In July 1954, Seagram announced it would build a 34-story tower, designed by William Pereira and Charles Luckman of Pereira & Luckman, for $15 million (equivalent to $ million in ). That firm had been chosen on the strength of Lever House's design. Luckman, who had overseen that building's development while serving as president of soap company Lever Brothers, said he was happy to come back for a "repeat performance". Seagram's building, as originally planned, would have contained a four-story base of marble and bronze topped by a 30-story metal-and-glass shaft. The design would have provided for an auditorium, film screen room, display rooms, and executive offices around an interior court. Pereira & Luckman filed plans for the tower with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) the same month. At the time, the building was projected to be complete in 1957 for the hundredth anniversary of Seagram's founding.