Category Archives: Manhattan

Manhattan

West Chelsea

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Chelsea began in 1750 as a single estate, extending from what is now 28th Street south to 19th Street, and from the Hudson River east to Eighth Avenue. West Chelsea, the area bordering the Hudson River, became a massive warehousing district due to its proximity to Hudson River piers, freight yards and rail lines along Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. Now the piers have been converted to other uses and the last rail line was converted to The High Line park.

West Chelsea has a wide range of architectural styles. You’ll find modern landmarks such as the IAC Building (2007) and 100 Eleventh Avenue (2009) just seven blocks south of Starrett-Lehigh Building (1931) and Terminal Warehouse (1891).

(For NewYorkitecture.com’s purposes, we are defining West Chelsea as the area between W 28th Street and W 15th Street west of The High Line.)

Two massive full-block structures anchor the landmark district: Central Stores and Starrett-Lehigh Building. Outside the Landmarks Commission district – but certainly modern landmarks – are the IAC Building and neighboring 100 Eleventh Avenue.

Central Stores, Terminal Warehouse Company is actually 25 separate buildings between W 27th and W 28th Streets, from Eleventh to Twelfth Avenue. At one time, railroad tracks ran through the building, allowing transfer and storage of freight to/from trains. Modern-day uses included the Tunnel nightclub (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_%28New_York_nightclub%29). Galleries, exhibits and events are now under development.

Just across W 27th Street, neighboring Starrett-Lehigh Building is a massive warehouse and office complex. Like Terminal Warehouse, Starrett-Lehigh was built to accommodate freight trains on its ground floor (previously the location of Lehigh Valley Railroad freight yards.) See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starrett-Lehigh_Building for more details.

The headquarters of InterActive Corp. (Eleventh Avenue from W 18th to W 19th Street) was designed by modern-day “starchitect” Frank Gehry. The massive glass “sails” were described by Vanity Fair as perhaps the world’s most attractive office building. But you can’t please everyone: “AIA Guide to New York City” sniffs, “Much has been made of Gehry’s use of the computer to transform the instant gesture into architecture, but here the gesture is static.” Wikipedia’s brief entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAC_Building.

Next-door-neighbor 100 Eleventh Avenue uses layer upon layer of glass, set in steel frames – each frame different – to achieve its memorable mosaic façade. The luxury condominium apartment tower was completed in 2009. See the owner’s website: http://nouvelchelsea.com/architecture.php and the City Realty article: http://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/chelsea/100-eleventh-avenue/37641.

West Chelsea Recommended Reading

Also see High Line Park gallery.

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The Wright Stuff: Frank Lloyd Wright in NYC

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Frank Lloyd Wright is one of America’s most famous and prolific architects,* but New York City has only three projects to remember him by – and two were transplanted from the Midwest.

The landmark Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue (between 88th and 89th Streets) is instantly recognizable for its helical shape – decades ahead of its time when completed in 1959. Just a few blocks away, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Frank Lloyd Wright Room (gallery 745 on the first floor of the American Wing) preserves the living room from a 1914 home originally built in Wayzata, Minnesota for Frances W. Little. But you’ll have to trek to Staten Island to see the third project: The “Crimson Beech,” aka the William and Catherine Cass House, on Lighthouse Hill. [Note: This is a private home, please respect their privacy. You can see and photograph the front of the house from the road, but don’t trespass or expect a tour.] The house was actually prefabricated in the Midwest and shipped to Staten Island; it was completed in 1959, shortly after Wright’s death.

Frank Lloyd Wright Suggested Reading

Visiting Crimson Beech by public transit is challenging. Weekdays: From the ferry terminal on Staten Island, take Staten Island Railway to Great Kills; transfer to the S54 bus toward West New Brighton – get off where the bus turns from Arthur Kill Road onto Richmond Road (about 10 minute ride). On weekends, take the S74 bus from the ferry terminal instead of the rail/bus combo (the S54 does not run on weekends). From the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Road, walk uphill on Arthur Kill Road to Edinboro Road. This is a steep, winding route with no sidewalks and narrow shoulders – exercise caution. Oh, a little extra challenge: Edinboro Road has no street sign. Look on the right for a white sign for La Tourette Golf Course, turn right (east) there and follow the road (keep to the right) until it comes out on Rigby Avenue; turn right 1 block to Manor Court; on Manor Court, Crimson Beech will be the second house on the right, #48.**

Print the Google Map.

