The unusual cutout in the roof of the skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue (Sony Tower) has become iconic for postmodernists. Although the trend had begun two decades earlier, it was the pink colossus designed by Philip Johnson that made postmodernism famous in the United States. In a sea of grey skyscrapers, Johnson wanted to put up something colourful and playful. New Yorkers were initially sceptical about the building’s cheerfulness, but over time his style spread around the world.
Against the current
The 1970s were not the best time for New York investment. The 1973 oil crisis, stagnation and fiscal crisis in the middle of the decade effectively scared businessmen away from new investments in Manhattan. Big companies moved to New Jersey or simply out of the business centre of New York, but the head of AT&T had other plans. True, the telecom giant’s headquarters were outside the state, but a representative building was to be built in Manhattan’s East Midtown.
John D. deButts had managed AT&T since 1972. The company was the largest employer in the US at the time, so despite the economic uncertainties, AT&T could afford a new headquarters. After all, their first nineteenth-century office was on Broadway, and the new building would pay homage to Manhattan’s mother lode.
Despite some difficulties in purchasing a plot of land, AT&T found a patch of land at 550 Madison Avenue, behind busy Park Avenue. The winner of the architectural competition was the Johnson/Burgee studio founded by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Unlike other experienced studios (such as Roche-Dinkeloo), Johnson and Burgee did not submit plans, only photographs of previous projects.
Large wardrobe
Johnson wanted his new creation to become a symbol of the company, but also of the city itself. Construction, which began in 1980, took four years and the result of the work was astonishing. At 197 metres high, the skyscraper immediately stood out with a breakout at the top and a colossal arch over the entrance. Johnson explained that his main inspiration was the famous Jordanian Petra buildings with their broken pediment. The thing is, the breakout is more reminiscent of the circular gouges of Chippendale-style furniture. The furniture produced by the English ebenist (art furniture maker) Thomas Chippendale conquered salons, thanks to its confusion of Rococo and Chinese styles. The eclectic cabinets in this style sometimes featured circular breakouts from the gables. It is worth adding that some people find a joke in Johnson’s characteristic breakout. It is about another, slightly less dignified meaning of the phrase ‘Chippendales’.
Johnson’s postmodernism is not about bizarre and motley painted shapes, but variations on classic forms. Therefore, the façade consists of straight lines and rectangular windows. In addition, the classic charcoals above the windows and oculus are also noticeable. The modernist curtain walling was forgiven, and instead a façade consisting of 60,000 blocks of pink Connecticut granite was laid. The soft pink colour of the stone sets the building apart and gives it a slightly more serene feel.
The entrance astonishes with a monumental arch rising up to 35 metres. Huge windows are inserted in bronze frames and the upper opening forms a massive oculus. At the top of the arch are square lamps, while the design of the entrance itself is based on one of the basilicas in Mantua. The whole design is intended to resemble something like a portico (without the pediment) with columns and a monumental entrance. Interestingly, an arcade extends under one of the facades.
The lobby is also reminiscent of the classics. A black and white jigsaw puzzle can be seen under the cross vaulted ceiling of the room. The marble floor blends well with the granite walls, and formerly the entire lobby was crowned by a golden sculpture of AT&T’s symbol, the Spirit of Communication, sometimes referred to as the Golden Boy. Made in 1914, the sculpture depicts a young man holding a lightning bolt in one hand and a spinning cable in the other.
A brief triumph
Although deButts wanted the skyscraper at 550 Madison Ave. become a symbol of the company’s power, unfortunately, his plan was quickly derailed. Two years before the building was completed, AT&T lost its monopoly on telephone infrastructure in the United States. The Bell System’s infrastructure network was broken up into smaller companies, and AT&T had to reduce its momentum. In 1991, the company’s employees were relocated to a larger, albeit not very lavish, headquarters in New Jersey, and Sony employees entered their offices. The building was the US headquarters of the Japanese giant until 2016. The Sony Tower was then sold to a Saudi investment company, which redeveloped a large part of the building and created a narrow garden next to the skyscraper. It is worth mentioning that AT&T owns several more architecturally significant buildings in New York such as the mysterious 33 Thomas Street, which you can read about HERE.
Accustomed to glass towers like the Seagram Building, Americans were somewhat surprised by Johnson’s experiment. Some appreciated the distinctive colours and unusual shapes, while others resented the infantile and kitsch nature of the building. Regardless of impressions, however, the colour revolution of postmodernism began in architecture. Some of the buildings in this style still stand up to this day, but quite a few are aging very quickly. It is worth mentioning that the duo of Johnson and Burgee are responsible for dozens of iconic works of modernism and postmodernism. You can read about other stunning projects by these architects HERE and HERE. This collaboration did not end well for the other architect, but about that some other time.
Source: Jencks Foundation
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