718 Fifth Avenue
A haughty little cube that suggests the Italian architecture of the 1930’s, 718 Fifth Avenue’s current appearance actually dates to 1960 when the building was redone for Harry Winston by the French architect Jacques Régnault in travertine. The prior treatment was an uncompromising piece of Art Moderne by William and Geoffrey Platt for the Corning… Continue reading
712 Fifth Avenue
A breakthrough concession to preservation, 712 Fifth Avenue is a tall limestone tower that incorporates two beautiful small commercial buildings at its base alongside an entry façade that mimics the Beaux Arts style so completely that many see it as another historic feature. Constructed in 1990 through 1992 to designs by architectural firm Kohn Pedersen… Continue reading
693 Fifth Avenue
Called “the best Postmodern building in the city” by architectural historian Carter B. Horsley, 693 Fifth Avenue was designed by Johnson & Burgee for the Japanese department store Takashimaya. Completed in 1993, the building provided a robustly contextual solution to the gap that previously existed between two of Midtown’s most refined buildings, the Elizabeth Arden… Continue reading
650 Fifth Avenue
Designed by John Carl Warnecke for the Pahlavi Foundation, a non-profit run by the Shah of Iran, 650 Fifth Avenue was at the center of a dramatic international legal battle when the Islamic Republic of Iran sought ownership of the building along with the deposed Shah’s other property. A versatile architect who pioneered contextualism, Carl… Continue reading
592 Fifth Avenue
A rare example of a relatively recent high-style design fallen far from grace: 592 Fifth Avenue, originally a 1911 Carrere & Hastings building, was reclad in 1964 in the luxurious proto-Post Modern mode established by architects such as Edward Durrell Stone and Phillip Johnson. The most infamous example of the style, Stone’s former museum building… Continue reading