Railroads, a concert garden, and P.T. Barnums Hippodrome.[7] Until 1925, the site housed the first two Madison Square Gardens, the second one designed by architect Stanford White.
The building was completed in 1928 after two years of construction at the cost of $21 million.[5] It combines streamlined Gothic details and distinctly Moderne massing. The gold pyramid at the top consists of 25,000 gold-leaf tiles.[5] The building was designated an official New York City landmark by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2000, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark, designated in 1972.[4][8][9] In 1995, after the pyramid was restored with new tiles and lit, the building received a Merit Citation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.[10]
The New York Life Insurance Company still maintains its headquarters in the building. They have leased extra office space through Cushman and Wakefield since 2004.[11]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot; AIA Guide to New York City, 4th Edition; New York Chapter, American Institute of Architects; Crown Publishers/Random House. 2000. ISBN 0-8129-31069-8; ISBN 0-8129-3107-6. p.200.
- ^ NHL Writeup[dead link] (PDF)
- ^ New York County listings at the National Register of Historic Places
- ^ a b "New York Life Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-16. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1775&ResourceType=Building.
- ^ a b c Event Horizon: Mad. Sq. Art.: Antony Gormley installation guide, published by the Madison Square Park Conservancy (2010)
- ^ "New York Life Building". Emporis.com. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=newyorklifebuilding-newyorkcity-ny-usa. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ Dolkart, Andrew S. & Postal, Matthew A.; Guide to New York City Landmarks, 3rd Edition; New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004. ISBN 0-471-36900-4; p. 75.
- ^ [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/78001876.pdf "New York Life Building", February 1977, by George R. Adams PDF (553 KB) "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination"]. National Park Service. 1977-02. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/78001876.pdf "New York Life Building", February 1977, by George R. Adams PDF (553 KB).
- ^ [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/78001876.pdf New York Life Building--Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1976, by George R. Adams. PDF (1.20 MB) "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination"]. National Park Service. 1977-02. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/78001876.pdf New York Life Building--Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1976, by George R. Adams. PDF (1.20 MB).
- ^ Mendelsohn, Joyce. Touring the Flatiron. New York: New York Landmarks Conservancy, 1998. ISBN 0-964-7061-2-1
- ^ Sana Siwolop "COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE: REGIONAL MARKET -- Midtown South; Big Spaces Are Opening Up In Madison Square Park Area" The New York Times. March 24, 2004.
- Bibliography
- The WPA Guide to New York City 1939, reprinted 1982 ISBN 0-394-71215-3
External links
New York City Historic Sites NRHP: Manhattan – Brooklyn – Queens – Staten Island – Bronx • NHL: New York State
NYC: Manhattan – Brooklyn – Queens – Staten Island – Bronx
Categories:- NRHP articles with dead external links
- National Historic Landmarks in New York City
- Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- Buildings and structures completed in 1928
- Skyscrapers between 150 and 199 meters
- Skyscrapers in New York City
- Office buildings in New York City
- Insurance company headquarters in the United States
- Cass Gilbert buildings
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