Sony Building

[djcomlab]

Does anyone have any good pictures of the Sony Building? Especially shots of the arch area would be nice.

Thanks!

[NyC MaNiAc]

http://www.greatgridlock.net/NYC_Images/032.jpg

http://www.readio.com/archives/0207/15/img15.gif

http://www.wirednewyork.com/skyscrapers/sony/images/sony_building_att_top.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/skyscrapers/sony/images/sony_building_cp_31dec2000.jpg

http://www.nycskyscrapers.com/parkavenue/images/sony.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/skyscrapers/sony/images/sony_building_5th.jpg

The last Couple pictures were taken from Wired New York!

Hope this helps you out djcomlab! :)

[TLOZ Link5]

What a great building. *Such muscular verticality for a 650-footer with less than 40 stories.

[djcomlab]

Thanks Maniac, I've seen all of those before, but its cool to see them all in one place. What I haven't seen is a street level side shot.

[NyC MaNiAc]

Sorry I couldnt help you out...here are some more though...

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/att/ATT1.jpg

I'll be willing to help you get the exact shot you want...I know your looking for a different angle...I'll keep my eyes open.

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/att/ATT2.jpg

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/att/ATT3.jpg

[bak]

From thecityreview.com...

http://www.thecityreview.com/sonyatt7.gif
http://www.thecityreview.com/sonyatt6.gif
http://www.thecityreview.com/sonyatt4.gif

[djcomlab]

Thanks Bak! Those are the best front pics I've ever seen. That last one must be a side shot from the inside out.

[dbhstockton]

I love the lobby and arcades. *One of the best post-modern buildings anywhere because you can tell Johnson actually studied Rennaissance architecture and quoted it with integrity and rigor. *So much post-modern quotation of past styles is half-assed and insulting.

[Anonymous]

I once remembered seeing a commercial for Mountain Dew where a skateboarder was on the rooftop catching it while other skateboarders were in the elevator.

[Zak]

What is the purpose of the indoor plaza? It seems pointless to me, unless the building was constructed during the time where buildings could go against the zoning laws if it had a high enough FAR, I think it was. Correct me if I'm wrong

[TLOZ Link5]

Johnson designed the building for AT&T with an open arcade at the base. *When AT&T moved to Jersey and Sony took over the building as its headquarters, it enclosed the arcade and added a large glass atrium flush with the arches to maximize street-level retail space so that more shops and such could fit in--hence, more revenue. *The City Review has lamented the change ever since, but I've been inside I think it's pretty nice.

[djcomlab]

I didn't realise until now there's an arch on the Atrium side too.

[chris]

It was the first building Johnson did after the departure of Eli Attia as Chief of Design at Johnson/Burgee Architects. With Attia's 101 Park Avenue going up at the same time, there was what might be viewed as an honorable competition among peers between these two buildings. Did Attia's departure ultimately precipitate in Johnson's shift to post modernism? Attia was Chief of Design for both the Crystal Cathedral and Pennzoil Towers before leaving Johnson to venture out on his own.

Johnson/Burgee Architects' Crystal Cathedral with Attia:
http://www.wedstar.com/CrystalCathedral/cc-2b.jpg

Johnson/Burgee Architects' Pennzoil Towers with Attia:
http://www.quickfixalterations.com/images/Pennzoil.gif

Attia's 101 Park Avenue:
http://www.c-grayson.com/posted_images/101_park_ave_small.jpg

Johnson's Chippendale Building:
http://www.c-grayson.com/posted_images/johnson_chippendale.jpg

Personally, I've always thought Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas made the perfect companion to Johnson's Chippendale Building.


(Edited by chris at 2:04 pm on Feb. 26, 2003)

[dbhstockton]

Not quite.

[chris]

Come on, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's Learning from Las Vegas (buy at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/026272006X/qid=1046286185/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2597356-2509524?v=glance&s=books)) has been a very influentual book within Post Modernist Circles.

