New York Life Building - View this location on map The New York Life Insurance Company, founded in 1841 as the Nautilus Insurance Company, has played a major role in the development of life insurance policies and practices. One of the nation's most innovative insurance firms, it was the first to establish a branch office system and pioneered a widely copied actuarial method of insuring individuals based on medical studies. In 1928 the firm moved to this 34-story skyscraper designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert. Its Gothic lines and prominent pyramidal tower sheathed in gold leaf make it a prominent architectural presence in midtown Manhattan. 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York Historical, Architectural

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