1185 Avenue of the Americas Building

skyscraper
international-style
NY
New York

About the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building in New York
1. Prizes & Awards
Architect and team
Architectural style
Spaces and uses
Structure and materials

The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building is an International Style skyscraper designed by Emery Roth & Sons, and built in 1971 in New York, NY.

1185 Avenue of the Americas Building is not the only name you might know this building by though. The building is, or has also been known as J.P. Stevens Tower.

Its precise street address is 1185 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. You can also find it on the map here.

In 2018 the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building was awarded with the Building Design/ Repositioning/ Renovation Achievement Award.

The building underwent a major restoration between 2018 and 2019. The architect commissioned to undertake this restoration was MdeAS Architects .

Building's timeline

Construction completed

1971

Restoration

2019

years ago

2025

2018 to 2019 - Update of the entrance lobby by incorporating large slabs of Kenyan black marble and continuing with the elevator cabs.. The architect in charge was MdeAS Architects .

Architect and team

Emery Roth & Sons was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

Emery Roth & Sons was a prominent American architectural firm known for shaping the skyline of New York City in the mid-20th century. Originally founded by Hungarian-American architect Emery Roth, the firm gained prominence under the leadership of his sons, Richard and Julian, after his passing in 1948. Specializing in modernist high-rise designs, Emery Roth & Sons became synonymous with sleek, functional office buildings that combined architectural elegance with economic efficiency.

Emery Roth & Sons was widely regarded for its expertise in creating spaces tailored to corporate and commercial needs, making it a favorite among developers during the mid-century real estate boom.

Though the firm ceased operations in the late 20th century, its legacy endures in the architectural fabric of New York City.

Architectural Style

The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building can be categorized as an International Style building.

The international style originated in Europe in the early 20th century, and made its way to the US a couple of decades later when the rise of the Nazi regime forced figures such as Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, or Mies van der Rohe to flee Europe.

The International Style emerged as a response to the prevailing historicism and ornate architecture styles of the late 19th century, which according to a younger generation of architects didn't represent the new materials and construction techniques that were on the rise at the time.

Architecture in the early 20th century US was marked by the adoption of steel structures, modern construction techniques, and the rise of the skyscraper. As it turns out, this combination of circumstances created the perfect ecosystem for the International Style to flourish, becoming the to-go style for skyscraper designs during the mid-20th century, when American cities were growing fast.

The International Style’s legacy can not only be found in numerous iconic buildings across all major American cities, but also incorporated in contemporary architecture, which still puts a big emphasis on functionality and minimalism.

Spaces & Uses

The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building reaches an architectural height of 581ft (177m). It has a total of 44 floors, 42 above ground and 2 basements, served by 19 elevators.

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1971, the 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building has mainly been used as Commercial space.

The building also has direct access to the underground lobby of Rockefeller Center.

Materials & Structure

The 1185 Avenue of the Americas Building uses a frame structure made of steel columns and concrete and steel slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade of the building however, is load bearing. This doesn't imply that it is a traditional load-bearing wall. Rather, it means that the structure's exterior pillars have been pushed to the very edges, becoming integrated with the facade, and therefore, technically, a part of it.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features dark-tinted glass windows and spandrels with slender metal mullions.

On the East and West facades, the glass curtain wall is organized in six bays by structural pillars, clad in white marble. The North and South facades are organized in 5 bays.