CONTEMPORARY NY
PICT0266.JPG (40478 bytes) New York Architecture Images- Midtown

461 FIFTH AVENUE BLDG

architect

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 

location

461 5th Avenue (northeast corner of E40th Street)  

date

1988

style

Postmodern

construction

25 floors 

type

Office Building
 

 

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images

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notes

At first sight, when you look at this rather strange building, you think it is an ancient one which was hollowed out, eviscerated, and refilled with a new turquoise blue glass tower. But you're wrong: the 461 is a pure eighties Postmodern work. If we except the rounded corner made of glass, the 8-story base is literally a subtile pastiche of the ending XIXth century style, with intersected vertical and horizontal lines, framing the windows, and ended by heavy cornices. From there rises a semi-cylindric glass tower, enframed on each corner by square columns of the same style as the base, connected by impressive neo-classical bracing girders. A real success, in keeping with its environment. 

contact

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