535 Fifth Avenue, The Ruppert Building

A subdued work that suggests the Colonial Revival writ extra large, 535 Fifth Avenue, the Ruppert Building, was designed by H. Craig Severance in 1930.  It is one of three similarly proportioned buildings on its side of Fifth Avenue, neighbored by the Lefcourt Building to the south and the Fred F. French Building to the north.

While it is considered today by most as a handsome example of its type, 535 Fifth Avenue was at the center of a major lawsuit upon its completion when The New Yorker’s architectural critic wrote that the central tower had “the grace of an overgrown grain elevator” and Severance sued the magazine.  The architect won his case, and The New Yorker published a retraction.

Tags: Colonial Revival, H. Craig Severance, Skyscrapers