The Benson on Madison Avenue

The Benson on Madison Avenue

1045 Madison occupies a prominent site in the core of the storied Upper East Side. Set on the East side of Madison Avenue between 79th and 80th Streets next to the cooperative building that is crowned by the former duplex apartment of Emily Post, other neighbors include landmark buildings designed by McKim, Mead & White and Rosario Candela. Because the building is open to the south, it rises almost as a freestanding tower. With its echelon forms, molded setbacks and chevron carved panels, the building celebrates the elegance of the 1920s Art Deco spirit and with its substantial base, decorative iron railings and shaped spandrels, it projects the glamour of grand apartment living.

Unique details include sculpted parapets around the terrace setbacks, a planter along the top of the base of the facade reminiscent of the Plaza Athénée in Paris and bespoke iron doors inspired by the work of the great French metal artist Edgar Brandt. With expansive windows, ample enfilades creating elegant suites of spaces and three exposures, each apartment reflects a modern-day interpretation of the classic New York mansion in the sky. While the spirit of the design emanates from 1920s Paris, the building is the epitome of New York in the Jazz Age. The proportions, the details and the plans are solid and timeless, with lessons from the best addresses in the city woven into a new and impressive guise.


Peter Pennoyer Architects