590 Madison Avenue
590 Madison Avenue, also known as the IBM Building, is a skyscraper at 57th Street and Madison Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and Associates the 41-story, 603-foot (184 m)-tall tower was developed for the technology company IBM and built from 1978 to 1983.
| 590 Madison Avenue | |
|---|---|
Viewed from west along 57th Street | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Manhattan, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°45′44″N 73°58′17″W |
| Construction started | 1979 |
| Completed | 1983 |
| Opening | October 4, 1983 |
| Cost | $250 million |
| Owner | State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio |
| Height | |
| Roof | 603 ft (184 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 41 |
| Floor area | 1,030,000 sq ft (96,000 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 24 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Larrabee Barnes & Associates |
| Developer | IBM |
| Structural engineer | LeMessurier Consultants The Office of James Ruderman |
| Main contractor | Turner Construction |
The building is shaped like an irregular pentagon, with a chamfer cutting diagonally across what would typically be the southwest corner of a rectangular slab. The facade is made of gray-green glass and polished granite, which Barnes intended would give the building the appearance of a prism. The northeast corner of the tower is cantilevered over the main entrance, and there are no setbacks throughout the building's height. Adjacent to 590 Madison Avenue's southwest corner is a privately owned public space covered by a glass structure, which contains chairs, tables, and bamboo trees.
From 1938 to 1964, IBM was headquartered at one of the previous structures on the site. Despite relocating its headquarters to a suburb of New York City, IBM retained office space at multiple locations in the city and proposed the current skyscraper to consolidate some of its operations. IBM owned the tower until May 1994, when it sold the building to Edward J. Minskoff and Odyssey Partners. Until the sale, IBM occupied most of the building's space; the firm continues to maintain offices in the building, though most space has been leased to other tenants.