*In 1991 the American Institute of Architects declared Frank Lloyd Wright “the greatest American architect of all time.” In his 70-year career he designed 1,000 structures and completed 500. And what other architect has a song? (Simon and Garfunkle’s “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright.”)

**If you’ve made it all the way to Crimson Beech, you deserve a bonus: Go back up to Edinboro Road and walk east about a block to see the Staten Island Lighthouse (aka Richmond Light, aka Staten Island Range Lighthouse).

Lincoln Center

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The Lincoln Square neighborhood got its name in May 1906, but it took the Lincoln Center Redevelopment project to really put the area on the map. The 1955 public/private urban renewal project turned a slum into a cultural complex. Some fifty years later, the center was renovated and extended with the addition of less formal features, such as the Illumination Lawn and the plaza, grandstand and cafe on Broadway between West 65th and West 66th Streets.

The project’s enduring flaw is the lack of mass transit: A single subway stop – and a local stop at that – serves Lincoln Center.

Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus occupies two square blocks south of Lincoln Center; Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and Martin Luther King, Jr. High School occupy two blocks west of Lincoln Center. Capital Cities/ABC has a cluster of four buildings at Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street. Retail culture – in the form of Tower Records and Barnes and Noble – used to be Lincoln Center’s neighbors on opposite sides of Broadway at West 66th; they’ve been succeeded by Raymour & Flanigan furniture and Century 21 discount department store.

The slide show begins with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, then continues with the Lincoln Square neighborhood outside Lincoln Center.

Lincoln Square and Lincoln Center Suggested Reading

Google Map

Jefferson Market Courthouse

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Jefferson Market Courthouse (bounded by Sixth Avenue, Greenwich Avenue and W 10th Street) was completed in 1874, designed by Frederick Clarke Withers. The former Third Judicial District Courthouse is now the Jefferson Market branch of the New York Public Library.

The style is American High Victorian Gothic, faced in red brick with black brick and yellow Ohio sandstone trim. The sculpture in the pediment depicts the trial scene from “The Merchant of Venice.” The clock/bell tower originally served also as a fire watch tower (the stairstepped tower windows reveal a spiral staircase within).

The court moved out in 1958; local preservationists campaigned to have the building saved as a library, and the New York Public Library agreed in 1961. The building reopened in 1967.

Source: “Guide to New York City Landmarks, Fourth Edition,” New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

This is where Harry Thaw was tried for the assassination of prominent architect Stanford White. Coincidentally, White’s firm – McKim, Mead and White – designed 11 branches of the New York Public Library.

Jefferson Market Courthouse Vital Statistics
  • Location: 425 Sixth Avenue at W 10th Street
  • Year completed: 1874
  • Architect: Frederick Clarke Withers
  • Floors: 6
  • Style: American High Victorian Gothic
  • New York City Landmark: 1969 (part of Greenwich Village Historic District)
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1972
Jefferson Market Courthouse Suggested Reading

Google Map

Fred F French Building

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The Fred F. French building was constructed in 1926-27 as headquarters of real estate developer Frederick Fillmore French (who built Tudor City, among other projects). French’s own architect, H. Douglas Ives, collaborated with John Sloan (Sloan & Robertson) to create the Art Deco-cum-Babylonian design. Setbacks are outlined in colorful terra cotta; the massive top panels are of faience, a more expensive glazed version.

The building’s lobby and Fifth Avenue vestibule are small but stunning for their rich colors and gilding. At this writing (August 2012) the ground floor retail space is being renovated for a Tommy Bahama store – one hopes that the storefronts will be in character with the building. The 38-floor French Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and became a New York City landmark in 1986.

Sad Admission Department: For many years, I worked one block away from this building and never noticed it.

Fred F. French Building Vital Statistics
  • Location: 551 Fifth Avenue at E 45th Street
  • Year completed: 1927
  • Architect: H. Douglas Ives and John Sloan
  • Floors: 38
  • Style: Art Deco
  • New York City Landmark: 1986
  • National Register of Historic Places: 2004
Fred F. French Building Suggested Reading

Google Map

Fifth Avenue Swath

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You won’t find “Fifth Avenue Swath” on any map of New York City. It is a neighborhood designation that exists only in the “AIA Guide To New York City.” In fact, if you Google “Fifth Avenue Swath,” Google will ask “Did you mean Fifth Avenue Swatch?” and display those results by default.

This section of Midtown takes in the two blocks east and two blocks west of Fifth Avenue, from Central Park South/East 59th Street south to 45th Street. It includes dozens of landmark hotels, churches and commercial buildings – including famed Rockefeller Center – but no Landmarks Commission-designated historic districts.

