Designed by Marcel Breuer for the Whitney Museum of American Art, the renowned, landmarked building has been sensitively adapted for Sotheby’s by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron. The inauguration of this new home will return Sotheby’s to Madison Avenue, where it was originally located in New York, and signals a new era of cultural and public use for the building.
In partnership with New York-based PBDW Architects, Herzog & de Meuron has preserved the architectural integrity of 945 Madison Avenue while enhancing the building with state-of-the-art gallery space to showcase Sotheby’s full suite of offerings—including reimagined and flexible salesrooms, exhibitions across its wide range of collecting categories, and a new fine dining restaurant created in partnership with Roman and Williams to open later this winter.
Herzog & de Meuron, renowned for projects such as Tate Modern in London, the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, was selected for its strong legacy of creating world-class arts and cultural spaces and its expertise in adaptive reuse projects. The project balances both innovation and preservation, ensuring that Sotheby’s new location continues to be a celebrated architectural masterpiece.
Sotheby’s Americas executive vice president and chairman, Lisa Dennison, said, “We are privileged to inhabit an architectural masterpiece that has been home to the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Frick. Those who knew it in earlier incarnations will be moved by how we’ve reimagined 945 Madison Avenue, preserving the spirit of nearly 60 years of acclaimed programming. Breuer’s design, with its remarkable ability to embrace many styles and eras of art, is especially meaningful for an auction house.”
In examining the structure as originally conceived by Marcel Breuer in the 1960s, Herzog & de Meuron has aimed to reinstate the architect’s original vision while adapting it to the needs of Sotheby’s and the surrounding community. All spaces have undergone careful updates that respect their historical resonance while offering opportunities for transformation in line with the building’s new use. These adaptations include enhanced exterior lighting that revives the building’s theatrical presence on Madison Avenue; a second-floor gallery that can transform into a sales room and can also be used for talks and events; removal of office spaces; reversion to original gallery floor plans; and state-of-the-art lighting and climate control.
The project received strong support from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which designated the Breuer Building as both an individual and interior landmark in May 2025.
