550 Madison Avenue Architectural Model

This architectural object is inspired by 550 Madison Avenue, one of the most influential and debated buildings of late twentieth-century architecture, designed by Philip Johnson with John Burgee.

Completed in 1984 as the headquarters for AT&T, the building became a defining symbol of postmodern architecture, challenging the neutrality of modernist skyscrapers through symbolism, hierarchy, and form. These qualities make it especially compelling when interpreted as a physical architectural object.

Read the full 550 Madison Avenue architecture guide

 

A postmodern icon, distilled into form

 

550 Madison Avenue is defined by its disciplined massing, monumental presence, and instantly recognisable broken-pediment crown. Rather than expressing architecture purely through structure, the building communicates meaning through reference, proportion, and silhouette.

This architectural model focuses on the elements that define the building’s identity:

• the clear base–shaft–crown hierarchy

• the strong, vertical massing

• the symbolic postmodern crown

Reduced to object form, these features allow the architectural ideas behind the building to be read with clarity and precision.

 

Why 550 Madison Avenue works as an architectural model

 

The building translates particularly well into an architectural object because its design is driven by:

• silhouette rather than surface complexity

• symbolic form rather than technical expression

• compositional clarity rather than repetition

At reduced scale, the tower reads as a single architectural gesture — a study in how meaning, reference, and identity can be embedded in form.

Rather than functioning as a literal miniature, this object captures the architectural essence of 550 Madison Avenue.

 

Craft, materials, and finish

 

Each 550 Madison Avenue object is crafted with an emphasis on precision and restraint. The finish is intentionally understated, allowing the building’s proportions and crown to define its presence, much as they do on the New York skyline.

The result is an object that sits naturally within:

• architectural and design studios

• contemporary interiors

• shelves and workspaces

It appeals to architects, designers, and collectors interested in postmodern architecture and the evolution of the modern skyscraper.

 

An object shaped by architectural debate

 

550 Madison Avenue occupies a unique place in architectural history — not only as a building, but as an argument. It represents a moment when architects reasserted the idea that buildings could communicate culture, history, and symbolism.

As an object, the tower becomes a distilled record of that shift: architecture as message, not just machine.

 

Product details

 

• Subject: 550 Madison Avenue, New York City, USA

• Architects: Philip Johnson and John Burgee

• Architectural style: Postmodernism

• Original completion: 1984

• Designed and made by: Chisel & Mouse

 

Learn more about 550 Madison Avenue

 

For a detailed exploration of the building’s architecture, symbolism, controversy, and cultural legacy, see our in-depth guide:

550 Madison Avenue Architecture: Philip Johnson and the Rise of Postmodernism