647 Fifth Avenue
The survivor of a pair of double houses erected by the Vanderbilt Family as investment properties, 647 Fifth Avenue was designed in 1905 by Hunt & Hunt, the sons of Richard Morris Hunt, the celebrated Gilded Age architect. A Louis VI mansion distinguished by high-relief Corinthian pilasters and vermiculated ground-floor stonework, it is imposing even… Continue reading
521 Fifth Avenue, The Lefcourt National Building
One of many buildings constructed by the flamboyant developer A.E. Lefcourt, the Lefcourt National Building at 521 Fifth Avenue is a massive, dignified and somewhat stern example of Stripped Classicism applied to the setback style more commonly associated with Art Deco. Architects Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, of Empire State Building fame, also designed the nearby… Continue reading
511 Fifth Avenue, the Postal Life Insurance Building
511 Fifth Avenue, the Postal Life Insurance Building, consists of a structure designed by the great bank architects York & Sawyer and a (flawlessly maintained) interior renovated in 1962 by Luss, Kaplan & Associates. The renovation retained much of the York & Sawyer design while bringing aboard a sense of jet age sophistication. Not until the… Continue reading
Midtown – 42nd Street to 57th Street
Midtown Manhattan is defined in numerous ways, with some putting the lower borders of the district at 34th Street and others at 23rd Street. In addition, the terms Midtown East and Midtown West are used to differentiate between zones to the east and west of Fifth Avenue itself, while the New York City Police Department… Continue reading