Phillip Johnson Iconic AT&T Building Lobby Gets Demolished

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Known as 550 Madison Avenue, the 1984 AT&T building in New York City is considered a landmark and a Post-Modern monument. The building was designed originally by the Pritzker Prize winner Philip Johnson, John Burgee and has recently got revamped by Snøhetta.

Courtesy of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

However, the lobby is getting demolished. Unfortunately, only the exterior of the previous AT&T building is protected by the landmark designation process. This is causing an outrage from all the development and design teams, in addition to New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

In an official statement, LPC Director of Research, Kate Lemos McHale has clarified that the lobby lost its monumental value by time. She also mentions that the interiors were not as significant as the exterior stone facade, which is uncommon in New York buildings.

Golden boy statue in the former AT&T building. Courtesy of Wolfgang Hoyt

She states “[With] the removal of ‘Golden Boy‘ [statue] as a focal point, alterations within the lobby itself diminished relationship to the overall design of the base, we have determined that it does not rise to the level of an interior landmark.”

A huge controversy has arisen since people heard that the old AT&T building is being threatened. People against the demolition came together in street protests in an attempt to save the building from being torn down. Among these protesters was architect Robert A.M. Stern, previous Dean of the Yale School of Architecture.

Courtesy of Matthew G.Bisan

“AT&T might be the last great stone building. Midtown doesn’t need any more glass,” said  Nathan Eddy, a filmmaker who is working on a film about the legendary architect Philip Johnson.

See more:

 Snohetta Revamps Postmodern 550 Madison in New York

6 Architecture Icons That Define Postmodernism from the 20th Century

 

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