390 Madison Avenue (New York City, New York)

 office building, skyscraper, Modern (architecture), 2017 construction

373-foot, 32-story modernist office building completed in 2017. Designed by Fox & Fowle, it is the result of a near-complete rebuild of an existing structure that was completed in 1957, designed by Emery Roth & Sons (it had been overclad prior in 1989 with glass). In a remarkable feat of engineering, three million pounds of concrete were demolished in the building’s base to re-mass and reconfigure the structure. This included the removal of two full floors to create nearly 100,000 SF of double-height space. Floors 9 through 12 are paired back by nearly 25% to create a more efficient floorplate. The entirety of the demolished floor area was added to the top of the structure in the form of eight entirely new floors.

The redevelopment includes the addition of 13 usable terraces at various setback levels. The new facade is clad in a curtain wall of white and silver metal and glass. Several diagonal cross-braces are also visible throughout the facades. The building is L-shaped, wrapping around the smaller building at the northwest. At the southeast corner, the ground floor is chamfered, with an angled metal canopy.

The main entrance is centered on the avenue, with two sets of revolving glass doors covered by a steel canopy and flanked by two traditional glass doors, in a glass surround. The center section of the east facade here is recessed from the north and south ends, which both set back above the 7th floor. The west end of the south facade on 46th Street has three wide bays accessing the underground parking garage, and a metal service door, all below steel louvers. The west end of the north facade on 47th Street has two loading docks between a pair of service doors, with metal vents covering the 2nd floor above.

The ground floor along the avenue is occupied by a flagship Chase Bank branch, and also on 46th Street by Shiseido Cosmetics.


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