Lever House
Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Featured article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox building
Lever House is a Template:Convert office building at 390 Park Avenue in the Midtown East neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Constructed from 1950 to 1952, the building was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in the International Style, a 20th-century modern architectural style. It was originally the headquarters of soap company Lever Brothers, a subsidiary of Unilever. Lever House was the second skyscraper in New York City with a glass curtain wall, after the United Nations Secretariat Building.
The building has 21 office stories topped by a triple-height mechanical section. At the ground story is a courtyard and public space, with the second story overhanging the plaza on a set of columns. The remaining stories are designed as a slab occupying the northern one-quarter of the site. The slab design was chosen because it conformed with the city's 1916 Zoning Resolution while avoiding the use of setbacks. There is about Template:Convert of interior space in Lever House, making it much smaller than comparable office buildings in Midtown Manhattan.
The construction of Lever House changed Park Avenue in Midtown from an avenue with masonry apartment buildings to one with International-style office buildings. Several other structures worldwide copied the building's design. Lever House was intended solely for Lever Brothers' use, and its small size had prompted proposals to redevelop the site with a larger skyscraper. The building was nearly demolished in the 1980s, when Fisher Brothers proposed a 40-story tower on the site; afterward, it was narrowly approved as a New York City designated landmark in 1982 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places the next year. In 1997, Unilever relocated most of its offices out of Lever House, and Aby Rosen's RFR Realty took over the building. After SOM renovated the building between 2000 and 2001, Lever House was used as a standard office building with multiple tenants. SOM conducted another renovation in the early 2020s.
SiteEdit
Lever House is at 390 Park Avenue, on the western sidewalk between 53rd Street and 54th Street, in the Midtown East neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City.<ref name="ZoLa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 1">Template:Harvnb</ref> The land lot has a frontage of Template:Convert on Park Avenue, Template:Convert on 54th Street, and Template:Convert on 53rd Street, giving the lot a slight L shape.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AF p. 106">Template:Harvnb</ref> The lot has an area of Template:Convert.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="nyt19830403">Template:Cite news</ref> The Banco Santander building on 53rd Street abuts Lever House to the west,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 157">Template:Harvnb</ref> and the DuMont Building and Hotel Elysée on 54th Street occupy the same city block. Other nearby buildings include 399 Park Avenue directly across Park Avenue to the east; the Seagram Building diagonally across Park Avenue and 53rd Street to the southeast; and the CBS Studio Building, Park Avenue Plaza, and Racquet and Tennis Club Building across 53rd Street to the south.<ref name="ZoLa" /> An entrance to the New York City Subway's Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station, served by the Template:NYCS trains, is less than a block west along 53rd Street.<ref>Template:Cite NYC neighborhood map</ref>
The site, which was part of Charles McEvers's farm in the early 19th century, had been developed by the 1870s with four- and five-story row houses.<ref name="NYCL p. 3">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NPS p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref> By the late 19th century, the Park Avenue railroad line ran in an open cut in the middle of Park Avenue. The line was covered with the construction of Grand Central Terminal in the early 20th century, spurring development in the surrounding area, which was known as Terminal City.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite NY1900</ref> The adjacent stretch of Park Avenue became a wealthy neighborhood with upscale apartments. Twenty-two rowhouses on 53rd and 54th Streets, owned by Robert Walton Goelet, formerly stood on Lever House's site.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> Twenty of these were demolished in 1936 and replaced by the Art Deco Normandie Theater, as well as a one-story "taxpayer" building that was intended to preserve the site for future development. The two rowhouses at 62 and 64 East 54th Street remained standing.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ArchitectureEdit
Lever House was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in the International Style, a 20th-century modern architectural style.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lever House, the Seagram Building, the former Union Carbide Building, and the Pepsi-Cola Building are considered part of a grouping of International Style structures developed on Park Avenue from 46th to 59th Street during the mid-20th century.<ref name="p132975788">Template:Cite news</ref> Although the building was completed in 1952, the design largely incorporates ideas first proposed by Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the 1920s.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The building was constructed by main contractor George A. Fuller Company, with Jaros, Baum & Bolles as mechanical engineers; Weiskopf & Pickworth as structural engineers; and Raymond Loewy Associates as interior designers.<ref name="AF p. 103">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AR p. 131" /> It was built and named for the Lever Brothers Company, a soap company that was an American subsidiary of Unilever.<ref>Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> Lever House is Template:Convert tall<ref name="Emporis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and has 21 usable office stories topped by a triple-height mechanical space.<ref name="Emporis" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref>
FormEdit
The ground level of Lever House consists predominantly of an outdoor plaza, paved in light- and dark-colored terrazzo, with some indoor sections.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /> A rectangular planted garden with a pool is at the center of the plaza.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Lever House's plaza is legally a privately owned public space. To protect against adverse possession, wherein the city government takes over ownership of the plaza, the building's owners have closed the plaza to the public for one day every year since its completion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
