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ABC Office Building, New York City, New York, Elevation, Plan, and Model View

Date:

1988

Artist:

Bertrand Goldberg
American, 1913–1997

About this artwork

Goldberg’s growing national reputation in the 1960s led to a large commission to design new corporate headquarters for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in New York. In order to plan the office spaces, the architect undertook an extensive study of ABC’s corporate organization and workflow. His plan included small office groups with spaces for support staff and meeting rooms housed in a series of undulating convex and concave concrete walls. The most striking element of Goldberg’s complex was an illuminated broadcasting tower adjacent to the office building—both functional element and advertising tool—that would have surpassed the Empire State Building in height. Although he demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of the design, ABC suffered a financial setback and canceled plans to build. If realized, this high-profile commission would have situated Goldberg’s work alongside landmark modern office buildings in New York by Eero Saarinen, Gordon Bunshaft, and Philip Johnson.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Architecture and Design

Artist

Bertrand Goldberg (Architect)

Title

ABC Office Building, New York City, New York, Elevation, Plan, and Model View

Place

New York City (Building address)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Designed 1963

Medium

Blackline on Mylar

Inscriptions

Signed, upper right quadrant, "Bertrand Goldberg, architect 88"

Dimensions

73.3 × 72.7 cm (28 7/8 × 28 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

The Archive of Bertrand Goldberg, gifted by his children through his estate

Reference Number

RX23664/5.170

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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