Just Off Fifth: 12-24 West 120th Street

The townhouses that line 12-24 West 120th Street were probably erected as a speculative development.  Built with red brick and brownstone trim, the style is an eclectic mixture of Neo-Grec and Queen Anne details.

815 Fifth Avenue

A once-grand Italianate mansion designed by noted architect Samuel Warner, little remains of 815 Fifth Avenue’s original appearance – and that little will soon be replaced by a new apartment house with a limestone façade. Vintage photos show an attractive residence very much in keeping with the classic brownstone style. Built in 1871, the house… Continue reading

333 Fifth Avenue

A thoroughly trashed brownstone retaining nothing of architectural note save its cornice, 333 Fifth Avenue is still one of the area’s most popular locations, due to the popularity of the Papaya Dog chain, which dishes up tasty street food to tourists lining up for the Empire State Building a block to the north. A rather cheerfully… Continue reading

313 Fifth Avenue

A once-proud brownstone mansion, 313 Fifth Avenue was constructed for the Murdock Family in 1853 and was considered an outlier in terms of location, at the very northernost bounderies of respectable addresses.  The building’s later tenants included the art gallery Fishel, Adler & Schwartz, whose exhibition roster included Claude Monet. A well-intentioned paint job and… Continue reading

271, 273 & 275 Fifth Avenue

The brownstones at 271, 273 and 275 Fifth Avenue are among the last survivors of their type on Fifth Avenue – although it seems that they will not remain much longer.  273 and 275 Fifth are evidently slated for demolition and what will become of the remaining house at 271 Fifth is anybody’s guess. Along with their… Continue reading