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Landmarks
550 Madison Avenue: A Certificate of Appropriateness for alterations to the tower and to the public plaza of the former American Telephone & Telegraph
WHEREAS, 550 Madison Avenue, aka the AT&T Building, aka Sony Tower, opened in 1984 between East 55th and East 56th Streets, and was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and was designated a Landmark on July 31, 2018; and
WHEREAS, 550 Madison Avenue is an unbroken 37-floor office tower sheathed in pink granite, sitting on 60-foot columns with a dramatic 116-foot archway entrance, porthole windows, and an iconic “Chippendale” pediment that was built as the new headquarters for American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T); and
WHEREAS, The original design of the building yielded a relatively small lobby base to the building surrounded by extensive public space in the form of arcades within the 60-foot columns of the building, as well as a large rear plaza; and
WHEREAS, When Sony occupied the building in the early 1990’s, multiple changes were made including enclosing the open public arcades to the north and south of the main entrance with aluminum window bays for retail outlets, and enclosing portions of the side-arcades for extended lobby and mechanical spaces, and enclosing the rear public plaza with a metal and glass atrium, with all of these changes leaving the remaining public spaces around the building dark, uninviting, and underutilized; and
WHEREAS, 550 Madison Avenue is the first example of a corporate headquarters skyscraper to showcase the Postmodern design which spurred a global explosion of office tower construction in this fashion, and is considered by many to still be the most recognizable and most famous example of Postmodern architecture due to its sheer size and high-profile location in the Manhattan skyline; and
WHEREAS, The annex building to the immediate west was originally built as a communications museum and is now vacant, and shows no significant architectural merit or relationship to 550 Madison Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The applicant is seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness for proposed alterations to the main tower and also for the public plaza to the west of the main tower; and
WHEREAS, The proposed alterations to the tower include further enclosure of the arcade on the north and south sides of the building, the removal and replacement of non-original window bays and storefront reconfigurations in the areas between the flat arches, the addition of a signage band for retail and building entry sites, the creation of 7 new sets of windows and 6 sets of exhaust louvers on the western façade, the replacement of mechanical louvers with clear glazing in the side-porthole windows, the creation of an arched window in the western façade at the ground level facing the plaza; and
WHEREAS, The proposed alterations to the public plaza to the west of the main tower include the removal of the upper portions of the annex building, the removal of the existing non-original glass and steel atrium, the installation of a new glass and steel canopy covering much of the public plaza, and the creation of a landscaped plaza with seating, water features, greenery and kiosks; and
WHEREAS, The proposed clear storefront glazing within the areas of the flat arches is replacing non-original materials and storefronts and will be uniform along the Madison Ave, 55th St and 56th St facades, and will be set back 4’6” to maintain the dramatic architecture of the building’s iconic columns; and
WHEREAS, The remaining arcades on the north and south side of the building are not inviting or well utilized as they currently exist, and they are proposed to have matching glazing and new retail brought outward to the façade of the building in place of the arcades; and
WHEREAS, The 7 proposed sets of windows and mechanical louvers on the western façade are aligned and symmetric to the building’s existing window layout; and
WHEREAS, The proposed arched window on the western façade is designed to complement the main entry arch on the Madison Avenue entrance; and
WHEREAS, The annex is not deemed a significant component and its removal will not affect the integrity of the landmark, but a small portion of the annex used for access to the underground level will still be maintained and integrated into the proposed plaza design; and
WHEREAS, The existing glass and steel atrium along with the lighting and mechanicals are not original to the landmark and are proposed to be replaced with a more modern glass and steel canopy that will allow for more natural light and open space; and
WHEREAS, The proposed landscape design including seating, lighting, water features and greenery are a dramatic change to the current conditions and are deemed a vast improvement for the public, though Community Board Five feels that some design elements could be made even more contextual with the landmark; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval for a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed changes to the tower of 550 Madison Avenue, including further enclosure of the arcade on the north and south sides of the building, the removal of and the replacement of non-original windows and storefront reconfigurations in the areas between the flat arches, the addition of a signage band for retail and building entries, the creation of 7 new sets of windows and 6 sets of exhaust louvers on the western façade, the removal of mechanical louvers to glazing in the side-porthole windows, and the creation of an arched window in the western façade at the ground level facing the plaza, and Community Board Five strongly urges the owners to store all removed original material for use at a future date for necessary stone repair/replacement on the landmark; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval for a certificate of appropriateness for the proposed alterations to the public plaza to the west of the main tower including the removal of the upper portions of the annex building, the removal of the existing non-original glass and steel atrium, the installation of a new glass and steel canopy covering much of the public plaza, and the creation of a landscaped plaza with seating, water features, greenery and kiosks.