Landmarks Commission holds public hearing on former Whitney Museum interior and exterior landmark proposals

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on March 11 heard testimony on two proposals to designate 945 Madison Avenue — the former Whitney Museum of American Art designed by Marcel Breuer and Associates (1964–66) — as an individual exterior landmark (LP2685) and as an interior landmark (LP2686).

The research department presented the proposals, with Lisa Buckley of the research department outlining the building’s history and character. "945 Madison Avenue was home to the Whitney Museum of American Art from its construction in 1966 until 2014," Buckley said, describing the building as a "brutalist style, inverted stepped pyramid" notable for its raw concrete, stone and distinctive circulation spaces.

The nomination drew broad support from preservation and design organizations, which urged the commission to extend protections beyond the proposed lobby, lower-level spaces and main stair. Zainab Turan of Friends of the Upper East Side testified that the interior spaces "are integral…