Madison Avenue has long been identified with the advertising industry business of the United States dating back to the 19th century. By 1861 there were over twenty advertising agencies in NYC alone many were based on Madison Avenue.

However many advertising companies have since left Madison Avenue moving either downtown, or further west, and many smaller business have since moved in.

 The industrial building of Madison Avenue began early, however it was not even a part of the NYC street grid until later on in 1836. Many tall buildings have been built along Madison Avenue in the early 1900’s and continuing on till today, it’s considered a luxury to have a building along Madison Avenue.

Madison Avenue’s industry has changed somewhat, and now focuses not only on advertising but is well known for its luxury hotel’s, restaurants, and retails shops. Madison Avenue has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, especially because of its large diverse shopping as well as being parallel to 5th avenue, another shopping haSeveral notable buildings along Madison Avenue are: The Woolworth building which became the tallest building upon its completion in 1913, overtaking the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower as the world’s tallest building. It is among one of the oldest and most famous skyscrapers in NYC. More than 95 years after its construction, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. The Woolworth Company owned Woolworth building for 85 years until 1998, when the Venator Group sold it to the Witkoff Group for $155 million.

Chicago’s Daniel Burnham designed the Flatiron Building. At 21 stories and 307 ft (93 meter), it was one of the city’s tallest buildings. It was not – as is often incorrectly thought – the tallest building in the world or even the tallest building in New York, but its singular shape and prominent location soon made it one of New York City’s most famous landmarks.
Flatiron Building was meant to be the headquarters of the Fuller Construction Company, the skyscraper was meant to be named ‘Fuller Building’. But the building was soon dubbed ‘Flatiron’ after its unusual shape, caused by the triangular plot. The name stuck and the building was officially renamed Flatiron Building

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (also Met Life Tower) at One Madison Avenue, was the world’s tallest building from 1909 to 1913, when it was surpassed by the previously mentioned Woolworth building in 1913.

The DuMont Building is a 532 foot high building at 53rd Street and Madison Avenue in New York City.
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 of WNYW in 1938.
In 1938, Allen B. DuMont began broadcasting experimental television W2XWV from the building.

383 Madison Avenue used to be the headquarters of Bear Stearns before the company crashed in 2008 and was taken over by J.P. Morgan. The building opened in 2001 and is currently the 88th tallest building in the world. When Bear Stearns was taken over by J.P. Morgan the estimated value of the building was 1.1 billion.

Formerly the IBM Building, 590 Madison Avenue is a 603 feet tall skyscraper at the corner of 57th street. It was completed in 1983 and has 41 floors, and is the 81st tallest building in New York. IBM sold the tower to E.J. Minskoff Equities in 1994. As of December 2007, 98% of the building is leased.

Madison Avenue has a rich history of advertising and banking that has persisted and that continues today.
Its many buildings have become tourist’s attractions as well as finance centers.