}}</ref> Within the ground-story plaza are rectangular columns clad in stainless steel, which support the second story.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The columns, which extend to the underlying rock, are set Template:Convert behind the lot boundary to avoid interfering with the walls of the Park Avenue railroad tunnel.<ref name="AF p. 106" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> The column layout gives the appearance that the upper stories are floating above ground<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="AF p. 86" /> and resembles an architectural arcade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The second story has an opening at its center, overlooking the planted garden.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /><ref name="nyht19500430">Template:Cite news
Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AR 1950-06">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The third through twenty-first stories consist of a rectangular slab atop the northern portion of the site, occupying a quarter of the total lot area. The slab is only Template:Convert wide along Park Avenue,<ref name="AF p. 106" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS pp. 2, 4">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 339-340">Template:Harvnb</ref> allowing all offices to be within Template:Convert of a window and thereby providing large amounts of natural light to tenants.<ref name="AF p. 107">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Murray p. 35">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 340">Template:Harvnb</ref> Along 54th Street, the slab is Template:Convert wide.<ref name="AF p. 106" /> The slab's positioning, with the shorter side along Park Avenue, allowed more natural light from the north and south facades.<ref name="nyt19520427">Template:Cite news</ref> This design also served a technical purpose, as it complied with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, intended to prevent new skyscrapers in New York City from overwhelming the streets with their sheer bulk.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 339-340" /> As a result of the slab's small size, Lever House has a floor area ratio (FAR) of 6:1, compared to a FAR of 12:1 at Rockefeller Center and a FAR of 25:1 at the Empire State Building.<ref name="AF p. 86" />
A provision under the 1916 Zoning Resolution had allowed structures to rise without setbacks above a given level if all subsequent stories covered no more than 25 percent of the land lot.<ref name="AF p. 106" /><ref name="Kayden p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn This theoretically allowed the construction of slab skyscrapers of unlimited height. In practice, Lever House was the city's first high-rise building to take advantage of this provision.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="Emporis" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Previous skyscrapers developed under this zoning code had been developed with setbacks as they rose.Template:Efn If all stories had contained the same area as the land lot, Lever House would have been equivalent to an eight-story structure.<ref name="AF p. 106" /><ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 339-340" /><ref name="Murray p. 35" /> While Rockefeller Center's buildings had somewhat similar slab-like designs, the vast majority of the city's previous skyscrapers had been designed to fill the maximum volume allowed under the 1916 Zoning Resolution.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 340" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>
FacadeEdit
About thirty percent of the ground story is enclosed within glass and marble walls.<ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 2" /><ref name="nyht19500430" /> Three revolving doors lead to the ground-story lobby near the northern half of the lot. The elevators and an auditorium and display area on the same floor are within a black marble enclosure at the northwestern corner of the building.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="AF p. 86">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the lot's northwestern corner, a vehicular ramp from the western section of the 54th Street frontage leads to the basement garage and a loading dock.<ref name="AF p. 86" /> A white marble enclosure with stainless steel doors encloses an emergency exit stair at the southeastern corner of the ground floor.<ref name="NPS p. 2" />
Above the ground floor, all facades contain a curtain wall with heat-absorbing glass panes and stainless steel.<ref name="Murray p. 31"/> The curtain wall, the second to be installed in New York City after that of the United Nations Secretariat Building,<ref name="Nast 2010 i300">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=Hilburg2022/> was fabricated and installed by General Bronze, which had just completed the Secretariat Building's curtain wall.<ref name="Murray p. 31">Template:Harvnb</ref> Unlike at the Secretariat, where the narrower sides were faced in solid material, all sides of Lever House's slab are faced in glass.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339" /> A small portion of the slab's western facade contains a service core with masonry cladding.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS pp. 2, 4" />
Curtain wallEdit
The curtain wall contains vertical steel mullions, which are connected to the building's floor plates. Each pair of mullions is separated by glass window panes which cannot be opened.<ref name="Murray p. 35" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 4">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AF p. 88">Template:Harvnb</ref> These consist of greenish panes for windows on each floor, as well as opaque bluish panels for spandrels between floors.<ref name="Emporis" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS p. 4" /> The spandrel panels are separated from the window panes by horizontal mullions and muntin grilles.<ref name="AR p. 131" /> When installed, the spandrel panels were intended to conceal the masonry construction of the superstructure.<ref name="Murray p. 35" /> The window panes are Template:Convert tall, with the sill being Template:Convert above the top of each floor slab, thereby concealing air-conditioning units beneath each window.<ref name="AF p. 88" /> The mullions are nearly flush with the glass, projecting about Template:Convert from the outer surface of the glass panels.<ref name="AF p. 88" /> During nighttime, one of every five mullions is lit.<ref name="NPS p. 8" /><ref name="NYCL p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref> Venetian blinds were used to reduce glare.<ref name="AF p. 107" /> During a renovation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the curtain wall was moved forward by Template:Convert.<ref name="Skidmore 2009 p.">Template:Cite book</ref>
