665 Fifth Avenue, The Rolex Building

Originally built in 1924 for the Scandinavian department store Jansen, 665 Fifth Avenue acquired its current appearance in the 1970s when the building was purchased by Rolex.  The attempt at Miesian elegance suffers in comparison with Olympic Tower just a block south.

445 Fifth Avenue

The first Miesian skyscraper we’ve encountered, 445 Fifth Avenue was designed by Emery Roth & Sons as a condominium building and features the dark glass and bronze-colored framing elements associated with Mies Van der Rohe’s famed Seagram Building on Park Avenue.  Until recently the first two floors were framed with wretched PoMo “neo-classical” details: these… Continue reading