Postwar Park Avenue: Modernism & the Market

After a short history of the introduction of the International Style office buildings on Park Avenue after WWII by Carol Willis, Managing Partner of MdeAS Architects, Dan Shannon, will explain the major issues postwar glass boxes have faced and how their owners seek to update their aging curtain walls, lobbies, and mechanical systems to compete in the current market. Over the past 35 years, MdeAS has rejuvenated a large portfolio of postwar buildings on the Park Avenue corridor, including 90 Park Avenue for Vornado Realty Trust; 100 Park Avenue for SL Green; 200 Park Avenue for Tishman Speyer and Irvine Company; 237 Park Avenue for RXR; and 430 Park Avenue for Macklowe Properties. Shannon will discuss the economic influence on the tower as a typology, as well as how some emerging modernists held to traditional elements while others became fully modern.

Dan Shannon

Dan Shannon is the Managing Partner at MdeAS Architects in New York City and is a recognized leader in commercial design. With four decades of experience, he has honed his expertise through in the construction of over 100 million square feet of urban fabric. Notable projects include the restoration of the iconic GM Building and the incorporation of the Apple Cube into its plaza, which earned a MASterworks Award for Best Privately-Owned Public Space; the redevelopment of numerous prominent buildings along Bryant Park, Madison Avenue, and Park Avenue; and, most recently, PENN 1 & PENN 2 of THE PENN DISTRICT. Dan’s affinity for the philosophy of modernism informs his design approach and his commitment to urbanistic values inform all his projects.

Image: Aerial view of Park Avenue, Angelo Rizzuto, 1959. Library of Congress.