Privately Owned Public Space - New York City Department of City Planning

Department of City Planning - "Shaping the City's Future"

City Planning:

Home

Take me to...

Commission Meetings
Commission Reports
Community Data Portal
Map & Bookstore
Job Opportunities
Press Releases
DCP Site Map
Contact DCP

Projects & Proposals > Privately Owned Public Space

privately owned public space: 550 madison avenue - sony

Return to: Introduction or Central Midtown - Manhattan CD 5

GENERAL INFORMATION
BUILDING LOCATION
      West side of Madison Avenue between
      East 55th and 56th Streets

PRIMARY BUILDING USE
      Commercial

NUMBER OF STORIES   35

YEAR COMPLETED   1983

DEVELOPER
      AT&T

BUILDING ARCHITECT
      Johnson/Burgee

PUBLIC SPACE DESIGNER
      Johnson/Burgee, Gwathmey Siegel &
      Associates

PUBLIC SPACE TYPE
      Arcade
      Covered Pedestrian Space

ACCESS
	Arcade: Open 24 hours Covered Pedestrian Space: - Open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. - Closing for events: may be closed to the public with advance notice for 6 private and 6 local community and not-for-profit organization events per year, starting no earlier than 3:00 p.m. on weekdays or 5:00 p.m. on weekend days; a sign giving notice of such closings must be posted at each entrance to the Covered Pedestrian Space for 7 days prior to the event
	Wheelchair access
AMENITIES
GENERAL
	Plaque/Sign: At entrances and within Arcade, Covered Pedestrian Space, and Sony office building lobby on Madison Avenue
	7 foot candles
	4 trees on the street
	- Retail frontage - 10,600 sf exhibit area (SonyWonder) required to be open Tuesday through Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; 70-seat assembly space within the exhibit area available for the use by the city's non-profit community for meetings when not in use by SonyWonder; access to and from Covered Pedestrian Space and Madison Avenue through Sony office building lobby; mobile vendor cart approximately 65 sf to sell merchandise and/or food
	6 Litter receptacles
COVERED PEDESTRIAN SPACE
	Climate control: temperature range of 68 to 78 degrees fahrenheit
	Food Service: 172 sf kiosk; 3,161 of restaurant fronting Covered Pedestrian Space
	226 movable chairs and 4-three person benches for total seating for 238 persons
	104 or some combination that maintains capacity for 238 persons
	trees within the space; 8 in planters
	2 located within the exhibit area near East 56th Street portion of Covered Pedestrian Space
	6 Litter receptacles

SITE PLAN

SUBWAY STATION
59th street station at lexington avenue - 4, 5, 6 trains; 5th avenue station - n and r trains;

view of the seating area adjacent to the 55th street entrance at 550 madison avenue

view of the covered pedestrian space at 550 madison

view of the covered pedestrian space seating area at 550 madison avenue

Sources:

Jerold S. Kayden, The New York City Department of City Planning, and The Municipal Art Society of New York Privately Owned Public Space: The New York City Experience, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000
New York City Department of City Planning, Manhattan Office