The curtain wall was intended to reduce the cost of operating and maintaining the property and, as designed, was intended to filter out thirty percent of heat from sunlight.<ref name="nyht19500430" /><ref name="AR 1950-06" /> The fixed-pane windows were cheaper to install and reduced the amount of particulate matter that entered the building, and they kept air conditioning costs down.<ref name="AR p. 131" /><ref name="AF p. 89">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 340-341">Template:Harvnb</ref> Additionally, Unilever constructed a window-washing scaffold, suspended from a Template:Convert "power plant car" on the roof.<ref name="AF 1952-04">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="nyt19520401">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="AR p. 134">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref> The scaffold, designed by Kenneth M. Young of SOM,<ref name="Stern (1995) pp. 340-341" /> was the first window-washing scaffold in the city.<ref name="Nast 2013 t504">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It could move vertically along steel rails embedded in the mullions.<ref name="Murray p. 35" /><ref name="AF 1952-04" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Lever Brothers wanted the building to be "a symbol of everlasting cleanliness",<ref name="Nast 2013 t504"/> and, according to Curbed, the scaffold was used for a publicity stunt that "used Lever-brand Surf soap to scrub the windows clean".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two window washers were hired to clean the facade every six days.<ref name="nyt19520401" /><ref name="AR p. 134" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341">Template:Harvnb</ref> Each of the building's 1,404 windows could be cleaned within ninety seconds; because the window panes were fixed shut, they could be cleaned in less than one-third of the time it took to clean a sash window.<ref name="nyt19520401" />
The fixed-position window panes required that the building be air-conditioned, so steel grilles are also installed on the facade for ventilation intake.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The curtain wall cost $28,000 more compared to normal sash windows, while the double glazing cost $135,000 and the window-washing equipment cost $50,000. However, the air conditioning system saved $90,000 in upfront costs, and it also saved $3,600 per year on energy costs and $1,000 per year on costs caused by hot and cold air escaping. The fixed window panes also saved $2,000 a year on window-washing costs compared to sash windows.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Structural featuresEdit
The internal superstructure consists of a skeleton of steel cellular beams,<ref name="AF p. 89" /><ref name="AF p. 109">Template:Harvnb</ref> with floor plates made of reinforced concrete.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> Small sections of the floor slabs outside the restrooms, elevator lobbies, and service core are supported by concrete arches.<ref name="AF p. 89" /> The dropped ceilings on each story are about Template:Convert high. The floor-to-floor height, as measured between the floor slabs of adjacent stories, is Template:Convert.<ref name="AF p. 88" /> The west end of the slab is cantilevered Template:Convert from the furthest column while the east end is cantilevered Template:Convert.<ref name="AF p. 87" /> Lever House's wind bracing system consists of transverse bents placed at intervals of Template:Convert, with one set of columns through the interior of the slab.<ref name="AF p. 106" /> The interior columns divide the office space asymmetrically into a wide bay and a narrower bay.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The building's utilities run through the service core on the west side of the slab.<ref name="nyht19500430" /><ref name="AR 1950-06" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7; NPS pp. 2, 4" /> Six elevators are provided in the service core: five serving the office stories and one service elevator between the first and third floors.<ref name="AF p. 89" /><ref name="AF p. 109" /> A seventh elevator shaft was provided in the building to serve the upper stories if an additional elevator cab was deemed necessary.<ref name="AF p. 109" /> The core was placed on the west end of the slab so that, if Lever Brothers had ever built a westward addition to the tower, the elevators could serve the addition.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339" /> An emergency stair was placed near the center of the building rather than in the core, thereby providing additional office space along the northern frontage of the building.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" />
InteriorEdit
According to the New York City Department of City Planning, Lever House has a gross floor area of Template:Convert.<ref name="ZoLa" />Template:Efn All of the space was intended for Lever Brothers; in exchange for a more prominent structure, the company had been willing to forgo additional space that could have been rented to commercial or office tenants.<ref name="AR p. 131">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A Lever spokesperson said the design choice was an intentional architectural and public-relations feature, saying, "The fact is shops don't rent for much on Park Avenue. People buy on Fifth or Madison [Avenues]. All they do on Park is walk."<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 340" /><ref name="The New Yorker 1952">Template:Cite magazine</ref> A further consideration was that Lever Brothers wished for the building to be a corporate symbol for itself, rather than being shared with other tenants.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="nyt19520427" /> In addition to its 21 usable stories and triple-height mechanical space, the building contained an employees' parking garage in the basement.<ref name="nyht19500430" /><ref name="AR 1950-06" />
Ground and second storiesEdit
The enclosed section of the ground floor was largely oriented toward public use, with space for displays, a waiting room, a display kitchen, and an auditorium.<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 340" /><ref name="AR p. 132" /> Within the lobby are glass display cases with steel edges, which originally showcased Lever Brothers' products.<ref name="Davidson 2023 x395">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since 2003, the building's owner Aby Rosen has used the plaza and lobby as a gallery for the Lever House Art Collection.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Exhibitions have included such works as Virgin Mother by Damien Hirst,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bride Fight by E.V. Day,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Hulks by Jeff Koons,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Snow Queen by Rachel Feinstein,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Robert Towne by Sarah Morris,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Westall 2006 r624">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and several sculptures by Keith Haring<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Tom Sachs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A Template:Convert portion of the ground story was converted into a restaurant in 2003, with rounded walls, five dining niches, and a 22-seat private balcony.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 157" /><ref name="nyt-2003-07-11">Template:Cite news</ref> Template:As of, the restaurant space is occupied by Casa Lever, whose design includes alcoves with black leather upholstery, black-and-white terrazzo floors, and banquette booths with wood frames.