End of an Era

Can you believe it!?! The iconic New York magazine sign on Madison Avenue and 49th Street is in the midst of being removed, in order to make way for the Burberry logo.


In October, the online fashion blog Racked reported that the British luxury label had signed a lease at 444 Madison Ave., which will included retail space, in addition to a significant amount of office space within the building, thus giving Burberry precedent over New York magazine.

Once the transition is complete, the Burberry sign will be placed above another sign, which will display both the time and the temperature.

“Being able to have a building that’s going to say ‘Burberry’ in lights is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Eugenia Ulasewicz, the president of Burberry North America. “Remember, Thomas Burberry founded gabardine fabric, and outerwear is a cornerstone of our brand, so to have it say ‘Burberry’ and, by the way, here’s the temperature — that’s very unique.”

To me, that says trashy.

Due to new zoning codes, illuminated signs are no longer allowed on new skyscrapers in this part of the city; the new sign atop 444 Madison Ave. however was however grandfathered in due to the building's age. Let's just pray that this will not start a trend with other luxury labels. I cannot even imagine what New York would be like if Juicy Couture situated themselves atop the MetLife building.