1 East 57th Street

1 East 57^th Street is a 15-story building by Cross & Cross much-altered by a grotesque store, now thankfully gone, that featured a mannequin of – no, really – Superman pushing a partially exterior elevator up and down the façade.  What remains retains some residual idea of the classical style of the 1930 design – but not much.

The building replaced the famed Mary Mason Jones House, itself known as 1 East 57th Street and the southernmost of a row of mansions known as Marble Row.  Developed by Mrs. Jones herself, the row was credited with introducing French taste to New York City’s domestic architecture and bringing the end of the brownstone age.

Tags: Cross & Cross, Eyesores