Personally, I've always thought Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas made the perfect companion to Johnson's Chippendale Building:

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/att/ATT1.jpg
http://www.kottke.org/plus/photos/20020907vegas/caesars.jpg
http://www.c-grayson.com/posted_images/johnson_chippendale.jpg
http://www.perini.org/images/ceasars.gif

I'm sure the Chippendale Building had an influence on Caesar's Palace... Come *on, how could it not?

[dbhstockton]

I've read Learning from Las Vegas, too. *Both buildings are likely influenced by the book, but I doubt the SONY (originally AT&T) building influenced Caesar's in any direct manner.

Caesar's Palace (which post-dates the book by decades) is an attempt at literal historicism. *It's a perfect companion to any number of turn-of-the (ninetheenth) century neo-classical buildings. *It possesses the superficiality and populism that inspired Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, but they would have shunned the literal historicism.

You might as well pair up Johnson's building with any neo-classical building, but then you would still be missing the point. *Moreover, Caesar's is (obviously) in a Roman classical style, while Johnson's isn't even classical (If you want to get technical). *It's Renaissance.

Johnson was *incorporating elements of Renaissance architecture into a modernist skyscraper, thus enlivening what seemed like a stale modernist ethos at the time. *He was not attempting to build a renaissance-style skyscraper. *

[chris]

Have a sense of humor.

[dbhstockton]

Oops. *It's hard to read sarcasm sometimes. *That's what these corny things are for: ;)

I'll quietly climb down from my high horse now.

[chris]

Don't sweat it.

I'm at least as guilty as the next guy (if not more so) for climbing up on that horse, and just as often my sense of humor get misread on these posts. I'm more than use to it... That said, I really do associate these buildings with one another, though mostly because it tickles me as much as it prickles others.

I find Johnson to be one of the most enigmatic figures in 20th century architecture. I don't even know how to qualify that... It's too complex for a forum post.



(Edited by chris at 4:22 pm on Feb. 26, 2003)

[dbhstockton]

I'm pretty sure he's evil. *But that doesn't mean he's a bad architect. *

[chris]

dbhstockton wrote:
I'm pretty sure he's evil. *But that doesn't mean he's a bad architect.

I'm pretty sure he's indespensible, but that doesn't mean he's still a good architect.

I'm also pretty sure he's not evil, though he can be ruthless and opportunistic. I think he was at one time a good architect... argueably even a great one, and is still a good showman/pitchman. I think he is without a doubt a very very shrewd businessman (a trait which I always have a lot of respect for) not to mention a mean judge of others talent. I think his design work, for the past 2 decades has been very hit or miss. I also feel that part of this may be an inclination for selectively taking credit for subordinate's best work. I really do believe he has made works of great insight early in his career, and is worthy of honor if for no other reason than almost single handedly introducing America to every major practitioner of the "International Style" (a term which he coined) when he was on the board at MoMA. Later, while he was the "jr." from a design perspective, the business savvy he brought to his partnership with Mies undoubtedly saw many of van der Rohe's visions throught to realization that Mies would not have been able to pull off without the connections that Johnson's partnership brought to his practice. His contribution cannot be underestimated, if only measured by his (non-design related) influence in the field.

I could write pages...



(Edited by chris at 4:56 pm on Feb. 26, 2003)

[dbhstockton]

I could write pages...

I wrote thirty... *My senior thesis as a history major was on the seminal MoMA International style exhibition in 1932.

Ruthless and opportunistic is correct. *He was also notoriously amoral during a time when other architects trying to save the world (maybe you can forgive him for that). *As for being a shrewd businessman, that's easy when you're independently wealthy by the time you're in your early twenties (his father bought him Alcoa shares as a child). *Through his money and connections, he was able to influence architectural tastes to a degree that cannot be underestimated -- long before he was an architect. *

You're also aware of his fascist phase in the 1930's, right?

[chris]

I'm well aware of his youthful Alcoa wealth. As for architecture "saving the world", well I'm not so sure that is or should be our goal, however well intended... maybe that makes me a little jaded.

