78 Fifth Avenue
78 Fifth Avenue’s handsome façade is obscured but not defaced by the addition of fire escapes – possibly the only time these life-saving devices are visible to this extent on Fifth Avenue. The detailing on the uppermost floors strikes a curiously old-fashioned note, with rounded hood molds redolent of the Italianate detailing of a previous generation…. Continue reading
61 Fifth Avenue
The first new residential building on this stretch of Fifth since the 1950s, 61 Fifth Avenue is also possibly the only one designed by a woman. The design by architect Alta Indelman replaces the fire-ravaged former Schrafft’s restaurant of 1938 with a sedate new structure that references the neighborhood’s aesthetic. The enormous double-floor studio windows are a nice touch,… Continue reading
Just Off Fifth: 12 – 26 East 8th Street
Located directly behind the looming tower of One Fifth Avenue, this surreal stretch of stucco fantasy is unique in the Village and perhaps the city. 12 – 26 East 8th Street began as a series of Greek Revival townhouses constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, similar to those that still face Washington Square North. In… Continue reading