<ref name="Silva 2023 e154">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The second and largest floor contained fan, stock, mail, and stenography rooms, in addition to the employees' lounge and medical suite.<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="AR p. 132" /> It contains Template:Convert of space.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339">Template:Harvnb</ref> The second floor has also been used for artwork, such as in 2018, when the second and ground floors were lit as part of Peter HalleyTemplate:'s New York, New York.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Above the southern three-quarters of the building was a third-story roof terrace clad with red tile, which was outfitted with shuffleboard courts for employees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inside the third story were the employee kitchen, dining room, and cafeteria.<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref name="AR p. 132" /> In the early 2020s, the third-story terrace was integrated into Lever Club,<ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2022">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Real Deal 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a Template:Convert amenity area for the building's tenants.<ref name="Smith 2023">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The space was designed by Los Angeles–based architectural firm Marmol Radziner,<ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2022" /><ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is operated by Sant Ambroeus Hospitality Group Template:As of.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" /><ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089" /> Lever Club is decorated with green marble walls and floors;<ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089"/> the space includes conference rooms, lounge seats, and a bar and restaurant.<ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089" /><ref name="Peng 2022">Template:Cite magazine</ref> White birch trees were planted on the terrace during the 2020s renovation.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" /><ref name="Budds 2023 m011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Office storiesEdit
The offices of Unilever and its subsidiaries occupied the remaining floors, and there was an executive penthouse on the 21st floor.<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref name="nyht19500430" /> Each of the upper stories within the slab contains Template:Convert of gross floor area.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339" /><ref name="AF p. 87" /> The triple-story mechanical penthouse is atop the 21st floor and includes air conditioning machinery, elevator machinery and a water tower.<ref name="nyht19500430" /><ref name="AR 1950-06" /><ref name="AR p. 132" />
On each floor, about Template:Convert is used for office space, excluding area taken up by closets, elevators, restrooms, and walls.<ref name="AF p. 87" /> At Lever House's completion, much of Lever Brothers' staff was female, so the offices were designed as spaces that "women would enjoy working in".<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341" /><ref name="The New Yorker 1952" /> As such, the building used nine primary color schemes, and the floors, linoleum, desks, and acoustic-tile ceilings were colored gray-beige. Each of the executive offices had their own style, and four of these offices had fireplaces.<ref name="The New Yorker 1952" /> Gypsum partitions on each of the office floors were attached to the mullions.<ref name="AF p. 109" /> The building was also constructed with air conditioning on each floor, an automatic fire alarm system, and a mail conveyor system.<ref name="AF p. 103" /><ref name="AR p. 132" /><ref name="nyt19520430">Template:Cite news</ref> During the building's 2020s renovation, the ceiling heights were increased, and the curtain wall was thinned, creating slightly more office space at the perimeter.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" />
HistoryEdit
Unilever was formed in 1929 from the merger of British soap company Lever Brothers Limited and Dutch margarine firm Margarine Unie. Unilever's United States subsidiary was known as Lever Brothers Company and was initially headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The subsidiary opened offices at 445 Park Avenue, three blocks north of the present building's site, in 1947.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Development and early yearsEdit
The company began acquiring land on Park Avenue from 53rd to 54th Street around June 1949, leasing the lots from Robert Walton Goelet's estate. The negotiations were made in secret, involving fourteen sets of lawyers, numerous brokers, and several shell companies.<ref name="nyt19491005">Template:Cite news</ref> As finalized, the lease was to run for sixty years.<ref name="nyt19830403" /> The main broker behind the transaction, S. Dudley Nostrand, won the award for the "most ingenious and beneficial Manhattan real estate transaction of 1949" from the Title Guarantee and Trust Company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On October 5, 1949, Lever Brothers announced a wide-ranging expansion program within the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyht19491005">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="wsj19491005">Template:Cite news</ref> The company's president, Charles Luckman, announced the executive offices would be moved from Cambridge to New York City that December, taking temporary space at two buildings in Manhattan. A new executive headquarters known as Lever House, to be built on Park Avenue from 53rd to 54th Street, was planned to the firm's subsidiaries upon its expected completion in late 1951.<ref name="nyht19491005" /><ref name="wsj19491005" /> SOM was hired to design Lever House when it was announced. Luckman, who also held an architect's license, assisted with the design.<ref name="nyt19491005" /> Although SOM had prepared plans for slab-like buildings in Chicago for a Lever Brothers headquarters, the company decided upon a New York City headquarters because "the price one pays for soap is 89 percent advertising [...] and the advertising agencies of America were there."<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339" /> In designing Lever House, SOM focused on the fact that Lever Brothers wanted Template:Convert of office space all to itself.<ref name="AF p. 87">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Luckman left Lever Brothers in January 1950 because of unspecified disagreements with British and Dutch executives of Unilever.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Luckman went to design several buildings of his own,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> initially prompting false speculation that Lever Brothers had fired him due to Lever House's design.