The Story of the Seagram Building, 1958

Video of the Month
Monday, March 19, 2018

The video of the Month for March -- The Story of a Building -- is about the construction of the iconic Seagram Building on Park Avenue in New York City. The 14-minute film from 1958 provides a detailed look at the design and construction of a building hailed by publisher Henry Luce as a "20th century revolution in architecture."

The beautifully composed film was sponsored by the Copper and Brass Research Association but the producer of the film is unknown. Very little information could be found about the intent or potential audience for its creation. While we have limited context for its making, the film stands as an important resource about the rise of a trend-setting addition to New York City's skyline. The Seagram Building's innovative design and construction methods became a template for later projects in New York and beyond.

For more about the Seagram Building, check out this presentation by Phyllis Lambert given at the Getty Conservation Institute in 2014. Ms. Lambert directed the planning of the project for her father, Seagram CEO Samuel Bronfman.

The film is from the Seagram Museum collection of photographs and audiovisual materials, see the finding aid for more information about the collection

Source: Quote from Luce found in "Exhibits Build Awareness of Architect Mies van der Rohe," Allentown Morning Call, 2001 August 5.


Kevin Martin is the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Audiovisual Collections & Digital Initiatives at Hagley Museum and Library.

Share