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

Enlarge

Map

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

Quadrangle map:
Brooklyn

Street View

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 (Search for documents)
National Historic Landmark information