You’ll find that this is one of the richest sections of New York, architecturally speaking, with every style from Renaissance to Postmodern beautifully represented. Churches, office towers, department stores and boutiques, classic hotels, museums, banks, private clubs, consulates, swank apartments and more – every block has something to savor.

The AIA Guide lists 88 significant buildings; we’ve taken the liberty of adding several others that caught our eye, and were forced to omit some buildings because they were shrouded with scaffolding at the time. As a result, this gallery includes 117 structures.

These are the buildings listed in the “AIA Guide to New York City,” where you can find additional details. The buildings listed in italic are not pictured in the gallery.

1. Rockefeller Center
A. 1270 Sixth Avenue Building
B. Radio City Music Hall
C. GE Building (ex RCA Building)
D. British Building – 620 Fifth Ave
E. La Maison Francaise – 610 Fifth Ave
F. Palazzo d’Italia – 626 Fifth Ave
G. International Building (630 Fifth Avenue) / International Building North (636 Fifth Avenue)
H. 1 Rockefeller Plaza (Time & Life Building)
I. Associated Press Building – 45 Rockefeller Plaza
J. 10 Rockefeller Plaza
K. Simon & Schuster Building – 1230 Sixth Ave
L. Warner Communications Building – 15 W51 Street
M. 600 Fifth Avenue
N. Celanese Building – 1211 Sixth Ave
O. McGraw-Hill Building – 1221 Sixth Ave
P. Exxon Building – 1251 Sixth Ave
Q. Time & Life Building – 1271 Sixth Ave
R. Sperry Corporation Building – 1290 Sixth Ave
2. The Centria Apartments – 18 W48 Street
3. Swiss Center Building – 608 Fifth Ave
4. TGI Fridays – 604 Fifth Ave
5. Benetton (now Sephora) – 597 Fifth Ave
6. Bank of America – 592 Fifth Ave
7. 575 Fifth Avenue
8. Fred F. French Building – 551 Fifth Ave
9. 360 Madison Avenue
10. 383 Madison Avenue
11. Saks Fifth Avenue – 611 Fifth Ave
12. Cohen Brothers Tower – 10 E50 Street
13. St Patrick’s Cathedral Complex / A. Cardinal’s Residence / B. Lady Chapel
14. A. 451-457 Madison Avenue / B. New York Palace Hotel
15. The Urban Center – 457 Madison Ave
16. 488 Madison Avenue
17. Olympic Tower – 645 Fifth Ave
18. 11 East 51st Street
19. Versace – 647 Fifth Ave
20. Austrian Cultural Institute – 11 E52
21. 666 Fifth Avenue
22. Donnell Library – 20 W53
23. The Museum of Television and Radio – 23 W52
24. Paramount Group Building – 31 W 52
25. CBS Building – 51 W52
26. American Folk Art Museum – 45 W53
27. Museum Tower – 21 W53
28. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)- 11 W53
29. St. Thomas Church and Parish House – 1 W 53
30. Samuel Paley Plaza (Paley Park) – 3 E53
31. 527 Madison Avenue
32. 535 Madison Avenue
33. 4 E54 – originally William H Moore House
34. Aeolian Building / Elizabeth Arden Building – 689-691 Fifth Avenue
35. University Club – 1 W54
36. 5 W54 – originally Moses Allen and Alice Dunning Starr House
37. 7 West 54 – originally Philip Lehman House
38. U.S. Trust Company – 9-11 W54
39. 13-15 W54
40. Rockefeller Apartments – 17 W54
41. Privatbanken Building – 20 W55
42. The Peninsula (ex Gotham)
43. St. Regis – 2 E55
44. Fifth Ave Presbyterian Church
45. SONY Building (originally AT&T HQ) – 550 Madison Ave
46. 717 Fifth Ave – originally Corning Glass Building
47. Henri Bendel Building – 712-714 Fifth Ave
48. 712 Fifth Avenue Building
49. 10 W56 – Felissimo (ex-Frederick C and Birdsall Otis Edey House)
50. Consulate of Argentina – 12-14 W56th Street
51. Oma Norma Kamali – 11 W56
52. 30 W56 – originally Henry Seligman House
53. Trump Tower – 725 Fifth Avenue
54. 590 Madison Avenue – originally IBM Building
55. Four Seasons Hotel – 57 E57th Street
56. Fuller Building – 41 E57th Street
57. LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy) Tower – 19 E57th Street
58. The Chanel Building – 15 E57th Street
59. 3 E57th Street – former L.P. Hollander & Co. Building
60. The Crown Building – 730 Fifth Avenue (former Heckscher Building)
61. 9 W57th Street / Brasserie 8-1/2
62. 29 W57th Street – Curtiss-Wright Building, originally Ampico Building
63. Rizzoli Bookshop – 31 W57th Street
64. Louis Vuitton – 1 E57th Street
65. 745 Fifth Avenue – ex Squibb Building
66. Delmonico Plaza – 55 E59th Street
67. 650 Madison Avenue – ex C.I.T. Building
68. 5 E59th Street – one-time Playboy Club
69. General Motors Building – 767 Fifth Avenue
70. Plaza Hotel – 768 Fifth Avenue
71. The Plaza/Grand Army Plaza

