The Coty Building is a building at 714
Fifth Avenue in the
Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The six-story building contains a French-inspired
facade and
mansard roof, which are integrated into the base of the adjoining skyscraper at
712 Fifth Avenue. The third through fifth floors contain 276 decorative glass panes, the only documented architectural work by
René Lalique
René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments.
Life
Lalique' ...
in the United States.
Built as a
brownstone rowhouse in 1871, it was redesigned in 1907–1908 by architect
Woodruff Leeming. It was commissioned by owner and real estate investor
Charles A. Gould, who, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone. Upon its completion in 1910, the building was leased to perfumer
François Coty
François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a ...
, who occupied the building until 1941. During the mid-20th century, the building had a variety of tenants. With the development of 712 Fifth Avenue, the Coty Building was proposed for demolition in the early 1980s. The Coty Building's facade was preserved in 1985 as a
New York City designated landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
. The Coty Building's original interiors were completely removed, and the skyscraper was completed behind the older facade in 1990.
Architecture
The design of the Coty Building's six-story
facade dates to a 1907–1908 renovation from
Woodruff Leeming.
The facade is a glass wall surrounded by a frame. The first two stories have
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
-faced
piers and a
cornice supported by
corbel brackets; they are treated as a single continuous section of the facade. The third through fifth stories are also treated as a single wall of glass, surrounded by a limestone frame with
architrave motif at the top and bellflower pendants motifs on each side.
Cast-steel spandrel
A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
s are above the third and fourth stories.
There are five vertical bays of windows, separated by thin vertical steel
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
s. The general
articulation remains unchanged from its original construction, although the original
casement windows were removed and replaced with windows by
René Lalique
René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments.
Life
Lalique' ...
.
These windows comprise the only documented Lalique architectural work in the United States. Each bay consists of a multi-paned casement separated by a
transom. The central bays contain clear glass, though decorative glass is located in the side bays. There is an arched, scallop-shaped
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
with small brackets above the third floor. Each pane is about thick, surrounded by metal frames; the exterior of each frame is raised.
There are 276 panes in total, each measuring .
The third- through fifth-story facade contains intertwining vine and flower designs, which according to the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
are tulips. The top floor is set off by a
modillioned
cornice with console brackets supporting a
balustrade. The sloping metal-covered roof with its arched
dormers allowed the building to harmonize with its neighbors.
Originally, 714 Fifth Avenue contained a storefront on its ground story and offices on the other stories. During the development of the skyscraper at
712 Fifth Avenue in the late 1980s, all of the original interiors were removed.
A four-story atrium was installed behind the facade of the Coty Building.
A
Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895, was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances and gifts. Its New York Ci ...
store was built on the lower stories of the atrium.
The store was designed with iron-railed balconies surrounding the atrium,
and it was arranged so all stories of the building could have a direct view of the atrium.
History
Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and
Central Park South
59th Street is a crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from York Avenue and Sutton Place on the East Side of Manhattan to the West Side Highway on the West Side. The three-block portion between Columbus Circle an ...
(59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century. 714 Fifth Avenue was built in 1871 as a
brownstone rowhouse, one of several on the western side of Fifth Avenue between 55th and 56th streets.
By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area. The Coty Building, along with the
Gorham,
Tiffany,
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...
, and
Demarest buildings, is among the few surviving stores that were erected for smaller retailers on Fifth Avenue during the early 20th century.
Early and mid-20th century
By the first decade of the 20th century, owner and real estate investor
Charles A. Gould, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone. Consequently, in 1907, architect
Woodruff Leeming was hired to remodel the house.
Donald M. Mitchell received the general contract to remodel the town house, A side extension was to be erected at the rear, one story was to be added over the main building, and the interior would be renovated with electric lighting, an electric passenger elevator, partitions, and plumbing fixtures.
The ''Real Estate Record and Guide'' wrote in December 1908 that the remodeled building had "a maximum of light and air on each floor, the general composition being good and at the same time securing the effect of proper supports for the upper stories by means of the side piers carried all the way down to the sidewalk level".
![5th_Av_Nov_2020_12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/5th_Av_Nov_2020_12.jpg)
In 1910, the building was leased to perfumer
François Coty
François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a ...
, who used it as the U.S. headquarters of
Coty, Inc.
Coty Inc. is an American-French multinational beauty company founded in 1904 by François Coty. With its subsidiaries, it develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes fragrances, cosmetics, skin care, nail care, and both professional and re ...
Coty commissioned jeweler and glass maker
René Lalique
René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments.
Life
Lalique' ...
to design a wall of glass windows. Lalique created a
Art Nouveau-style composition of panes of glass decorated with flower vines, large enough to go from the third through fifth floors.
The renovated building hosted exhibitions such as a 1910 exhibit to spread awareness of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
, as well as a 1914 benefit for the Committee of Mercy. Around 1921, Shoecraft Inc. leased some space in the building, where it remained for twenty years. In 1926, Coty moved the company's offices to 423 West 55th Street, retaining only the company showroom at 714 Fifth Avenue. The sixth floor was then leased to photographer Jay T. E. Winburn,
while the fifth floor was leased to tailor Berkley R. Merwin Inc.
