6. Its Plaza Set the Standards For A Revision To the Nation’s First Comprehensive Zoning Resolution

A granite plaza with a sprawling staircase lies in front of the building’s entrance. With fountains on either side of plaza in perfect symmetry and a large sculpture, both passerby and Seagram’s office workers are free to relax in this area.

The Seagram Building became one of the original structures to have such an area. In 1961, New York City significantly revised its 1916 Zoning Resolution, giving incentives for planners and architects to create “privately owned public spaces” like the Seagram Building’s plaza.