Seagram Building

Completed in 1958, the Seagram Building is a landmark of International Style architecture designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson and associate architects Ely Jacques Kahn & Robert Jacobs. This 38‑story office tower reaches 516 ft (157 m) and is famed for its elegant bronze-and-glass curtain wall, minimalistic design, and innovative structural clarity.

Uniquely set back 100 ft from Park Avenue, it opens onto a serene public plaza with fountains, reflecting Mies’s “less is more” ethos. The base hosts prestigious restaurants—the Grill and the Lobster Club—in what was formerly the Four Seasons—and features a refined travertine lobby and modular office floors.

Interesting Facts

• Heralded as Mies’s masterpiece and his only building in New York City.

• First skyscraper sheathed entirely in extruded bronze mullions, lending its signature warm metallic hue.

• Its plaza design inspired the 1961 zoning resolution, enabling more open spaces in exchange for density.

• Home to Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals, commissioned for the Four Seasons; these seminal works are now in major galleries worldwide.

• Holds multiple historic designations: NYC Landmark (1989, exterior & lobby), National Register (2006), and Bronze Medallion for design excellence