The additional buildings pictured (but not listed in the “AIA Guide to New York City”) are:

72. Sherry Netherland
73. Christ Church
74. Swedish Church Center
75. Roosevelt Hotel
76. The Warwick
77. Hotel Elysee
78. Gotham Hotel
79. New York Hilton
80. Apple Store
81. Pop Burger
82. 605 Madison Avenue
83. 5 E57th Street
84. 6 E57th Street – Niketown
85. Tiffani & Co. – 727 Fifth Avenue
86. Harry Winston – 718 Fifth Avenue
87. Phantom of Broadway – 581 Fifth Avenue
88. 545 Fifth Avenue
89. Uncle Jack’s – 44 W56th Street
90. 575 Madison Avenue
91. 35 W54th Street
92. 551 Madison Avenue
93. UBS Building – 1285 Sixth Avenue
94. Credit Lyonnais – 1301 Sixth Avenue
95. 650 Fifth Avenue
96. 39 E51st Street
97. Tower 49
98. 380 Madison Avenue
99. 546 Fifth Avenue
100. 7 W45th Street
101. 555 Fifth Avenue
102. 21 W46th Street
103. 33 W46th Street
104. 14 E60th Street
105. 57 W57th Street
106. 625 Madison Avenue
107. 640 Fifth Avenue
108. Winston Building
109. Trump Parc
110. Trump Parc East
111. Metropolitan Club – 1 E60th Street
112. 21 Club – 21 W52nd Street
113. 18-20 E50th Street
114. The Harmonie Club – 4 E60th Street
115. LOVE – sculpture at Sixth Avenue and W55th Street

Other Resources

AIA Guide: p. 325.

The Corinthian

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The Corinthian condominiums on East 38th Street isn’t a landmark structure – yet – but it is certainly one of New York’s most distinctive buildings, residential or otherwise. The 57-story* “bundled tubes” design creates enormous semi-circular bay windows on all five (yes, five) asymmetrical sides arranged to maximize everyone’s view; private balconies are nestled between the tubes. (Google’s satellite view reveals The Corinthian’s unique shape.)

The full-block site is lavishly landscaped – even the roof has gardens; a fountain cascades in front of the grand entry; a public plaza forms the First Avenue border. The park-like setting isn’t mere decoration – The Corinthian sits at the entrance to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and the greenery minimizes the sights and sounds of traffic. (The East Side Airlines Terminal stood here prior to 1987: the location was ideal for quick exits to La Guardia and JFK airports.)

The development’s other amenities include an indoor swimming pool, underground garage, fitness club with running track and outdoor sun deck.

The amenities, location, views and luxurious design come at a price, naturally. According to City Realty’s listing, apartments cost from $545,000 (studio) to $5.85 million (5BR), depending on floor and exposure.

The Corinthian was designed by Michael Schimenti and Der Scutt Architects, built in 1987 and opened in 1988.

* Depending on the source, the height of The Corinthian is 54, 55 or 57 stories; we’re using the height reported in the owner’s website.

The Corinthian Vital Statistics
  • Location: 330 E 38th Street (off First Avenue)
  • Year completed: 1988
  • Architect: Michael Schimenti and Der Scutt Architects
  • Floors: 57
  • Style: Postmodern
The Corinthian Suggested Reading

Google Map

Chrysler Building

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Volumes have already been written about the Chrysler Building, so I’ll keep this short.

The Chrysler Building is among the very few landmarks that define New York City’s skyline. It’s the unmistakable DNA marker that – like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty – proclaims “New York.”

Besides being unique, the Chrysler Building is beautiful. The silhouette, the crown, the setbacks, the gargoyles, the brickwork, the detailing are all beautiful. There is so much complexity and subtlety at work – such as the black brick accents at the corners that accentuate the building’s vertical lines.

