New York Life Building

Manhattan, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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The New York Life Building, located at 51 Madison Avenue in Manhattan's Rose Hill and NoMad neighborhoods, is a 187.5-meter Gothic Revival skyscraper designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1928. Serving as headquarters for the New York Life Insurance Company, the building occupies an entire city block abutting Madison Square Park. Gilbert's design synthesizes his characteristic Gothic Revival detailing—evident in his earlier works including 90 West Street and the Woolworth Building—with Art Deco massing influences prevalent during the era. The tower rises forty stories and culminates in a distinctive pyramidal, gilded six-story roof that distinguishes it from the surrounding skyline. Constructed in 1927–1928 on the former site of Madison Square Garden, the building was conceived as a self-contained urban environment. A northern annex was added between 1960 and 1962 following the company's post-war expansion. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, and named a New York City Landmark in 2000.

Architect

Cass Gilbert

Movement

Gothic Revival

Built: 1928
Type: skyscraper
Heritage: New York State Register of Historic Places listed place, New York City Landmark
Height: 187.5 m
Place: Manhattan, United States

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Location

40.74278, -73.98556