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 339" /> Final plans for Lever House were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings in April 1950.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The plans were publicized the same month.<ref name="nyht19500430" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Demolition of the four buildings on Lever House's site was scheduled to commence immediately after the plans were announced.<ref name="nyht19500430" /> The George A. Fuller Company received the contract to construct Lever House in August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A topping out ceremony for the steel frame occurred in April 1951.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The building officially opened on April 29, 1952, with a tour of the building and a ceremony attended by mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri.<ref name="nyt19520430" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lever Brothers leased the building from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, taking over the responsibility of maintaining it.<ref name="nyt19830403" /> The New York Times estimated that the promotional value of Lever House amounted to $1 million per year, substantially more than the estimated $200,000 annual loss due to the lack of retail shops. The building also had an average of 40,000 yearly visitors, many of whom were architecture students, and employee turnover was just over one-third of the average turnover for the city's other large companies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In Lever House's early years, the enclosed ground-story space was used for art exhibitions.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 340" /> These included the Sculptors Guild's annual exhibit<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as an annual heliography exhibition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lever Brothers commissioned Robert Wiegand in 1970 to paint a Template:Convert mural, Leverage, along a wall adjacent to the third-story courtyard.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Late 20th centuryEdit
Lever House's small floor–area ratio became a drawback for real estate developers in the years after its completion, even though that aspect remained popular among the public. The Lever Brothers Company rejected numerous rumors that the building would be replaced by a larger structure, even advertising the building's 25th anniversary in 1977 with a full-page New York Times ad.<ref name="nyt19821121">Template:Cite news</ref> At that time, Lever House had hosted more than 250 exhibitions.<ref name="nyt19770428">Template:Cite news</ref>
Proposed demolition and preservationEdit
Until the 1980s, relatively few preservationists were concerned about the demolition of curtain walls that had been completed between the 1950s and the 1970s.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 153">Template:Harvnb</ref> Preservationists only started to express concern in 1982, after Fisher Brothers had signed a contract to purchase the fee position for the underlying land.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 153" /><ref name="nydn19821128" /><ref name="nyt-1982-11-17">Template:Cite news</ref> The firm wished to replace Lever House, as well as the neighboring Jofa Building on 53rd Street,<ref name="nyt-1982-11-17" /><ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 153-154">Template:Harvnb</ref> with a 40-story building<ref name="nydn19821128">Template:Cite news</ref> containing three times the floor area.<ref name="nyt19821121" /><ref name="record19821112">Template:Cite news</ref> Lever Brothers rejected media reports that it was considering moving to New Jersey. Bunshaft said at the time that he never thought the building's small size would have resulted in its demolition.<ref name="record19821112" />
The plans prompted preservationists to request that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) consider designating the building as a city landmark.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 154">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Forgey19822">Template:Cite news</ref> On November 9, 1982, the LPC designated Lever House as a landmark. LPC rules specified that New York City individual landmarks be at least 30 years old, making Lever House the city's youngest landmark at that time.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 154" /><ref name="wsj19821110">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was also the first time that the LPC had ever granted landmark status to a building that was exactly 30 years old.<ref name="Forgey19822" /> Fisher Brothers opposed the landmark status.<ref name="nydn19821128" /><ref name="record19821112" /> The firm in charge of designing Fisher Brothers' proposed building, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, prepared a white paper for the LPC, which described Lever House as "undistinguished and not worthy of preservation".<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 154" /> George Klein, who was in contract to buy the lease on the building itself from Metropolitan Life, favored landmark status.<ref name="nydn19821128" /><ref name="record19821112" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 154" /> At the time, Klein was trying to develop a structure on the Jofa Building site and incorporate Lever House into the new development.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 154" /><ref name="wsj19821110" /> Lever Brothers also supported the designation, but it had hired its own architectural firm, Welton Becket and Associates, to prepare plans for the Jofa site.<ref name="nyt19830403" /><ref name="wsj19821110" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155">Template:Harvnb</ref>
The landmark status had to be ratified by the New York City Board of Estimate to become binding. If the landmark status was ratified, the building could not be demolished unless the landmark status caused significant economic hardship even with tax exemptions.<ref name="wsj19830321">Template:Cite news</ref> The Board of Estimate was to vote on the landmark designation in January 1982,<ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 154-155">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt-1983-01-26"/> but this was delayed.<ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 154-155" /> It was unknown whether the Board of Estimate had enough votes to uphold the building's landmark designation, since several board members had expressed their wish that the site be redeveloped more lucratively.<ref name="nyt-1983-01-26">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among the reasons Fisher Brothers had cited in their attempt to replace Lever House was the structure's deteriorated condition.<ref name="nyt19830403" /><ref name="nydn19821128" /> Welton Becket and Associates estimated the cost of restoring Lever House at between $12 and 15 million.<ref name="nyt19830403" />
