509 Fifth Avenue

509 Fifth Avenue was designed in 1917 by author and architect Herman Lee Meader, one of New York’s most eccentric and original architects.  An early admirer of Mayan, Aztec and Native American aesthetic and archeological forms, Meader incorporated them into a series of buildings such as The Cliff Dwelling (243 Riverside Drive) and the B…. Continue reading

411 Fifth Avenue

Having graced the avenue with the singular Louis Sullivan-meets-Barry Lyndon design at 404 Fifth Avenue, Warren & Wetmore pulled out similar stops for 411 Fifth Avenue, one of the city’s most ebullient and bizarre structures. Finished in 1915, a classic Chicago School building is frosted with lavish terra cotta cartouches, busts, floral ornament and relief… Continue reading

404 Fifth Avenue, The Stewart Building

404 Fifth Avenue is a wonderful amalgam of the Chicago School with 18th Century English taste.  Also known as the Stewart Building, this beautifully crisp Sullivan-style skyscraper is finished in terra cotta ornament that recalls the blue-and-white “jasper-work” of Josiah Wedgwood, here reproduced with an extravagant surety that renders the classical motifs newly abstract.  Warren & Wetmore,… Continue reading

298 Fifth Avenue

One of our favorite buildings in the NoMad district, 298 Fifth Avenue dates to 1913 and is a prime example of the loft architecture that flourished at the turn of the 20th Century.  A boldly stark design of Chicago School windows and dark plum brick, 298 Fifth Avenue is an amazingly forward-thinking work of architecture… Continue reading

279 Fifth Avenue

An overlooked but sophisticated design that melds elements of the Chicago School and Art Nouveau, 279 Fifth Avenue is set to be replaced by a major new development. Originally the location of John Fredrich & Bro., a specialist importer of antique violins and musical instruments, the building has a delicate set of stained glass windows… Continue reading