Breuer Building gets landmarked before Sotheby’s opens headquarters
Photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to designate the Breuer Building on the Upper East Side as an individual and interior landmark, protecting the Brutalist icon before auction house Sotheby’s opens its global headquarters there. Designed by innovative architect Marcel Breuer, the building at 945 Madison Avenue was home to the Whitney Museum of American Art from 1966 to 2014. Sotheby’s acquired the building in 2023; Herzog & de Meuron are currently leading a renovation and restoration of the space.
Due to the size constraints of the lot on Madison Avenue and East 75th Street, which previously held just six townhouses, Breuer designed the museum to have an inverted pyramid form, with each level larger than the one below it, leading to a stepped cantilever facade facing Madison.
As Breuer’s only building in Manhattan, 945 Madison Avenue boasts a bold facade of reinforced concrete and gray granite that contrasts greatly with its 19th-century row house neighbors. Inside, there is an open floor plan with rough-faced stone floors, distinctive overhead lights, and Brutalist-style built-in furnishings, all incorporated with stone and wood details, as the commission noted.
The building sits within the Upper East Side Historic District, which was designated by the city in 1981 and requires that any changes to the exterior be approved by LPC. Tuesday’s designation now also protects much of the building’s interior spaces, including the lower level facing Madison Avenue, first-floor lobby, coat check, entrance vestibule, and the main stairwell from the lower level to the fifth floor.
“The (Former) Whitney Museum of American Art building and its unique interior are remarkable examples of the Brutalist style of modern architecture and represent a powerful testament to New York City’s role as a global center of innovative design,” Sarah Carroll, Chair of LPC, said in a statement.
“Today’s designation honors Marcel Breuer’s groundbreaking vision and ensures that this architectural icon will continue to serve as a premier showcase for world-class art, and be preserved and protected for generations to come.”
The Whitney occupied the Breuer Building from 1966 through its move in 2014 to its new Meatpacking District space designed by Renzo Piano. The museum temporarily hosted collections for the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2016 through 2020 and the Frick, during the renovation of its permanent home on Fifth Avenue and East 70th Street, from 2021 through 2024.
In 2023, Sotheby’s announced plans to buy the building from the Whitney for $100 million and relocate its headquarters there from 1334 York Avenue, as 6sqft previously reported. The auction house hired Herzog & de Meuron, along with PBDW Architects, to transform the building. Work, already approved by the LPC, is currently underway at the site and is expected to wrap up this year.
“We fully endorse the landmark designation, as reflected in our initial plans for the building,” Steven Wrightson, Sotheby’s Global Head of Real Estate, said. “We look forward to welcoming the public back and honoring the Breuer’s enduring legacy as we usher in a new chapter of Sotheby’s.”
Sotheby’s acquisition of the site led preservation groups like Friends of the Upper East Side, the Historic Districts Council, and Docomomo US/New York to push for landmark status for the building’s interiors to protect the iconic modern architecture.
The museum’s galleries were not included in Tuesday’s designation, which some commissioners said should be explored further. Liz Waytkus, the executive director of Docomomo US, told the New York Times the group wanted the galleries included in the designation, but was assured by Sotheby’s that “they are treating all gallery surfaces as if they are designated and using a light hand in their restoration.”
Carroll said the commission reached out to Sotheby’s a year before they had control of the building and was “pleased and excited” to learn that they loved the Breuer. “Sotheby’s is a perfect use. This is going to be a premier showcase for art, and I couldn’t think of a better, new user for the building,” Carroll said on Tuesday.
She added, “Their planning goals were very much aligned with our preservation goals.”
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