In February 1983, Fisher Brothers publicized plans for its 40-story tower, which they claimed would create 1,500 jobs and generate $9.4 million annually in taxes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The same month, several hundred preservationists, such as architect Philip Johnson and former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, protested in favor of ratifying Lever House's landmark designation.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name="nyt-1983-02-23">Template:Cite news</ref> Mayor Ed Koch, a member of the Board of Estimate, published a letter to the other board members in which he asked them to support designation.<ref name="nyt-1983-02-23" /> The Board of Estimate ratified the landmark status that March.<ref name="wsj19830321" /><ref name="nyt19830319">Template:Cite news</ref> The landmark status was approved with a slim 6–5 majority,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name="nyt19830319" /> as all five of the city's borough presidents voted against the designation.<ref name="nyt19830319" /> Lever House's preservation was described by The Christian Science Monitor as "sparking heated debate only in New York City" because, nationally, there was a trend in favor of preservation at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lever House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 2, 1983.<ref name="nris">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Building decay and ownership changesEdit
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As a result of Lever House's relatively small floor area, the land lot had Template:Convert of unused development rights, which under New York City zoning code could be transferred to nearby buildings.<ref name="nyt19830403" /><ref name="wsj19830321" /> However, the LPC had not yet determined whether such a transfer would be applicable to Lever House.<ref name="nyt19830403" /> Accordingly, the landmark designation caused an impasse between the Fisher Brothers, Klein, and Lever Brothers. Both developers' plans were based on full control of the building and land, as well as lease negotiations with Lever Brothers, whose lease was still active for another twenty-seven years.<ref name="nyt19830403" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Lever Brothers sued the Fisher Brothers in June 1983, alleging the latter was still attempting to gain ownership of Lever House so it could be demolished, thereby breaking Lever Brothers' lease.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Fisher Brothers relented that October, agreeing to sell its fee position to Klein.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sarah Korein acquired the land under Lever House from the Goelet estate in 1985, though Unilever continued to lease the building.<ref name="nyt19990127">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Clarke 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her daughter, Elysabeth Kleinhans, recalled that Korein referred to Lever House as her "Mona Lisa".<ref name="nyt19990127" />
Through the 1980s, the building's blue-green glass facade deteriorated due to weather and the limitations of the original fabrication and materials. Water seeped behind the vertical mullions, causing the carbon steel within and around the glazing pockets to rust and expand. This corrosion led to most of the spandrel glass panels breaking.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name="nyt19960728" /> At least some of these structural failures were attributed to the fact that the technologies used in Lever House's construction were relatively new.<ref name="nyt19960728">Template:Cite news</ref> According to documents filed with the city government in 1995, forty to fifty percent of the original glass had been replaced.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Consulting engineer Vincent Stramandinoli proposed erecting a new glass curtain wall in front of the original curtain wall, which was planned to be removed.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name=":0" /> In 1996, Unilever proposed replacing the curtain wall with an identical wall designed by David Childs of SOM.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name="nyt19960728" /> Childs said at the time that only one percent of the glass remained.<ref name="nyt19960728" /> The LPC approved Childs's plan,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /> but the proposal was not further acted upon in 1999.<ref name="nyt19990127" />
Restoration and office tenanciesEdit
RFR operationEdit
Unilever announced in September 1997 that it was moving its Lever Brothers division to Greenwich, Connecticut. Following the announcement, Lever Brothers slowly began vacating the building, leaving Unilever on only the top four floors.<ref name="nyt19990127" /> At the time, Lever Brothers had been the building's only tenant.<ref name="nyt19990127" /> Shortly before Korein's death in 1998,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> real estate magnates Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs acquired the building lease, although Korein's family retained the land lease.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 155" /><ref name=":1" /> Under the agreement, Rosen's company RFR Holding was obliged to perform a comprehensive restoration of the facade. RFR negotiated a lease-back deal allowing Unilever to remain on the top four floors.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> The Korein family remained the owner of the land.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> RFR hired graphic designer Michael Bierut to expand the building's typeface, which previously had only included the seven unique letters in the name "Lever House".<ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 155-156">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="nyt19991229">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1999, RFR Holding announced that it planned to spend $25 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/yearTemplate:Inflation/fn) on capital improvements, including a restoration of the building's curtain wall and public spaces, designed by SOM.<ref name="nyt19991229" /> Work began in 2000, at which point curtain wall specialist Gordon H. Smith estimated that the building only retained about a half-dozen of its original spandrel panels.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 156">Template:Harvnb</ref> The deteriorated steel subframe and rusted mullions and caps were replaced.<ref name="Skidmore 2009 p." /><ref name="nyt19991229" /> New panes of Template:Convert vision glass were installed, which were nearly identical to the originals but met modern energy codes. The curtain wall was also moved Template:Convert outward on all sides.<ref name="Skidmore 2009 p." /> The curtain wall's design caused condensation to accumulate in the cracks of the curtain wall over the years.<ref name="Davidson 2023 x395" /> The renovation also included the addition of marble benches, as well as a sculpture garden with works by Isamu Noguchi, to the building's plaza.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 156" /> Ken Smith Landscape Architect had proposed revising one of Noguchi's two unbuilt designs for a sculpture garden, but the Noguchi Foundation had rejected the proposals, leading Smith to redesign the garden using eight of Noguchi's sculptures.<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 156" /> These elements had been part of the original plans for the building and were never realized.<ref name="Perl 2009 p. ">Template:Cite book</ref>
