689 Fifth Avenue
- Architect
- Warren and Wetmore
- Year
- 1927
- Style
- Neoclassical
- City
- Manhattan, NY
689 Fifth Avenue, originally the Aeolian Building and later the Elizabeth Arden Building, was designed by Warren and Wetmore and constructed from 1925 to 1927 for iron and steel magnate Charles A. Gould, who died before its completion. His daughter, Celia Gould Milne, bought the finished building at auction in 1927.
the building
Setback massing. The fifteen-story building occupies nearly the whole lot through its first nine stories before stepping back at the 10th, 12th, and 14th floors as required by the 1916 Zoning Resolution, with a rounded corner facing Fifth Avenue and 54th Street.
the style
The neoclassical design carries French Renaissance Revival details, faced in Indiana limestone with Italian marble spandrels and buff-colored terracotta on the upper stories, finished with urns, garlands, and a lantern-topped mechanical penthouse.
More on Neoclassicalthe architect
Warren and Wetmore designed the building in 1927, working in the neoclassical idiom typical of the firm's commercial commissions of the period.
significance
689 Fifth Avenue is a designated New York City Landmark.
nearby
- St. Regis Hotel
- 19 East 54th Street
- William H. and Ada S. Moore House
- AT&T Corporate Headquarters Building (later Sony Plaza, now 550 Madison Avenue)
- University Club
- Bonwit Teller Building