LEVER HOUSE

This 1951 masterpiece, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merill was one of Park Avenue's crown jewels being the first glass curtain wall building in Manhatten. It was the "tower in the plaza," and influenced many other buildings. Its innovative courtyard and lobby were reopened to the public through an extensive renovation program which included a rotating exhibit of corporate artwork by several of the world's most famous modern artists - Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring amongst others. The green-glass curtain wall was restored, the internal systems re-engineered, and a first-class restaurant was established from underused service space. This skyscraper, originally conceived as the corporate headquarters of one of the world's largest consumer-goods company, was re-configured as a premier multi-tenant office building.