Seagram Building (New York, NY) 1958

Seagram Building (New York, NY) 1958 

The Seagram Building is a skyscraper, located at 375 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The building was designed by German-American architect Mies van der Rohe. Philip Johnson, Kahn & Jacobs were also involved in the development/ design of the building. 

The building stands 515 feet tall with 38 stories. The building was completed in 1958. It stands as one of the most notable examples of modern architecture. It was designed as the headquarters for the Canadian distillers Joseph E Seagram & Sons. The building is owned by Aby Rosen's RFR Holdings. 

Mies van der Rohe was given an unlimited budget by Phyllis Lambert which was Seagram's heiress. The structure was influenced heavily on American architecture. The Seagram building was a large building made out of a steel frame. Mies wanted the steel frame to be visible to the public, but the American building codes required that all structural steel be covered in a fireproof material. Concrete would have to be used to protect the steel columns from softening. Mies tried to avoid this by using non-structural bronze toned I- beams. The beams were visible from the outside of the building like Mies wanted. The building ended up using 1,500 tons of bronze in its construction. The structural engineering consultants said "it was the first building to use high strength bolted connections, to combine a braced frame with a moment frame and the first tall building to employ a composite steel and concrete lateral frame." 

 The construction costs of the building totaled to $41 million dollars. The Seagram became the world's most expensive skyscraper at the time. The interior was designed with high quality materials and luxurious decoration. The interior was designed to mimic the external features, repeated in the glass and bronze furnishings. 

Window blinds was a feature that Mies looked into because he wanted the building to have a uniform appearance. Mies disliked the irregularity when window blinds are drawn. To reduce that appearance, Mies wanted the blinds to operate in three ways- fully open, halfway open/closed, or fully closed. 

Mies wanted to create an urban open space in front of the building, it became a popular gathering area. The plaza attracts users with its two large fountains surrounded by generous outdoor seating. The building was home to famed restaurants, The Four Seasons, designed by Diller + Scofidio. In 1961, New York City enacted a major revision to its 1916 Zoning Resolution, which offered reasons for developers to install "privately owned public spaces" which were meant to emulate the Seagram Building. The building became a prototype for future office buildings designed by Mies. Also, became a model for many buildings in the area. Fifty years after its completion and its still admired by many visitors and sets an example of an international styled skyscraper. 

Joseph Seagram ended up selling the building in 1979 to the New York City-based Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association for $70.5 million in 1979. It was then sold to Aby Rosen for $375 million in 2000. 

Sources 

“AD Classics: Seagram Building / Mies Van Der Rohe.” ArchDaily, 10 May 2010, www.archdaily.com/59412/ad-classics-seagram-building-mies-van-der-rohe. 

Ermengem, Kristiaan Van. “Seagram Building, New York City.” A View On Cities, www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/seagrambuilding.htm. 

Seagram Building (1958), Designed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969), Manhattan, New York, New York,