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Some Things You May Not Know About The Time-Life Building, Where Mad Men Is Set
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 1, 2015
Modified Apr 1, 2015
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 1, 2015
Modified Apr 1, 2015
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Then & Now (via LIFE and Wikipedia)
Since Mad Men entered season 4, Sterling Cooper & Partners (née Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce) has been located in Suite 3750 of the Time & Life Building. The group moved in at the end of 1964, about five years after the building opened in real life. The building serves mostly as a backdrop, but bits of its history pop out here and there—for example, the chairs in the office are the Time-Life Chairs, designed specifically for that building. More on that, along with some other real life facts about the building, below.
TIME-LIFE CHAIRS
An original Time-Life chair goes for around $6,000.
The chairs that were originally on every executive floor of the building were designed by Charles Eames, and manufactured by Herman Miller. They have become known as the Time-Life Chairs. In 1959, Eames asked Time-Life chairman Henry Luce "for photographs from the Time-Life archive to be used in a slideshow he was creating for the U.S. pavilion at the Moscow World Exhibition. Luce agreed, as long as Eames promised to return the favor one day. The following year, Eames made good on that promise, and 50 years later, the world is still enjoying the results of that arrangement."
Look at all that Eames.
These are the chairs you'll see in the Mad Men conference rooms, for the most part (Don had a different chair in his office). They are still in production, though a fifth leg has been added—if you want one, you'll have to shell out over $3,000.
RIP ROXY THEATRE
Roxy Theatre. (Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York)
The Roxy Theatre was a 5,920 seat movie theater located at 153 West 50th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Opening in 1927, it remained a popular movie and then stage theater through the 1950s, but when Rockefeller Center made its first expansion west of 6th Avenue, purchasing the air rights above the theater, it became a casualty of the corporate world. The Roxy was demolished in 1960 in order to make room for an office tower connected to the Time-Life building.
Roxy Theatre interior. (Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York)
A former trolley barn for the New York Railway Company and the Levy Building were also demolished, according to the Examiner.
LA FONDA DEL SOL
La Fonda Del Sol. (NYPL)
This Latin-American themed restaurant opened in 1960 in the lobby of the Time-Life Building, and was run by the late Joseph Baum, who was the president of Restaurant Associates, and also known for the Four Seasons and Windows on the World. The interior was stunning, designed by Alexander Girard (who was in charge of everything from logos to plates and beyond), and with furniture by Charles Eames.
La Fonda Del Sol closed in 1971 and is was replaced with a bank branch.
THE HEMISPHERE CLUB
Hemisphere Club / Tower Suite (Library of Congress)
The Hemisphere Club was a members-only restaurant during the day, located on the 48th floor of the 48-floor building. The public was invited in at night, however, when it turned into the Tower Suite. Some of the Mad Men characters dine here during season 5, in an episode called "At the Codfish Ball."
The restaurant was also run by the aforementioned Baum, and when it opened in 1961, Craig Claiborne of the NY Times noted, "Although New York viewed from a great height is one of the most visually stunning places on earth, there are astonishingly few restaurants that take advantage of the fact." How true this remains!
He also explained, "This is a restaurant for those with leisure. Because there is a sequence of six courses, the time required for dining is a minimum of two hours and it has, on occasion, stretched to three. The public does not order the menu at the Tower Suite: The food is presented to the guests. The cost of a complete meal is $8.50."
Hemisphere Club / Tower Suite bar (Library of Congress)
In 1995, the NY Times noted: "Then there is the server who announces, 'Hi, my name is Jennifer and I'll be your waiter tonight.' What has become an annoying cliche was supposedly started at the Tower Suite in the Time & Life Building."
The Hemisphere Club closed some time after that, though no one seems clear on the exact date.
MISC.
Time-Life Building office and bathroom, 1960s. (Library of Congress)
The building itself was a partnership between Time, Inc. and Rockefeller Center, made in 1956, one year before ground broke on the project at 1271 Avenue of the Americas. The main architect was Wallace Harrison, of Harrison, Abramovitz, & Harris—he "borrowed from the sidewalks of Ipanema in his pavement design" (they look like this).
Marilyn Monroe helped open the doors in the late 1950s:
JFK dropped by, too.
Tagged
architecture
flashback
hemisphere club
la fonda del sol
time life building
tower suite
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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