The condominium project for 980 Madison Avenue has been under a lot of scrutiny for quite a while. At first, a modern design was presented that would have consisted of a 22-story addition to the five-story former Parke-Bernet Building. This would have added 18 new condominiums. The Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected the plan and as a result plans are now being made to add floors to the auction house.

The new set of plans will be a complete renovation of the current auction house and will add five stories to the building. This will add five condominiums and about 150,000 square feet of residential space. The addition will also be covered with louvers, which are frames with both horizontal and vertical slats. These are use much like shutters that allow in air and light, but keep out the elements. The louvers would actually even open in sections like shutters.

There are a lot of detractors to the current design that claim that the louvers are not aesthetically pleasing and were out of context with other buildings in the area. The Landmarks Preservation Commission actually liked the renovation aspect for the auction house, but did not like the addition portion of the design. Floorplans for the new condominiums have not been released due to the fact that a design has not been approved. It does appear that some condominiums will have balconies or other outdoor spaces. A rooftop garden is also a feature of the new design. Unfortunately, the new condo units will not have a decent view.

The original design would have allowed for some spectacular views. Resident of the units from the new design will have to settle for a view of the other buildings in the area. It is expected that at some point the two sides will come to some type of agreement in the renovation of the property, but what concessions will be made remains to be seen.