Notable New Yorkers 2022

MAKING NEW YORK HISTORY AWARD

550 MADISON

THE OLAYAN GROUP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm

The Skyscraper Museum saluted the Architects of 550 Madison

SNØHETTA, GENSLER, & ROCKWELL GROUP

The Skyscraper Museum's annual Making New York History Award recognizes the remarkable individuals and buildings that have shaped New York City's signature skyline. The 2022 Award event was celebrated on the new club floor, the sky lobby at 550 MADISON, transformed as an amenities space designed by the Rockwell Group. More than 150 guests mingled in the Great Hall, where the view across Madison Avenue through the monumental oculus window is matched by the giant circles of the red and gold of the 1993 Dorthea Rockburne murals, entitled Northern Sky/ Southern Sky.

The program began with an introduction by Skyscraper Museum Founder and Director Carol Willis, who thanked The Olayan Group and RXR Development for allowing the Museum to debut the new space to an outside audience. She referenced the contentious history of the now-landmarked building when the architect Philip Johnson pivoted to Postmodernism. Continuing the themes of past and present, Museum Chairman James von Klemperer emphasized the renewal of the 1980s tower as a 21st-century office building by the team of designers at SNØHETTA, GENSLER, and the ROCKWELL GROUP.

Introducing the awardees, Cathleen McGuigan, the Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Record, recalled her years as a resident of 55th Street and the urban role of the building's POPS plaza, now substantially enlarged by SNØHETTA. Finally, Erik Horvat, Managing Director & Head of Real Estate, Americas at The Olayan Group, who headed the project, praised his team of designers for their talents and commitment to quality.

This 26-minute video of the award program presents introductions by the Museum's trustees and Erik Horvat, then remarks of the architects representing the design firms receiving the awards: Craig Dykers and Michelle Delk of Snøhetta; Philippe Paré of Gensler; and David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group.