The renovation was completed by 2001.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following the renovation, Lever House became a standard office building with multiple tenants. Metal processor Alcoa (later Arconic) signed a lease in 1999 for five stories in the building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other tenants included American General Financial Group, Cosmetics International, and investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners.<ref name="nyt19991229" /> In 2003, Lever House Restaurant became the first restaurant to open at Lever House.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The windowless restaurant space, which was designed by Marc Newson, covered Template:Convert and was hidden behind the public plaza's western wall.<ref name="nyt-2003-07-11" /><ref name="Stern (2006) pp. 156-157">Template:Harvnb</ref> The restaurant closed in early 2009<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Sifton2010/> and was replaced by Casa Lever, which opened later that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Sifton2010>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the early 2010s, the administration of mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed the Midtown East rezoning, which allowed the Korein estate to sell the unused development rights from Lever House for up to $75 million.<ref name="nyt20130802">Template:Cite news</ref> The rezoning was passed in 2016, enabling the Korein estate to sell the development rights.<ref name="Clarke 2017" /> At the same time, although RFR had an annual ground lease payment of $6 million, the company faced a steep increase to $20 million when the lease was scheduled to reset in 2023. Because of the ground lease, RFR had trouble refinancing Lever House.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Crain's New York Business 2018">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By early 2018, RFR was three years behind on its rent payments and mortgage bondholders were looking to foreclose on the property, a move that could potentially cancel all of the building's office leases.<ref name="Crain's New York Business 2018" /> Bondholders initiated foreclosure proceedings that May.<ref name="Crain's New York Business 2018" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Brookfield and WatermanClark ownershipEdit
A joint venture between Brookfield Properties and Waterman Interests (later WatermanClark) bought the ground lease from RFR in July 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Brookfield and Waterman purchased RFR's debt load in early 2019 for $12.8 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/yearTemplate:Inflation/fn), a $68 million decrease from the debt's original value.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> RFR filed two lawsuits against Brookfield and Waterman during late 2019. One was related to the lack of sprinklers in the building, in which RFR was threatened with lease termination,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while the other alleged that Waterman Interests had fraudulently taken over the ground lease using confidential information.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2020, RFR gave a majority stake in Lever House's operation to Brookfield and WatermanClark.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The new owners decided to renovate Lever House, as all tenants had left during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="wsj-2022-01-25">Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2021, SOM proposed restoring the building's historic design elements, replacing non-historic features, and adding an entrance to Casa Lever from the ground story.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A lounge for tenants and visitors would be created on the third floor, and a new HVAC system would be installed.<ref name="Peng 2022" /><ref name="wsj-2022-01-25" /> Additionally, the architects planned to replace or clean the finishings and re-landscape Lever House's plaza.<ref name="Peng 2022" /> The LPC approved the renovation plans in January 2022, and work started shortly afterward.<ref name=Hilburg2022>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Baird-Remba 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Workers replaced broken pieces of black limestone with slabs from a defunct quarry that had provided the building's original limestone, and they pumped dry air into the curtain wall to remove built-up condensation.<ref name="Davidson 2023 x395" /><ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089" /> The Lever Club amenity space was built on the third floor, and mechanical equipment on the upper stories was upgraded.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" /> The Casa Lever restaurant was also refurbished in early 2023 by the firm David Bucovy Architect,<ref name="Silva 2023 e154" /> reopening that June.<ref name="ELLE Decor 2023 g689">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=nyt-2023-06-06>Template:Cite news</ref> Casa Lever's renovation included the new entrance and the restoration of interior architectural features.<ref name="Silva 2023 e154" /> By November 2023, SOM had finished renovating Lever House.<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" /><ref name="Baird-Remba 2023 a089" /> Following the renovation, in early 2025, real estate firm CBRE Group leased six stories.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ImpactEdit
ReceptionEdit
ContemporaryEdit
In 1950, before construction even began, Architectural Forum described Lever House as "infinitely more spirited and dignified than any other commercial office building" in the city.<ref name="AF p. 86" /><ref name="Murray p. 35" /> Upon its completion, the same journal wrote, "it is the shape of this building which is impressive, more even than the gleaming materials".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> New York Times architectural critic Aline B. Louchheim wrote that Lever House was "beautiful as well as functional".<ref name="nyt19520427" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9">Template:Harvnb</ref> British art historian Nikolaus Pevsner told The New York Times shortly afterward, "The fact that such an extraordinary building was commissioned from a firm rather than an individual genius [...] is different from" continental Europe.<ref name="nyt19530707">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> Architectural Record wrote of the plaza: "In this aspect, the entire structure is thoughtful, pleasant, and a decided advance over the average speculative building."<ref name="AR p. 132">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 10">Template:Harvnb</ref>
