383 Madison Avenue

Manhattan, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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This 47-story, 755-foot skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan was completed in 2002 for the financial services firm Bear Stearns, designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the postmodern style. Built to occupy the entire city block bounded by Madison Avenue, 47th Street, Vanderbilt Avenue, and 46th Street, the structure ingeniously navigates its complex site above railroad tracks serving Grand Central Terminal, employing sloped girders and trusses in its foundation and shifting elevators to the building's western side. The facade combines granite with glass panels, while above the rectangular base, setbacks taper to an octagonal tower crowned with a 70-foot glass tower. The building contains seven dedicated trading floors alongside office space and ground-level public areas with direct access to Grand Central Terminal. Bear Stearns occupied its world headquarters here until the firm's 2008 collapse and sale to JPMorgan Chase, whose investment banking division now holds the space.