666 FifthAvenue

An aluminum panel-clad monolith completed in 1957 to designs by Carson & Lundin, 666 Fifth Avenue’s address once blazed devilishly from the upper stories in the form of a gigantic neon sign.  Interior treatments of the unique open-ended T-shaped lobby included an interior wwaterfall by artist Isamu Noguchi, while the celebrated “Top of the Sixes”… Continue reading

572 Fifth Avenue and 574 Fifth Avenue

Two neighboring buildings, one recently shorn of all exterior detail, the other currently under construction: we’ll be taking a closer look at 572 Fifth Avenue and 574 Fifth Avenue when the netting comes down. 574 Fifth Avenue has a Flemish Renaissance exterior that is rivaled on Fifth Avenue only by 166 Fifth Avenue in the… Continue reading

554 Fifth Avenue & 556 Fifth Avenue

One of the most bizarre architectural remnants of Gilded Age New York, 556 Fifth Avenue was constructed in 1912 to designs by New York Public Library architects Carrere & Hastings for the prestigious Knoedler Gallery, one of city’s oldest such institutions. Acquired by the Philippines government after Knoedler moved further uptown, in 1974 the façade… Continue reading

555 Fifth Avenue

An intriguing building, 555 Fifth Avenue was originally designed in 1955 by Emery Roth & Sons and was a simple Mid-Century building similar to 529 Fifth Avenue.  Redesigned in 1993 by architect Der Scutt, the building was transformed, according to The New York Times, by “Caledonia gray flame-finished granite, mocha-colored semi-circular elements, sandstone aluminum panels… Continue reading

550 Fifth Avenue

Currently lurking under construction netting, 550 Fifth Avenue was built in 1910 for the Montross Gallery.  One of the city’s most distinguished such venues, the gallery showed such French and American artists as Cezanne, Matisse, Man Ray and Charles Sheeler; its handsome Beaux Arts home has since suffered mutilation at the lower two floors. We’ll… Continue reading