111 West 57th Street and its adjacent retail space
Bonhams’ New York headquarters will move away from 580 Madison Avenue, setting up shop two blocks away at the Steinway Tower on West 57th Street.
Last year, Sotheby’s made news when they bought the Breuer Building from the Whitney Museum, intending to transform it into their New York headquarters. This move would put Sotheby’s in a more central location, which is nice since their current York Avenue spot seems a little out-of-the-way. Plus, the Breuer Building’s brutalist architecture certainly makes it stand out. But now it’s Bonhams’ turn to move. Bonhams first opened a New York location in 2005, moving into the retail space at 580 Madison in 2008.
Their new location, the Steinway Tower, is a mishmash of a building. It was originally built in the 1920s as Steinwall Hall for the piano company Steinway & Sons by the Warren & Wetmore architecture firm. The sixteen-story building had elegant neoclassical columns and statues adorning the front door. The same firm also designed New York’s Grand Central Terminal, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, and the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. Steinway used the building for offices, a saleroom, and a recital space until 2012. After that, the new owners turned Steinway Hall into a residential building. In doing so, they constructed an 84-story modern pencil-style skyscraper adjacent to the preexisting building and lumped the two structures under the same address. The Steinway Tower is now the third tallest building in New York City and is often grouped with the Central Park Tower and 432 Park Avenue (the retail space of which houses Phillips New York) as part of the incredibly tall and incredibly slender Billionaire’s Row skyscrapers on the southern border of Central Park. Many New Yorkers have criticized the construction of these opulent, supertall luxury apartment buildings. However, investigations into money laundering and tax avoidance have dissuaded many from buying units in these buildings and, therefore, have decreased demand for these structures altogether.
Bonhams’ executive chairman Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard expressed his excitement about the move, saying, “It demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the U.S. market. The Steinway Hall symbolizes Bonhams’ commitment to heritage – and the way in which we’re embracing the future.” After certain additions are made, the new Bonhams headquarters will have two salerooms, four floors of galleries, extensive storerooms, and an 80-foot glass atrium next door to the building. The new space will have modern amenities while keeping some of its historical charm. Bonhams has expanded rapidly recently, acquiring small auction houses in Europe and the United States, including Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris and Skinner in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Therefore, hopefully, a new headquarters location in New York will be emblematic of the bigger things to come. Bonhams plans on moving into their new space at the end of 2025.