About the development
Originally developed as the Time & Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas is a mid-century masterpiece completed in 1959 and redeveloped in 2020. The office tower is 100 percent occupied by some of the leading brands in American business, finance, law and entertainment, from AIG to Latham & Watkins and Major League Baseball.
The building was the first tower developed by Rockefeller Group in the expansion of Rockefeller Center across Sixth Avenue, a move that succeeded in keeping then Time Inc. headquartered in Manhattan. From 2016 to 2020, the building underwent a $600 million redevelopment, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, which modernized the building and its systems while accentuating its original design detail. The redevelopment project included the removal of more than 400,000 square feet of glass curtain wall, and the installation of more than 450,000 square feet, enhancing the daylight and views and improving the building’s energy efficiency. The lobby is a designated New York City landmark, featuring artworks by Fritz Glarner and Josef Albers.
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square feet leased 2016-2018
An Iconic Address
Well-known as the former home of American media empire Time Inc., and the fictitious home of Sterling Cooper Draper Price of AMC’s television series Mad Men, 1271 Avenue of the Americas has been transformed into a dynamic workplace of the future while retaining its iconic identity as one of Rockefeller Center’s most celebrated buildings.
Outside, the building’s alternating waves of white and gray pavement serve as its calling card, inspired by the sidewalks of Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach and the imagination of Roberto Burle Marx. Inside, the pattern extends to the stainless steel elevator core, creating a mid-century time capsule recognized as a New York City landmark. The building is also home to Rockefeller Group’s headquarters.
A multi-year top to bottom redevelopment, completed in 2020, delivered a virtually new building, with careful consideration for modern workplace requirements and productivity. Features from the renovation include new high-efficiency double-glazed curtain wall with more than 50% more vision glass, new high-performance perimeter HVAC system, modernized elevators with destination dispatch controls, and new elevator cab interiors. The building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2020 and Platinum Wired Certification with superior technology infrastructure.
