527 Madison Avenue (New York City, New York)

 office building, high-rise, 1986_construction

351-foot, 26-story modernist office building completed in 1986. Designed by Fox & Fowle Architects and WZMH Architects, the tower is remarkable for its complex massing, one of the most extraordinary in the city. It uses two slanted facade elements on the north facade, both of silver glass curtain walls with thin aluminum mullions.

The main slant does not extend fully to the base but makes the most of its zigzag downhill run. Because the slant is contained on either side by more conventional setbacks, its design can only be best appreciated from across 54th Street in the very nice midblock plaza of 535 Madison Avenue. The main, upper slant runs from the 7th floor to the roof line, shifting to the east every five floors. The areas framing the slant, and below it, are clad in grey granite spandrels and bands of silver glass.

At the east end there is a second, lower slant of curtain wall beginning above the ground floor; its right edge stair-steps to the east at every 2nd floor, being overtaken by the bands of granite and glass at the rest of the facade, until this slant ends at the top of the 9th floor.

The ground floor is clad in grey granite as well. The main entrance is centered below the lower, east slanted curtain wall, deeply recessed with two glass doors framing a glass revolving door below a glass transom. There is a single-window on either side, set behind the pair of rounded granite columns that support the floors above the recessed area. The bay to the right is more deeply recessed and has a metal service door, as is the bay to the left (at the east end) that has a loading dock. The north facade has five bays across the ground floor at the main tower portion, each with a plate-glass storefront display window.

The west facade on the avenue spans four bays of storefront windows, with glass double-doors in the 2nd bay from the north. Above the ground floor the facade has the same striped granite and glass cladding. Beginning at the south end above the 2nd floor is a very small setback (only one window pane wide) that begins a stair-stepping series of similar setbacks up to the 6th floor, where there is a full-floor setback. Other full-floor setbacks occur above the 11th, 16th, and 21st floors as the tower also narrows from the setbacks on the north facade. The tower rises vertically at the south elevation, with the same striped cladding. A south wing extends behind the lower neighboring building, clad in granite panels with no openings. The ground floor is occupied by Harman/Kardon audio.