NYC Building Gets Landmarked Before Sotheby's Moves In

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side has a new landmark.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted Tuesday to landmark Madison Avenue's iconic Breuer Building, the inverted brutalist ziggurat that has served as the former Whitney Museum of American Art and is soon to be Sotheby's flagship auction house.

The Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday morning to landmark both the interior as well as the building as a whole.

Once a building's interior is landmarked, the Commission must approve any alteration, reconstruction, demolition, or new construction affecting the designated space to protect the historical significance of the architecture and design.

This will protect the building's lobby and its marquee lights, as well as its main stairwell.

"The original Whitney Museum building is an iconic, entirely unique piece of the New York City landscape," Councilmember Keith Powers, who represents parts of the Upper East Side and Midtown, said.

"The building is a cherished part of the history of our city, and its role in housing the great artists of our time is what contributes to its new landmark status. I’m proud to say the Upper East Side has such a stunning new landmark for all to enjoy."

The building already had some protection to its exterior due to its location in the Upper East Side's historic district, but the Tuesday designation solidifies its legacy, the Commission said.

Inside the building

The building, designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1966 for the Whitney, features a brutalist concrete and steel exterior hovering above a glass ground floor, which sharply contrasts against the district's 19th-century townhouses.

On the inside, the building has much warmer tones, with open floor plans and light wood complimenting the iconic marquee lights surrounded by silver discs studding the ceilings.

Breuer first trained in Germany as a Bauhaus carpenter, where he designed the still-popular Wassily chair in the 1920s, before coming to the United States just before World War II, according to the Commission.

Breuer later also built the landmarked Begrisch Hall in 1961 at what is now Bronx Community College, according to the Commission.

When the Whitney relocated downtown in 2014, the building temporarily housed collections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then later the Frick Collection when the Frick was undergoing renovations.

Sotheby's bought the building last year for a reported $100 million, and plans to open to the public in 2025, the auction house said.

Sotheby’s, which is also located on the Upper East Side – at 72nd Street and York Avenue – has said the building will “host state-of-the-art gallery spaces and exhibitions,” in addition to an auction room.

“We fully endorse the landmark designation, as reflected in our initial plans for the building," Steven Wrightson, Sotheby's Global Head of Real Estate, said. "We look forward to welcoming the public back and honoring the Breuer’s enduring legacy as we usher in a new chapter of Sotheby’s."

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