| DuMont Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | 515 Madison Avenue,Manhattan, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°45′36″N73°58′26″W / 40.759897°N 73.973935°W /40.759897; -73.973935 |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Owner | Newmark & Co. |
| Management | Newmark & Co. |
| Height | |
| Top floor | 162 m (531 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 42[1] |
| Floor area | 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | J.E.R. Carpenter |
| Developer | John H. Carpenter |
TheDuMont Building (also known as 515Madison Avenue) is a 532-foot (162 m) high, 42-story building located at53rd Street and Madison Avenue inMidtown Manhattan, New York City, United States.[1]
The building was built inart deco andneo-Gothic style by John H. Carpenter and designed by his brother, architectJ.E.R. Carpenter who also designedLincoln Tower as well as nearly 125 buildings alongFifth Avenue andPark Avenue.[2][3][4]
One of the building's most distinctive features is a broadcasting antenna that traces back to the building's role in the first television broadcasts ofAllen B. DuMont’s experimental television station W2XWV in 1938. The station became commercially licensed as WABD—named for DuMont's initials—in 1944, WNEW-TV in 1958, and is nowWNYW. The station was one of the few television channels that continued to broadcast throughWorld War II.
After the war, the network and WABD moved to bigger studios - first at theWanamaker's store at Ninth Street andBroadway inGreenwich Village,[5] then theAdelphi Theatre, theAmbassador Theatre, and in 1954 to the Central Turn-Verein Opera House at 205 East 67th, which was renamed The DuMont Tele-Centre and today is the Fox Television Center, home of WABD's descendant,WNYW.
In June 1951, the WABD antenna was moved to the top of theEmpire State Building, consolidating all New York television stations at one location.
In 1958,WKCR-FM, the radio station ofColumbia University, began transmitting from the former WABD antenna on the roof of the building, remaining there until 1977, when it became the first radio (or television) station to transmit from the antenna atop theWorld Trade Center, the move necessitated by the construction of other surrounding skyscrapers which started interfering with the station's signal. As of 2021, the antenna still stands atop the building.[6]
In 1947, the building, which housed the Spanish consulate, was the site of a protest by 700 picketers protesting against the government ofFrancisco Franco and demanding that the United States end diplomatic relations withSpain.[7]
In 1962, the 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) building was sold to Newmark & Co., which still owns and manages it.[8]