As to your closing zinger...

Any facist phase he may have had during the 30s must be quite obscure indeed, for a quick scan of the web turned up nothing. That would be surprising as even a rumor of such connections is generally exploited in the extreme in the web's conspiritorial underbelly. I'd be interested to see the evidence of your claim. The reasons I find this accusation a stretch are as follows:

A.) He was closely affiliated with the Bauhaus architects (brought them to the US for the MoMA exhibit, studied under Gropius & Breuer, business partners with Mies, etc.) who were shut down by Hitler and fled Germany to avoid the Nazi/Facist wrath.

B.) He is openly homosexual.

C.) He employed and promoted the early career of Eli Attia, the world's foremost Israeli architect.

I've not always been known for being a Johnson booster, but nor am I a Johnson basher. Like I said, I find him an enigmatic figure. But accusing him of having facist connections in the 30s is quite a bold statement, one I've never before been presented with, and one that should only be asserted with a well qualified explanation.


(Edited by chris at 6:11 pm on Feb. 26, 2003)

[TLOZ Link5]

Philip Johnson's gay? *Goodness, I had no idea.

But then again, considering that he designed buildings like The Lipstick Building...

[dbhstockton]

I thought everybody knew (about his homosexuality and fascist phase). * From a review of the respected biography Philip Johnson: Life and Work by Franz Schulz (on amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0226740587/qid=1046312608/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7817091-0780658?v=glance&s=books) ):

"While his buildings are all about transparency, straight lines, and hard edges, his personal history is notable for its deep shadows and twists and turns. A millionaire before he even graduated from Harvard, Johnson has lived a privileged and sheltered life. Even his homosexuality, a burdensome taboo when he came of age in the 1920s, seems to have caused him little grief. But before he found his true calling in the world of architecture as a museum curator, architect, critic, and university teacher, Johnson dabbled in the lowest form of politics, becoming an open admirer of Hitler and his Nazis while in Berlin during the 1930s and, back home, of Huey Long and the anti-Semitic radio personality Father Coughlin. Schulze candidly discusses how Johnson lived this down and got on with his life, but we're left with a portrait of a cold if brilliant man attracted to architecture for its steely power and inherent sovereignty."

It's a topic Philip Johnson discusses openly, for it is something he regrets and he has definitely moved on.

[chris]

This is news to somebody?

Look here...

http://www.cathedralofhope.com/build_a_cathedral/

The world famous, gay architect, Philip Johnson has designed the John Thomas Bell Wall as part of the new Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, Texas. Said Johnson, "Everything I've loved and worked for all my life has come together here."

...or here:

http://www.uwrf.edu/history/glb.html

About 6 months ago W magazine did a whole expose on his lover and their new beach house.

[chris]

I was replying to TLOZ Link5 at the same time you were replying to us...

[chris]

Hmmm, well.

This is the link:

http://www.kazys.net/research/johnson.html

I have to wonder if this wasn't all one big "Kiss of the Spider Woman" episode. Maybe he just liked the men in uniforms. Maybe it was more. His story gets more complex every time I dig a little deeper.

Maybe you're right. Maybe he is evil... or maybe he was just young and stupid. I'll look in to this more at some other time.

[amigo32]

I don't think that I am being out of line here, but isn't there somewhat of a major presence in the architectual community of people whom are gay, or in the least they lean in that *general direction?

[chris]

who cares?

[chris]

I think you miss the point. Nobody that I'm aware of has any problem with Johnson's homosexuality, least of all me... though I cannot truly speak for others. The point was in response to his supposed support of Hitler in the 30s. I had my doubts, and the fact that he was gay was one of the grounds for why I doubted he would have Nazi inclinations. However, I was proved incorrect. In spite of being gay, he did indeed support Hitler in the 30s.

[djcomlab]

I just found some pictures on file of the back of Sony showing the atrium inside and out. As it turns out, there isn't an archway on the back afterall.

Perhaps it was removed when the atrium was installed?

