375, 377 & 379 Fifth Avenue

Capped by a pair of oddly funereal urns, the slightly eccentric building at 377 Fifth Avenue (shown at center above) looks as if it might have been designed by Edward Gorey.  It is in fact by the firm of Severance and Van Alen and was designed in 1921 as part of the Childs Restaurant chain,… Continue reading

373 Fifth Avenue

Designed by Hunt & Hunt, successor firm to the great Richard Morris Hunt, 373 Fifth Avenue was constructed for the Alvin Manufacturing Company, a prominent silversmith.  The ornate façade was decidedly less so in comparison with the building’s original neighbors. The ground floor has been regrettably altered, but 373 Fifth Avenue remains otherwise intact as… Continue reading

372 Fifth Avenue

372 Fifth Avenue is an austere example of Georgian Revival, closer to English than American Colonial models.  The lower floors have seen an off-putting rebuild similar to that at 358 Fifth a block to the south.

366 Fifth Avenue

A handsome mix of Romanesque and Beaux Arts motifs, 366 Fifth Avenue, also known as The New York Accessories Exchange, was built in 1907-1908 and is a major center for the accessories trade. The original freight elevator from 1907 is still run by a porter.  

358 Fifth Avenue

The sad remains of one of the city’s best bank buildings, 358 Fifth Avenue preserves nothing to make the viewer realize that McKim, Mead & White’s triumphantly monumental Knickerbocker Trust Building once stood here. The upper floors preserve some pleasant details from a 1921 12-story addition by the same firm, but the lower levels are… Continue reading