383 Madison Avenue, New York



Architect
David Childs (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)
Date Built
Completed 2001
Location
383 Madison Avenue
Description
This building, designed  by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, sits on the site of a former 14 storey limestone clad office block designed by Cross and Cross.  It was known as the Knapp Building and at one time served as the headquarters of the Manhattan Savings Bank, BBDO and William Zeckendorf's Webb & Knapp.  In 1982 the building was aquired with a view to demolishing it.  The initial proposal for the replacement was a 140 storey tower that would have been the tallest in the world.  In the end the developers settled for this 47 storey building that features an octagonal tower that is illuminated at night.



The building's Wikipedia site says that it ".... was designed to be able to run for four days without exterior power through four 7,500 KW emergency electrical generators, its own steam turbines, and tanks that could store 109,000 gallons of emergency water. When it opened, the building contained 23 high-speed elevators capable of traveling 14,000 feet per minute. Floors 3 through 11 served as Bear Stearn's trading floors...."



"The building's visually decorative design differs from the conventional functionalist style of neighboring office buildings, and hence has proven unpopular with some critics."  The criticism included the fact that it is, "...  Dressed nearly head to toe in dour granite, and geometrically proper, it's stiff to the point of pass-out boredom. Out of character with SOM's current work, the design recalls the firm's unfortunate postmodern interlude a decade ago."