The structure has exterior faces of variegated granite and exposed concrete and makes use of stark angular shapes, including cantilevered floors progressively extending atop its entryway, resembling an inverted ziggurat.

Breuer's design also impacted the new Whitney Museum in Lower Manhattan by Renzo Piano, with both buildings featuring cantilevering floor plates and oversized elevators.

Marcel Breuer was chosen to design the assertive and experimental building, which would become the museum's third and potentially first permanent home, significantly increasing its space and amenities.

[10] It became an upscale commercial area by the mid-2010s, surrounded by retail shops for global fashion brands, luxury condominiums, and a large Apple Store.

It has been described as a Brutalist structure due to its top-heavy, massive, uninviting, and bunker-like shape, its primal form, as well as its use of exposed raw concrete.

Steel and glass began to become associated with commercial buildings and mass production, while concrete gave the impression of monumentality, authenticity, and age.

[12] The building was designed in the spirit of the nearby Guggenheim Museum – another unique artistic landmark created by a renowned architect, completed seven years earlier.

[29] The floors are of bluestone tile; the walls are white, gray, or granite-faced and relatively blank, allowing for "plenty of hanging area for the paintings inside".

[29] According to architect and author Robert McCarter, the building incorporates "one of the best examples of Breuer's ability to make staircases into functional sculpture", as it changes gradually and subtly in dimensions and proportions between floors, though its materials are consistent throughout.

[12] Concrete walls in the lobby are bush-hammered, and framed by smooth boardformed edges, noted by the Met's contemporary art chair as a delightful attention to detail.

[21] The lobby, renovated extensively in preparation for the Met Breuer's opening, had an unoriginal gift shop structure removed, and its walls and sculptural ceiling lights were repaired.

[33]<[34] The restaurant hired a new manager and offered an English tea service, mushroom omelets, spicy pasta, and a layered "Whitney Cake".

[35] The space in the museum building had wooden tables and comfortable blond wood armchairs with lively fabric upholstery situated on slate floors with stone-and-granite walls.

[40] It was operated by restaurateurs Ignacio Mattos and Thomas Carter, and was critically acclaimed (with two stars from The New York Times), though it was hindered by reports of a toxic work environment.

Curated by Elisabeth Sussman, this event showcased art that addressed race, gender, sexuality, AIDS, and socioeconomic issues.

The Whitney thus acquired five brownstone buildings south to 74th Street, and had Breuer design knockout panels in the outer walls at each floor, with plans for eventual expansion.

The work was made to look invisible – the new galleries appeared original, and the new administrative spaces preserved the historic brownstones' exteriors and much of the interiors.

Gluckman Mayner submitted a new proposal,[56] along with the firms of Peter Eisenman, Steven Holl, Machado & Silvetti, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, and Rem Koolhaas.

[21] The museum was also looking to display its contemporary and modern art while its Fifth Avenue building's wing was renovated, making the move potentially temporary from the beginning.

[40] The restoration was careful to preserve elements of natural aging; Breuer chose materials like wood and bronze that would change positively over time.

[58][64] The closure was a priority of incoming Met director Max Hollein, as it had an expensive lease, low attendance, and mixed reviews.

[66] The move was seen as remarkable, given that Henry Clay Frick's will stipulated that his purchases (about two-thirds of the museum's holdings) cannot be lent to any other institutions.

There is no protective glass, nor any plaques or signs (a standard the Frick Collection held at its longtime home), save for the artist's name on some frames.

The 20-year restriction was set in 2008 as part of a $131 million gift from Leonard Lauder, former board chairman emeritus, the largest donation in the museum's history.

[75][76] The architectural critic Justin Davidson wrote that the choice of architects was a "little like getting Don DeLillo to tweak Wuthering Heights or Salvador Dalí to update the Mona Lisa".

Breuer's commission brief (contradicting itself) told him to create an assertive or even controversial structure that represents the Whitney's experimental art, and with a clear definition and monumentality, though aiming to be "as human as possible" and reflect the museum's custom for "warmth and intimacy".

[15]: 123 [25] Critics supported the controversial design; Peter Blake stated that "Any museum of art that does not, somehow, shake up the neighbor-hood is at least a partial failure.

[6] It was first listed in 1981, as a contributing structure to the Upper East Side Historic District (as designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission or LPC).

[13][81] In December 2024, before Sotheby's was scheduled to move in, the LPC agreed to host hearings on whether to designate the Breuer Building's interiors as a city landmark.

Breuer's wing opened in 1971,[84] designed with similarities to the Whitney Museum, including a cantilevered concrete entrance canopy outside and a suspended coffered grid inside.