Time & Life Building

The Time & Life Building is a Manhattan skyscraper at 1271 Avenue of the Americas in Rockefeller Center, completed in 1959 as the headquarters of Time Inc. During its construction and for decades afterward, the building contained large quantities of sprayed asbestos fireproofing and asbestos-containing insulation, making it a notable site of occupational and bystander asbestos exposure in New York City.

Origin

Named for Time Inc., the magazine publisher founded by Henry Luce, the 48-story tower was designed by Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris and opened in 1959. It became infamous in asbestos litigation because spray-applied asbestos fireproofing, much of it Sprayed Limpet Asbestos and similar products, was used extensively during its construction, exposing construction workers, tenants, and later renovation and maintenance personnel.

Significance in Asbestos Context

The Time & Life Building is one of the most frequently cited New York City worksites in mesothelioma and asbestosis claims. Construction tradesmen (insulators, sheet metal workers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and laborers) worked alongside or downwind of crews spraying raw asbestos fireproofing onto the steel structure, often in poorly ventilated conditions. Later, building engineers, telecom installers, HVAC workers, and renovation crews were exposed when the aging fireproofing was disturbed. For patients who worked at or visited the building during construction or renovations, this site can serve as an identifiable, well-documented source of exposure that ties their disease to specific manufacturers of sprayed asbestos products and to contractors who installed them.

Example Sentence

During his deposition, the patient recalled spending several months in 1958 running conduit at the Time & Life Building while overhead crews sprayed asbestos fireproofing onto the steel beams.

Related Terms

Sprayed Limpet Asbestos, Bystander Exposure, Construction Trades Exposure, Occupational Exposure History, Product Identification, Crocidolite

Notes

• If you, a spouse, or a parent worked at the Time & Life Building during construction (1957–1959) or during major renovations, write down dates, employer name, union local, trade, and specific floors or areas worked. This information is critical for product identification.
• Preserve union records, W-2s, Social Security earnings statements, and any photographs from the jobsite; these documents help establish presence at the building during the relevant period.
• Ask family members about secondhand (take-home) exposure if the worker came home in dusty clothes. Household members have developed mesothelioma from this pathway.
• Tell your legal team early if the Time & Life Building appears anywhere in your work history; counsel experienced in New York construction-site cases will know which sprayed fireproofing manufacturers and contractors have been identified at this site.