[yanni111]

about the gay-hitler thing, some people, and theres some evidence for this, believe that hitler was gay and may have even been a gay prostitute in his youth. Theres some sites on the internet that say this. There is one thing that most people who care about this stuff agree on, Hitler was a caprophile, im not sure if its spelled correctly, anyway it means he likes to eat other peoples shit,feces, kaka etc. Theres also alot of talk about the inner circle of the nazis being gay. Either way he was one f*ck
ed up guy, 3 of the women he had relationships attempted suicide after being with him. What does all of this have to do with architecture? Who knows!! I like the Sony building!

[TLOZ Link5]

Heh, it was news to me, I must say. *There aren't many architects whose personal lives I particularly focused on, aside from maybe Raymond Hood. *And I certainly don't have a problem with Johnson's homosexuality. *Maybe with his stint as a Nazi sympathizer, but not because he's gay.

[dbhstockton]

I just got around to reading that article, Chris. *Thank you very much for posting that. *As a bonus, it has more reasons for me to hate Eisenman too, as if I needed more.


(Edited by dbhstockton at 11:12 pm on Mar. 2, 2003)

[dbhstockton]

And I must retract my statment about Johnson being evil. *He has apparently read enough Neitzche to be beyond such petty concepts as good and evil. ;)

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://home.neo.rr.com/rodsphotogallery/CityLife/NewYork/Images/ATT.jpg

When AT&T moved its headquarters to 555 Madison, the 24 foot
"Golden Boy" statue was moved from the corner tower of 195 Bway to the lobby of 555. When Sony took over the building, the statue was moved to Basking Ridge NJ. The statue is anatomically correct. Unnoticed high up on top of 195, this
became a big issue with the statue on the ground, and the conservative AT&T had Golden Boy -errrr-castrated.

[Bob]

There was a fabulous, in-depth article about Mr. Johnson in general, and the AT&T (now Sony) Building in particular, sometime in 1977/78 in the New York Times magazine. Worth looking up, for anyone who is interested in this building. I had the article for several years, but misplaced it.

Among the things of interest about this building:

1. It was the first stone-clad major skyscraper in many a year. The architect's use of stone was, itself, "controversial." Architects for the 20 years or so prior to the AT&T building used glass curtain walls.
2. It is an overbuilt building. Tall ceilings, massive structural steel, no expense spared, etc.
3. Exterior was made of Stony Creek (Connecticut) pink granite, the same stone used for Grand Central Terminal, the base of the Statue of Liberty, and other significant structures. In fact, as I recall, the quarry had to be reopened specifically for this building.
4. Johnson selected the stone, himself. One of the tests was to place various stone samples on the ground at the site location, and then to spray water on the samples to see how the stone would look.
5. As the building was under construction, AT&T was under de-construction.

Most of this is from memory, so if anyone has clarifications/corrections, please fill me in. Thanks.

[TLOZ Link5]

I thought that GCT was built with Indiana limestone, like the Empire State Building.

[FRED]

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/532/1856img_1060c.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

I thought that GCT was built with Indiana limestone, like the Empire State Building.

He means the old Penn Station.

[BigMac]

jackx on Flickr
December 15, 2006

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/353700229_b65478b59b_b.jpg

[Joelio]

Ah... the good ol' Sony building... I wish something like this would be built here in Auckland, it's look so awesome (but possibly out of place :p).

This building is in both Spider-Man 1 and 2 (the games). The number of hoursI have spent playing those games and just spending my free time sitting in the middle of the little hole in the top... good times. :D

[Bob]

Correcting a reader's response to my earlier post, I did indeed mean that Stony Creek granite was used at Grand Central, not Penn Station as suggested. This is not to say Stony Creek granite was the sole choice of stone, only that it was used there...I believe you'll see it as you enter from the west side of GCT. Above a certain height the exterior reverts to limestone. Stony Creek granite is particularly attractive.

For more info on the Stony Creek quarries, check out:

http://www.branford-ct.gov/History/Stony%20Creek%20Quarries.htm