Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe

The Seagram Building is a skyscraper located in New York City, designed by the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1958. It was commissioned by the Canadian distilling company Seagram as their new headquarters and was one of the first buildings to be designed using the modernist principles of simplicity and minimalism.
The building is 38 stories tall and features H beams on its facade. It is set back from the street with a large plaza in front, which is elevated above the surrounding sidewalks and features a fountain and several sculptures.
One of the most notable features of the Seagram Building is its use of the "universal" column, a steel H beam that is thinner than traditional columns and allows for greater flexibility in the design of the building's interior spaces.
The ground floor features a spacious, minimalist lobby with marble walls and floors, bronze accents, and a reception desk made of travertine. The elevator bank is located in the center of the lobby and is surrounded by a thin glass partition that allows visitors to see into the elevators as they move up and down the building. The upper floors of the Seagram Building are designed as open-plan office spaces, with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide ample natural light and views of the city.
The Seagram Building is filled with details, right down to the meticulous design of the bronze colored window blinds. Mies hated the way a building looked when its tenants drew their blinds in different heights. For his Manhattan masterpiece, he installed blinds that only worked in three positions: fully drawn, half drawn, and fully open. The shades serve both a functional and aesthetic purpose.
The building is set back from the street, creating a large plaza that serves as a public space. The plaza is elevated above the surrounding sidewalks and is paved with granite, creating a sense of grandeur and formality. The plaza also features a large fountain designed by the artist Isamu Noguchi, which adds to the sense of tranquility and beauty. Mies used the best materials he could find. When the Seagram Building was completed in 1958, it became the most expensive commercial building in the world, at a cost of about $40 million. The plaza is composed of pink granite bordered by Tinian marble, and the building itself houses a gray glass mosaic, pink gray glass windows, and of course, its famous bronze H beams.
The “decorative” beams on the façade are particularly important because they dispel a long-held belief that Mies was a "form follows function" kind of architect. While it's true that it was a precept of the international style, Mies also believed structural elements should be externally visible. Trouble was, New York City building codes wouldn't allow Mies's steel frame to be exposed, requiring it be covered in a more fire-resistant material like concrete. To comply, Mies used a steel reinforced concrete frame, but also ran decorative bronze H beams all the way up the face of the structure-an ingenious plan that is commonplace today.
The Seagram Building is considered special for several reasons:
It is a is a masterpiece of modernist architecture and an exemplar of the International Style. Its minimalist design, clean lines, and use of high-quality materials were a departure from the ornate, decorative styles of the past, and set a new standard for office buildings.
The building's design was characterized by its attention to detail, from the precision of the steel H- Beams to the careful selection of materials like the bronze-tinted glass and travertine marble. The result is a building that exudes a sense of quality and craftsmanship.
The Seagram Building's plaza, which is elevated above the surrounding sidewalks, was a new concept in urban planning at the time of its construction. It provided a public space that was both functional and beautiful and has since been widely adopted in urban design.
The Seagram's Building had a profound influence on the design of corporate architecture. Its impact can be seen in buildings around the world.
The Seagram Building is an iconic symbol of New York City and a testament to the city's cultural and architectural history. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark and remains a beloved landmark of the city's skyline.
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[@madisheila6725]

Amazing video! Is there any way you could list some sources for this information? I'm very interested in learning more!

[@dixonpinfold2582]

Look into the Toronto-Dominion Centre. Coming several years later, it was even more fully an expression of his vision, being a series of buildings on a larger property, two of them being larger than the Seagram Building, and also in terms of detail. One among many details is the mandated use throughout the public areas of the complex, above and below ground, of a proprietary typeface for signage (a close relative of Copperplate with downplayed slab serifs suiting the architecture ravishingly).

[@Ahmedsaad-hq4dp]

unique work..congrats

[@danielp.52]

What is inside the two small buildings behind the main famous tower? I can't find the answer anywhere.