JP Morgan’s new global headquarters at 383 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, has become one of the most dominant additions to the Midtown Manhattan skyline. Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower rises 423 meters and stands apart with its enormous massing and the extraordinary use of 95,000 tons of structural steel—roughly 60% more than the Empire State Building, despite having fewer floors. Its bronze exterior, dramatic flared steel columns, and imposing silhouette position it as the first in a new wave of oversized supertalls reshaping East Midtown.
Inside, the building operates as a self-contained vertical city built to support 10,000 employees. The soaring 24-meter travertine lobby, complete with massive Gerhard Richter artworks and a dramatic 12-meter bronze flagpole with an artificial indoor breeze, sets a theatrical tone. With 19 dining options (including kitchen-to-desk service), a full medical clinic, fitness center, hair salon, meditation rooms, and wellness spaces, the headquarters is designed to keep employees onsite—reinforcing JP Morgan’s push toward full-time in-office work.
Midway through the tower’s grandeur, several architectural and structural features stand out as defining components of the project:
- • Architect: Foster + Partners
- • Flared structural steel columns designed around underground rail lines
- • “Column-free” trading floors, though partially interrupted by a large steel truss
- • LED crown by artist Leo Villareal, illuminating the skyline each night
- • Massive glass, bronze, and travertine material palette sourced from single-quarry stone
- • High carbon impact due to material use and demolition decisions
The tower’s existence was made possible through a major 2017 Midtown East zoning update, which allowed JP Morgan to purchase air rights from nearby landmarks—including Grand Central Terminal and St. Bartholomew’s Church—dramatically increasing the allowable building size. This zoning change also enabled the demolition of the Union Carbide building, a 52-story tower JP Morgan had previously celebrated for undergoing “the largest green renovation of a headquarters in the world.” Just seven years later, it was razed to make way for this far larger structure.
With several new supertalls approved along Park and Madison Avenue, JP Morgan’s headquarters marks the beginning of a new, denser, bulkier Midtown skyline. And the trend doesn’t stop in New York—JP Morgan has already announced plans for an even larger European headquarters in London’s Canary Wharf.
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