Here are a few facts, with links to a wealth of fascinating articles, and my humble addition to the building’s ever-growing photographic record.

Browse
Chrysler Building Fast Facts
  • The Chrysler Building began life as the Reynolds Building – a project for real estate developer and former New York State senator William H. Reynolds.
  • The Chrysler Building was never owned or financed by the Chrysler Corporation – it was the personal project of Walter P. Chrysler.
  • The land under the Chrysler Building is owned by Cooper Union; the architect – William Van Alen – studied at Pratt.
  • The Chrysler Building and Manhattan Building (40 Wall Street, now the Trump Building) competed for “tallest” designation; their architects, William Van Alen and H. Craig Severance, had been partners before they became competitors.
  • Van Alen had to sue Walter Chrysler to collect his fee; he won, but the suit wrecked his career. After designing one of the most famous buildings of all time, Van Alen wound up teaching sculpture.
  • The Chrysler Building is now part of the “Chrysler Center,” managed by Tishman-Speyer, which also includes Chrysler East and Chrysler Trylons.
  • Chrysler Center is now 90% owned by Abu Dhabi Investment Council
Chrysler Building Vital Statistics
  • Location: 405 Lexington Avenue between E 42nd and E 43rd Streets
  • Year completed: 1930
  • Architect: William Van Alen
  • Floors: 77
  • Style: Art Deco
  • New York City Landmark: 1978
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1976
Chrysler Building Suggested Reading

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Beekman Tower Hotel

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Originally known as Panhellenic Tower, the 28-story Beekman Tower Hotel was conceived by the New York Chapter of the Panhellenic Association in 1921 as a 14-story residence for female college grads. The association of Greek-letter college sororities wanted to provide affordable housing for women who were just entering the workforce in the years after World War I.

The building was completed in 1929 – delayed until the association raised enough money (through stock and mortgage) to buy land and build. The architect, John Mead Howells, also designed Pratt’s Memorial Hall and Columbia’s St. Paul’s Chapel. However, Howells was the Panhellenic Association’s second choice: Their original architect, Donn Barber, died before the land was purchased.

The building’s name changed to Beekman Tower Hotel and its clientele changed to include men during the 1930s, to stay viable through the Depression.

The lighter-colored bricks seen today are the result of repairs in 1996-97; originally the tower had a uniform orange-tan color. The deeply recessed columns of windows give the building its strong vertical lines. The glassed-in “Top of the Tower” enclosure was added in 1959.

While cited as an example of Art Deco architecture, the building’s decoration is relatively sparse (compared to other NY examples such as Rockefeller Center, Chanin Building and Chrysler Building). Greek-letter tiles on the ground floor reveal the hotel’s sorority lineage.

Beekman Tower Hotel Vital Statistics
  • Location: 3 Mitchell Place at First Avenue
  • Year completed: 1929
  • Architect: John Mead Howells
  • Floors: 28
  • Style: Art Deco
  • New York City Landmark: 1998
Beekman Tower Hotel Suggested Reading

Google Map

General Electric Building

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The General Electric Building (like the GE Building in Rockefeller Center) was originally designed for RCA-Victor (the merged Radio Corporation of America and Victor Talking Machine Corporation) in 1929. RCA wanted a headquarters building to express the company’s identity.

Architects Cross & Cross designed a 50-story Gothic/Art Deco tower rich in electricity/radio wave symbolism to convey RCA’s corporate identity. The brick and terra cotta design was crafted to blend in with its neighbors on the block, St. Bartholomew’s Church to the west and (St. Patrick’s) Cathedral High School to the south. (The high school has since been replaced.)

While the building was under construction, RCA negotiated independence from parent General Electric – and a move to an even bigger headquarters in Rockefeller Center. As part of the settlement, General Electric took over the tower at Lexington Avenue and E51st Street. Luckily, the electric bolts and radio waves also worked for GE’s identity. Only the logo on the corner clock seems to have been changed!

The General Electric Building was completed in December 1931; in the mid-1980s the windows were replaced. The building achieved NYC landmark status in July 1985. In 1995 the building was donated to Columbia University, which extensively restored the structure – notably the lobby. Entered into the National Register of Historic Places in January 2004.

General Electric Building Vital Statistics
  • Location: 570 Lexington Avenue at E 51st Street
  • Year completed: 1931
  • Architect: Cross & Cross
  • Floors: 50
  • Style: Art Deco
  • New York City Landmark: 1985
  • National Register of Historic Places: 2004
General Electric Building Suggested Reading
  • Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report
  • Docomomo entry (Docomomo stands for the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement)

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