2366 Fifth Avenue, the 369th Regiment Armory

It seems fitting that we should close our tour of Fifth Avenue with one of the street’s best buildings, the massive 369th Regiment Armory at 2366 Fifth Avenue, home to the Harlem Hellfighters, the nation’s first all-African-American military regiment and a distinguished company with service in WWI and WWII. The history of this amazing troop… Continue reading

2266 Fifth Avenue, the Lincolnton Station

The United States Post Office (Lincolnton Station) at 2266 Fifth Avenue is typical of public architecture in New York City in the decades following WWII, which is to say unshowy and sensible but dull.  Some care has been taken with the brickwork.

9-11 West 124th Street, The New York Public Library, Harlem Branch

Standing at 9-11 West 124th Street, the Harlem Branch of the New York Public Library is one of the numerous handsome branch libraries erected by the organization in the years during the construction of its main building at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.  An elegant design by McKim, Mead & White, it balances austere detail… Continue reading

830 Fifth Avenue, The Central Park Arsenal

Predating both the Upper East Side and Central Park itself, the Central Park Arsenal dates to 1847 and is the second oldest structure in Central Park after the Blockhouse Fort of 1814.  Designed by Martin E. Lawrence, the building is an early example in the United States of the Romantic Revival applied to a large… Continue reading

The New York Public Library, Main Branch

A major work of the American Beaux Arts and the largest marble building in the US at the time of its completion, the Main Branch of the New York Public Library was built in 1898 through 1911 to designs by Carrere & Hastings, with the sculptor Frederick MacMonnies overseeing the sculptural program.  The imposing façade,… Continue reading