Manhattan · New York County
590 Madison Avenue
POPS - Indoor Atrium / Outdoor Plaza
- Location
- 590 Madison Avenue (former IBM Building), Midtown East
- Size
- 0.20 acres
- Hours
- Open during business hours
- Type
- POPS - Indoor Atrium / Outdoor Plaza
590 Madison Avenue, the former IBM Building, features one of the most celebrated POPS in Midtown: a soaring indoor atrium with bamboo trees, granite seating, and a climate-controlled garden environment that serves as one of the finest public interior spaces in the city.
The building, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and completed in 1983, was the headquarters of IBM for many years. The ground-floor atrium, with its tall bamboo plantings and polished granite surfaces, provides a genuinely serene public space amid the bustle of Midtown.
The atrium at 590 Madison is frequently cited as one of the best examples of what POPS can achieve: a beautiful, well-maintained indoor garden that is genuinely inviting and well-used by the public. The space demonstrates that corporate amenity and public benefit can be perfectly aligned.
The building's corner location at Madison Avenue and 57th Street places it at one of the most commercially valuable intersections in the city. The atrium provides a green, contemplative counterpoint to the luxury retail and corporate activity outside.
This atrium is one of the finest indoor public spaces in Manhattan, a genuine urban oasis that proves the POPS program can produce spaces of real beauty and public value.