417 Fifth Avenue
The former location of Bonwitt Teller, 417 Fifth Avenue was built 1911. The original Beaux Arts shopfronts, removed from the Fifth Avenue facade, survive on the side streets.
401-409 Fifth Avenue, The Tiffany’s Building
Possibly the greatest work of commercial architecture in the history of Fifth Avenue, 401-409 Fifth Avenue, formerly the Tiffany’s Building, is a supreme achievement of the American Beaux Arts. Modeled in parts after both the great Library of Sansovino and the Palazzo Grimani by McKim, Mead & White, the building’s excellent proportions and subtle sophistication… Continue reading
393 Fifth Avenue, the Gunther Building
Designed to fit in with the Tiffany Building immediately to the north, 393 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Gunther Building, was a major center of the luxury fur trade for many decades, capitalizing on the clientele of both its jeweler neighbor and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which stood nearby on the site of the… Continue reading
391 Fifth Avenue
A sensible Beaux Arts building with an altered ground floor, 391 Fifth Avenue is notable as a surviving work by the architect Randolph H. Almiroty whose most famed building in New York City was undoubtedly the recently demolished Rizzoli’s bookstore, originally designed for the Sohmer Piano Company. 391 Fifth Avenue is at least extant but… Continue reading
390 Fifth Avenue, The Gorham Building
Along with the Tiffany’s Building a block to the north, 390 Fifth Avenue is one of McKim, Mead & White’s best commercial works. A stolid yet refined palazzo structure capped by an exquisite copper cornice, the building was designed for the famed Gorham Silver Company and features cartouches and decorative elements designed by Gorham’s own… Continue reading