Mayor Bloomberg apparently likes Modernist buildings.
The Modernist, multitiered 488 Madison Avenue, once the home of Look Magazine, is on the road toward landmark status as the Bloomberg-controlled Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected Tuesday to begin the designation process for the 1949 building. The move is the latest in a series of designations of Modernist buildings around the city, including the white brick Manhattan House; the International-style, S.O.M.-designed One Chase Manhattan Plaza in Lower Manhattan; and the I.M. Pei–designed Silver Towers in Greenwich Village.
The Emery Roth & Sons–designed 488 Madison, developed by the Uris family, was known for years as the Look Building on account of its tenant, the now-defunct competitor to Life Magazine that folded in 1971.
Esquire was also a tenant in the building, which is located between 51st and 52nd streets and is just two blocks north of the longtime New York magazine building.
On Tuesday, the LPC is expected to “calendar” the building, an act that typically leads to designation.
Also at the meeting Tuesday, the commission is expected to hear testimony on the former IRT powerhouse at 59th Street and 12th Avenue, a Con Edison–owned property designed by McKim Mead & White. Preservationists and local elected officials are urging designation, though Con Ed is opposing.
