landmarks Preservation Conunission October 3, 1989; Designation List 221 IP-1666 FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT GROUND FIDOR INI'ERIOR consisting of the entrance I lobby and the staircase leading from the entrance lobby to the first floor interior; FIRST FIDOR INI'ERIOR consisting of the restaurant lobby including the freestanding piers, the Pool Room vestibule, the Pool Room (dining room) including the marble pool, the staircase leading to the mezzanine dining room, the mezzanine dining room, the Bar Room/Grill Room vestibule, the Bar Room/Grill Room (dining room) including the bar, the staircases leading to the balcony level, and the balcony, and the balcony level dining rooms; and the fixtures and interior components of these spaces, including but not limited to, wall surfaces, floor surfaces, ceiling surfaces, doors, railings, hanging sculptures, and metal draperies; 99 East 52nd Street, Manhattan. Designed by Philip Johnson. Built 1958-59. landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 1307, IDt 1. On May 17, 1988, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as an Interior landmark of the Four Seasons Restaurant ground floor interior consisting of the entrance lobby and the staircase leading from the entrance lobby to the first floor interior; first floor interior consisting of the restaurant lobby including the freestanding piers, the Pool Room vestibule, the Pool Room (dining room) including the marble pool, the staircase leading to the mezzanine dining room, the mezzanine dining room, the Bar Room/Grill Room vestibule, the Bar Room/Grill Room (dining room) including the bar, the staircases leading to the balcony level, and the balcony, and the balcony level dining rooms; and the fixtures and interior components of these spaces, including but not limited to, wall surfaces, floor surfaces, ceiling surfaces, doors, railings, hanging sculptures, and metal draperies; and the proposed designation of the related landmark site (Item No. 3.) The hearing was continued to July 12, 1988 (Item No. 1. ) Both hearings had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. Twenty witnesses, including the operator of the restaurant, spoke in favor of designation. Three witnesses, all representatives of the owner of the Seagram Building, spoke in opposition to designation. The Commission has received many letters in favor of designation, and several letters against designation. DESCRIPI'ION AND ANALYSIS St.mnnary An integral component of the highly-acclaimed International Style Seagram Building designed by Iudwig Mies van der Rohe (a designated New York City landmark), the Four Seasons Restaurant Ground Floor and First Floor Interiors have been praised by architectural critics as among the finest International Style interior spaces in the United States. Designed in 1958 by celebrated architect Philip Johnson and built in 1958-59 as an innovative first-class restaurant for Restaurant Associates, it opened amid much fanfare and was at that time the costliest restaurant ever constructed. The 1

interiors produced by Johnson and a stellar team of consultants are considered to be among Johnson's last projects to mirror the architectural theories of his mentor Mies van der Rohe. The designers used rich materials, installed with expert craftsmanship to accentuate their inherent beauty, innovative technology, and distinctive architectonic elements to shape the understated and elegantly proportioned interiors, which reflect the modular system employed in the design of the Seagram Building. The operations of the award-winning Four Seasons Restaurant were taken over in 1972 by Tom Margit tai and Paul Kovi, who have kept the interior spaces in virtually intact condition and have been faithful to their original, influential design. Among the creative features of the restaurant is its seasonal theme, which inspires the meals served as well as plantings and color-coded appoinbnents. A cultural magnet

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