488 Madison Avenue

488 Madison Avenue
The corner of the building at Madison Avenue and 52nd Street
Map
Alternative namesLook Building
General information
TypeOffice
Architectural styleInternational Style
LocationManhattan, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°45′32″N 73°58′31″W / 40.75889°N 73.97528°W / 40.75889; -73.97528 (Look Building)
Named forLook magazine
Construction startedNovember 1948
Topped-outAugust 1949
OpenedEarly 1950
OwnerThe Feil Organization
Height304 ft (93 m)
Technical details
Floor count25
Design and construction
Architecture firmEmery Roth & Sons
Main contractorUris Brothers
Look Building
Location488 Madison Ave., New York, New York
Coordinates40°45′32″N 73°58′31″W / 40.75889°N 73.97528°W / 40.75889; -73.97528 (Look Building)
Arealess than one acre
Built1950 (1950)
ArchitectEmery Roth & Sons
Architectural styleInternational Style
NRHP reference No.05000087[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.015024
NYCL No.2376
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 24, 2005
Designated NYSRHPDecember 18, 2004[2]
Designated NYCLJuly 27, 2010

488 Madison Avenue, also known as the Look Building, is a 25-story office building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is along Madison Avenue's western sidewalk between 51st and 52nd Streets, near St. Patrick's Cathedral. 488 Madison Avenue was designed by Emery Roth & Sons in the International Style, and it was constructed and developed by Uris Brothers. The building was originally named for its primary tenant, the American magazine Look.

The building largely contains a facade of white brick, interspersed with horizontal strips of aluminum windows. The lowest two stories contain a main entrance on Madison Avenue as well as several glass-and-metal storefronts. The three sides are connected by curved walls. The exterior includes several setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution. Each of the building's stories contain an average floor area of 19,500 square feet (1,810 m2), a feature intended to maximize usable office space.

488 Madison Avenue was constructed from 1948 to 1950 as a speculative real estate development, without a main tenant. By late 1949, the building was completely leased, and it was named after Look magazine, which had signed a lease for several floors. 488 Madison Avenue remained the headquarters of Look until the magazine stopped publishing in 1971, although it continued to be known as the Look Building for several years. The building has been owned by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The Feil Organization since the 1970s. The Look Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it as an official landmark in 2010.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nris_2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.