Not all of the initial commentary was positive. Luckman reflected in the Los Angeles Times that financiers had nicknamed it "Luckman's folly" during its construction.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Critics also debased aspects of the design, such as Louchheim, who found the interiors and the penthouse offices unappealing.<ref name="nyt19520427" /> The architect Frank Lloyd Wright called Lever House a "box on sticks" in a 1952 speech at the Waldorf Astoria,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Edward P. Morgan said the same year that "a 10-year-old boy could have done better with a Meccano set".<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
RetrospectiveEdit
The building continued to receive mixed commentary after its completion. In a 1957 article about architecture on Park Avenue, Ada Louise Huxtable wrote that "the staples of our civilization—soap, whiskey and chemicals" (in reference to Lever House, the Seagram Building, and the Union Carbide Building) were represented in the "monuments" then being developed on Park Avenue.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to British art critic Reyner Banham in 1962, Lever House "gave architectural expression to an age just as the age was being born".<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> By contrast, architectural critic Lewis Mumford, writing for The New Yorker in 1958, found the slab "curiously transitory and ephemeral".<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Henry Hope Reed Jr., in his 1959 book The Golden City, contrasted a picture of Lever House with one of the Postum Building at 250 Park Avenue, captioning Lever House only with the words "no comment".<ref name="nyt19960728" /> Art historian Vincent Scully said in 1961 that Lever House's construction divided the landscape of Park Avenue without regard to the existing architecture,<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 341" /><ref name="AR 1962-01">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
At the building's 25th anniversary in 1977, architectural critic Paul Goldberger wrote that Lever House had been "a stunning act of corporate philanthropy".<ref name="nyt19770428" /> Architectural historian William H. Jordy thought Lever House was a paragon for buildings developed after World War II,<ref name="NYCL p. 11">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> while Goldberger wrote in his 1979 book The City Observed that Lever House was as influential to architecture as the Daily News Building and 330 West 42nd Street had been.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Washington Post reporter Benjamin Forgey wrote in 1982 that the plaza was "dark and uninviting", though he thought the base and tower were well-proportioned and that the trees above the plaza helped beautify Park Avenue.<ref name="Forgey19822" />
Following the building's early-2020s renovation, architectural critic Justin Davidson wrote that the modern structure "is a bracing illusion, a gorgeously appointed set."<ref name="Davidson 2023 x395" /> A critic for The Architect's Newspaper said in 2023: "Lever House continues to benefit not only from good bones, but steadfast stewardship."<ref name="Murphy 2023 l638" /> Conversely, Audrey Wachs wrote for Curbed in 2022 that Lever House had become less practical as an office building during the preceding years, existing mostly as a landmark.<ref name="Wachs 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Architectural recognitionEdit
In 1952, the year of Lever House's completion, Office Management and Equipment magazine awarded the building "Office of the Year".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The American Institute of Architects (AIA) gave the building an Honor Award the same year.<ref name="Emporis" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lever House also received the Fifth Avenue Association's award for "best New York building" constructed between 1952 and 1953.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The AIA further recognized Lever House in 1980 with a Twenty-five Year Award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As Yale School of Architecture professor Elihu Rubin told Time magazine in 2022, "There's probably hardly a survey course in American architecture that doesn't mention Lever House."<ref name="Peng 2022" />
Design influenceEdit
According to the LPC, Lever House's design was widely seen by historians as a major advancement in the International Style.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Charles Jencks called Lever House's curtain wall a step in "penultimate development and acceptance" of the International Style,<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> while Robert Furneaux Jordan felt the building's court "set a precedent that may lift New York to a new level among world capitals".<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Following Lever House's completion, several glass-wall skyscrapers such as the Seagram Building and 28 Liberty Street were built in New York City,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and similar structures were erected elsewhere.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Commercial buildings were developed on the adjacent blocks of Park Avenue,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and many of the residential structures on that street were replaced with largely commercial International Style skyscrapers during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One of the Seagram Building's architects, Philip Johnson, cited Lever House specifically as a forebear to his structure.<ref name="nydn19830225">Template:Cite news</ref>
Lever House's design was also copied internationally; as Nicholas Adams wrote in 2019, "Lever House had represented a clarion call for modernity, and it was widely imitated."<ref name="Adams 2019 p. 79">Template:Cite book</ref> These structures included the Banco de Bogotá headquarters in Bogotá in 1960;<ref name="Adams 2019 p. 79" /> Ankara's Emek Business Center, Turkey's first curtain-walled skyscraper, in 1965;<ref name="Adams 2019 p. 79" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the high-rise tower of Berlin's Europa-Center in 1965;<ref name="Adams 2019 p. 79" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the Hydroproject headquarters in Moscow in 1968.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lever House's influence also spread to Scandinavia with Copenhagen's SAS Radisson, designed in 1960, as well as numerous consular offices in Germany, designed in the 1950s by SOM. According to Adams, the design was ultimately copied more than a dozen times around the world.<ref name="Adams 2019 p. 79" />
See alsoEdit
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
- Autotalo, a building in Helsinki, Finland, modeled after Lever House
ReferencesEdit
NotesEdit
CitationsEdit
SourcesEdit
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External linksEdit
- Template:Official website
- Lever House architectural drawings, 1950–1953 Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University
- Lever House Art Collection
- Casa Lever
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