Every Building on Fifth

A tatty and nearly unrecognizable survivor from the brownstone era, 233 Fifth Avenue now houses New York’s Museum of Sex.  The museum had planned to demolish the building and replace it with a new electronically-lit façade that would “blush” different shades of pink.  The extension of the final boundaries of the Madison Square North Historic District… Continue reading

The third of a trio of skyscrapers on the west side of Fifth Avenue just north of Madison Square Park, 228-232 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Victoria Building, is a design by Schwartz & Gross, who also designed the eye-catching 212-216 Fifth Avenue a block south. Replacing the Victoria Hotel, a famed work by… Continue reading

While not as refined as its neighbor to the south at 222 Fifth Avenue, 226 Fifth Avenue is still a strong reminder of how accomplished architects of the early 20th Century were in converting residences into commercial buildings. Above the first two floors, the Italianate cornice of the original brownstone of 1852-1853 survives.  At the… Continue reading

In contrast to its neighbor at 222 Fifth, 224 Fifth Avenue is a crass Po-Mo disaster, resembling the tiled interior of an airport lounge men’s room turned inside out.    

An elegant and assured façade, 222 Fifth Avenue was converted from a brownstone house in 1912 by architect John C. Westervelt.  It is an excellent representation of the upscale shop-front style of early 20th Century New York and an illustration of how civilized and gracious the commercial culture of that era could be. Sympathetic stewardship… Continue reading