720 Fifth Avenue
A well-mannered 1960s building, 720 Fifth Avenue replaced the ornate palace that once housed Duveen Galleries, one of the grandest art galleries in the city. The present building’s art holdings are confined to a series of interior murals by artist Mark Beard that celebrate the retro-athletic ideals of current tenant Abercrombie & Fitch.
717 Fifth Avenue
A sleek Mid-Century Modern addition to Midtown, 717 Fifth Avenue was designed by Harrison, Abramovitz & Abbe in 1959 for the Corning Glass Works, which was previously housed in a much smaller building directly across the street at 718 Fifth Avenue. A handsome entry in Lever House professionalism, the original plaza has, regrettably, been partially filled in…. Continue reading
680 Fifth Avenue
Like numerous nearby buildings, 680 Fifth Avenue is an attempt to suggest the austere limestone cladding of Rockefeller Center. Completed in 1957 to plans by Egger & Higgins with Marazio & Morris, it was originally known as Canada House in a transparent attempt to echo such buildings as La Mason Francaise and The British Empire… Continue reading
666 FifthAvenue
An aluminum panel-clad monolith completed in 1957 to designs by Carson & Lundin, 666 Fifth Avenue’s address once blazed devilishly from the upper stories in the form of a gigantic neon sign. Interior treatments of the unique open-ended T-shaped lobby included an interior wwaterfall by artist Isamu Noguchi, while the celebrated “Top of the Sixes”… Continue reading
529 Fifth Avenue
Like 522 Fifth Avenue directly across the street, 529 Fifth Avenue consists of the mid-century recladding of a much older building, this time a 1906 bank by noted architect Henry Ives Cobb. The result is inoffensive but not particularly memorable.