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
500 Fifth Avenue
A vertiginous stack of telescoping setbacks, 500 Fifth Avenue was designed in 1929 by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, better known for the Empire State Building at 34th Street and Fifth. As a work of purely abstract massing, 500 Fifth Avenue may be the superior design, although it is certainly helped by the removal of a… Continue reading
475 Fifth Avenue, The Farmers’ Loan & Trust Building
Constructed in 1926 as the Farmers’ Loan & Trust Building, 475 Fifth Avenue is a skyscraper design by Starrett & van Vleck, whose Lord & Taylor flagship stands just a few blocks to the south. A mish-mash of Gothic and Romanesque elements, it sports some of the avenue’s most insidious-looking gargoyles. The original crested mansard… Continue reading
461 Fifth Avenue
An exceptionally handsome Postmodern building by the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 461 Fifth Avenue was developed by the Japanese group Mitsui Fudosan. Incorporating cast stone, exposed bracing and a copper mansard roof that echoes numerous other neighboring buildings, 461 Fifth Avenue manages to be playful without being twee and is one of the… Continue reading
350 Fifth Avenue, The Empire State Building
The last building on the avenue with a NoMad address, 350 Fifth Avenue, better known as the Empire State Building, is the largest and arguably the greatest of New York’s classic Art Deco skyscrapers. A masterpiece of massing by architects Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the design is admirably austere, rising in sleek setbacks to a (never-used)… Continue reading