204 Fifth Avenue
Partially obscured by the scaffolding surrounding its neighbor to the south, 204 Fifth Avenue is a 1913 design by the distinguished architect C.P.H. Gilbert, whose output included many of the townhouses and mansions of New York’s gilded age, including some of the best such buildings in Park Slope and on The Upper East Side some of which we’ll be seeing as we move further north. This small commercial building is in a more restrained example of his work, and currently houses the offices of Pentagram, the celebrated design studio. The cornice has unfortunately been removed.
In 2010, the roof was the location of one of British artist Anthony Gormely’s figurative works, part of his Event Horizon series. The series consisted of 37 nude male statues placed on buildings and at locations around Madison Square – which were often mistaken for suicide attempts.