The building was owned by Gould until his death in 1926. His estate auctioned off its properties in January 1927, during which the building was purchased by
Robert E. Dowling for $710,000. Coty's original lease extended until 1931 and was renewed until 1951. However, Coty Inc. remained at 714 Fifth Avenue only until 1941, when it moved the showroom to 423 West 55th Street.
Also in 1941, Fareco Inc. bought the building from Dowling's City Investing Company for $675,000.
The sale was made on behalf of the Coty interests.
Women's apparel firm Kargere Inc. took the ground-floor storefront and the basement space in 1942.
Harry Winston then owned the building until 1964, when the Transportation Corporation of America acquired it.
Hooks & Wax was hired to remodel the building for the Transportation Corporation's subsidiaries, which included
Trans Caribbean Airways
Trans Caribbean Airways was a United States airline owned by O. Roy Chalk. Its hub was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1945, it was acquired by American Airlines in 1971. Its headquarters was located at 714 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, Ne ...
,
DC Transit System,
International Railways of Central America
Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run.
History
Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San ...
, and Spanish-language newspaper
El Diario La Prensa
''El Diario Nueva York'' is the largest and the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-in ...
.
The Transportation Corporation was owned by
O. Roy Chalk, who sold Trans Caribbean Airways to
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
in 1971 but continued to maintain his offices at 714 Fifth Avenue.
Chalk sold the building in 1978 to Juschi Realty for $2.6 million. Chalk retained his third-floor offices while Juschi International opened a luxury women's sportswear and accessories shop on the basement and first, second, and fourth stories.
By the early 1980s, a doctor living in Germany owned 714 Fifth Avenue, and an electronics store occupied the ground story.
Preservation
![5th_Av_Jun_2021_241](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/5th_Av_Jun_2021_241.jpg)
In 1983, developer David S. Solomon began planning a 44-story office skyscraper at the southwest corner of 56th Street and Fifth Avenue. Since neither the Coty Building nor the adjacent
Rizzoli Building at 712 Fifth Avenue were designated as official landmarks, he intended to replace them.
The owners of Steadsol Fifth Associates, a consortium of which Solomon was part, bought both buildings in 1984 with the intent of demolishing them.
714 Fifth Avenue's owner agreed to sell his structure in return for a stake in the new skyscraper.
The grimy windows caught the attention of architectural historian
Andrew Dolkart
Andrew Scott Dolkart is a professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and the former Director of the school's Historic Preservation Program. Professor Dolkart i ...
, who found that the Coty Building's windows were the only documented architectural work by René Lalique in the United States. The
Municipal Art Society
The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city.
The organization was ...
advocated for the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
to give the building official-landmark status,
and both were designated in early 1985.
Due to a lack of communication between the
New York City Department of Buildings
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) is the department of the New York City government that enforces the city's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, licenses, registers and disciplines certain construction ...
and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, alteration permits for the Coty and Rizzoli Buildings were initially approved in spite of the designations.
The Coty and Rizzoli Buildings were given 24-hour police protection because of fears they could be demolished. Steadsol Fifth Associates later had its alteration permits for the Coty Building revoked. The Landmarks Preservation Commission also approved a Certificate of Appropriateness that allowed the new skyscraper,
712 Fifth Avenue, to be erected behind the existing buildings. The skyscraper thus had to be built with the Coty Building at its base, incorporating the old facades in the design. Steadsol Fifth Associates, which was developing the skyscraper, had its alteration permits for the Coty Building revoked following the landmark designations.
Over the years, the building's Lalique windows had gradually become covered by grime.
In 1986, the Greenland Studio in Manhattan removed all 276 panels from the facade for renovation.
Of these, 46 panels were replaced with replicas made by Jon Smiley Glass Studios in Philadelphia. In 1990,
Beyer Blinder Belle
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP (BBB) is an international architecture firm. It is based in New York City and has an additional office in Washington, DC. The firm's name is derived from the three founding partners: John H. Beyer, Ri ...
restored the facade for the opening of Henri Bendel's flagship store in New York City. Inside, the former Coty offices were removed and the atrium was added.
Further restoration occurred in 2000, after water erosion had caused some of the steel frames to expand, cracking ten panes. One author wrote, "This type of hybrid preservation
..with a balance between development and preservation is politically and economically essential in modern cities." The Henri Bendel store behind the Coty Building's facade closed at the end of 2018,and jeweler
Harry Winston
Harry Winston (March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchan ...
leased the space in 2020.
See also
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References
Further reading
*
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*
External links
Image of the block circa 1980, Collections of the Museum of the City of New York by Edmund Vincent Gillon
{{Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue
Corporate headquarters in the United States
New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
Commercial buildings in Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Art Nouveau architecture in New York City
Commercial buildings completed in 1910