New York Life Building

51 Madison Ave., New York, New York

Photo

New York Life Building from the Empire State Building

Photo taken by Michael Miller in October 2012

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Map

Coordinates:
+40.74303, -73.98636
40°44'35" N, 73°59'11" W

Quadrangle map:
Brooklyn

Street View

View #1

Description

The New York Life Insurance Company, founded in 1841 as the Nautilus Insurance Company, has played a major role in the development of life insurance policies and practices. One of the nation's most innovative insurance firms, it was the first to establish a branch office system and pioneered a widely copied actuarial method of insuring individuals based on medical studies. In 1928 the firm moved to this 34-story skyscraper designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert. Its Gothic lines and prominent pyramidal tower sheathed in gold leaf make it a prominent architectural presence in midtown Manhattan. -- National Historic Landmark statement of significance, June 2, 1978

National Register information

Status: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1978
Reference number: 78001876
Architectural styles: Late 19th and 20th Century Revival: Late Gothic Revival; Other architectural type; American Perpendicular Gothi
Area of significance: Commerce
Level of significance: National
Evaluation criteria: A - Event
Property type: Building
Historic function: Professional
Current function: Professional
Period of significance: 1925-1949
Significant year: 1928

Update Log

March 2, 2018: New Street View added by Brian Bartlett
July 21, 2014: New photo from Michael Miller

Sources

Wikipedia
Michael Miller - michael_a_miller [at] yahoo [dot] com
Brian Bartlett - worumbo [at] gmail [dot] com
National Register database - Reference number 78001876
National Historic Landmark information