This year’s Business Forum takes place at The Pool — a storied space within the iconic Seagram Building (1958) designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. Located at East 52nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, The Pool brings to mind the era of Mad Men, with landmark-designated midcentury interiors that fire up creativity as effectively as a three-martini lunch. Once occupied by the Four Seasons restaurant, the on-site dining room inspired the term “power lunch,” for the number of executives who frequented it and the scale of the deals they made there.
Designed by Johnson, the building’s famed interiors have recently undergone a revival. In 2016, The Pool tapped Annabelle Selldorf to renovate the space and commissioned a new lighting system from Hervé Descottes of L’Observatoire International. Important aspects of the 1959 interiors still remain, including the looped aluminium chain curtains by textile designer Marie Nicols — originally crafted to comply with city fire codes banning flammable materials.
Today, The Pool remains “the most incredible place in New York City,” as Selldorf has said, as well as an enduring demonstration that smart business and great design go hand in hand. Register for the DLN’s 2022 Business Forum at The Pool here.