A course is a layer of the same unit running horizontally in a wall. It can also be defined as a continuous row of any masonry unit such as bricks , concrete masonry units (CMU), stone, shingles, tiles, etc.
92-607: 390 Fifth Avenue , also known as the Gorham Building , is an Italian Renaissance Revival palazzo -style building at Fifth Avenue and West 36th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City , United States. It was designed by McKim, Mead & White , with Stanford White as the partner in charge, and built in 1904–1906. The building was named for the Gorham Manufacturing Company ,
184-540: A limited liability company affiliated with the Schwalbe family, in 1996. Around the same time, changes were made to the storefront facade. The Dennison's Party Bazaar store subsequently became Party Bazaar and lasted through the 1990s. Menswear companies continued to occupy the building through that decade. In December 1998, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated
276-595: A Historicist example of Classical Palladianism combined with the French Renaissance, a uniquely distinctive interpretation of the Renaissance Revival style. As mentioned above, the Neo-Renaissance style was in reality an eclectic blending of past styles, which the architect selected on the whims of his patrons. In the true Renaissance era there was a division of labour between the architect, who designed
368-733: A Renaissance influence, its first flight is similar to "The staircase of the Giants" rises from the Doge's Palace Courtyard, designed when the Venetian Gothic was being uncomfortably merged with Renaissance style. Similarly to that at Mentmore, the Staircase of the Giant's terminates on to an arcaded loggia. Perhaps not ironically the Hall and Staircase at Mentmore were designed by Paxton to display furniture formerly housed in
460-492: A building were of several floors, the uppermost floor usually had small square windows representing the minor mezzanine floor of the original Renaissance designs. However, the Neo-renaissance style later came to incorporate Romanesque and Baroque features not found in the original Renaissance architecture which was often more severe in its design. John Ruskin 's panegyrics to architectural wonders of Venice and Florence in
552-475: A critic for New York Architect said that 390 Fifth Avenue was among McKim, Mead & White's "best designs [...] for a commercial edifice, both from a monumental and practical point of view". Another writer referred to the building as White's "best piece of work" as well as "perhaps the [United States'] most beautiful store building". Italian Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as " Neo-Renaissance ")
644-466: A double-height arcade running along it. The arches were supported at ground level by Ionic columns, which are made of gold-flaked Massachusetts granite. Bas-reliefs , removed by 1936, were placed in the spandrels at the top of the arcade. Andrew O'Connor sculpted the reliefs, which were made of bronze and depicted art and industry. There were three arches on the Fifth Avenue side and seven arches on
736-557: A foreclosure auction. The City Bank-Farmers Trust Company , acting as trustee for the Astor family, sold the site of 390 Fifth Avenue (but not that of 384 Fifth Avenue) in July 1949 to a syndicate represented by Frederick Fox & Co. The two lots at 384 and 390 Fifth Avenue were worth a combined $ 2.1 million, while the building was worth $ 750,000. The syndicate was identified as Spear Securities. The syndicate finalized its acquisition that August, and
828-484: A major manufacturer of sterling and silverplate, and was a successor to the former Gorham Manufacturing Company Building at 889 Broadway . The building features bronze ornamentation and a copper cornice . 390 Fifth Avenue was occupied by the Gorham Manufacturing Company between 1905 and 1923. It was then home to Russeks department store from 1924 to 1959, and then Spear Securities from 1960, who changed
920-510: A more flowing line of design than had been apparent in the earlier Gothic. The Chateau de Blois's triumphal staircase was imitated almost from the moment of its completion, and was certainly the predecessor of the "double staircase" (sometimes attributed to Leonardo da Vinci ) at the Château de Chambord just a few years later. A Grand Staircase whether based on that of Blois, or the Villa Farnese
1012-443: A profile view. Sailor : Units are laid vertically on their shortest ends with their widest edge facing the wall surface. The result is a row of bricks that looks similar to sailors manning the rail . Shiner or rowlock stretcher : Units are laid on the long narrow side with the broad face of the brick exposed. Different patterns can be used in different parts of a building, some decorative and some structural; this depends on
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#17328687142541104-591: A similar facade to the original construction, is west of the main building. Nearby buildings include The Langham, New York hotel and 404 Fifth Avenue one block north; 200 Madison Avenue to the east; the B. Altman and Company Building to the southeast; and the Tiffany & Company Building to the northeast. Before the Gorham Building was completed, the site had been occupied by the Hotel Shelburn, which by 1902
1196-744: A store at 404 Fifth Avenue) filed a lawsuit against Russeks and a bank involved in the transaction, claiming that the lease had violated Stewart & Co.'s rights to the site. A judge upheld Russeks's lease in December 1924, and the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals , dismissed the suit in 1927. P. W. Chapman & Co. placed a $ 1.5 million first mortgage loan on the building in January 1928. George H. Burr & Co. then distributed about 50,000 shares of common stock in Russeks Fifth Avenue,
1288-638: A style not always instantly recognisable as a derivative of the Renaissance. In this less obvious guise the Neo-Renaissance was to provide an important undercurrent in totalitarian architecture of various countries, notably in Stalinist architecture of the Soviet Union , as seen in some pavilions of the All-Soviet Exhibition Centre . Neo-Renaissance architecture, because of its diversity, is perhaps
1380-539: A subsidiary of Russeks that owned the building. Structural engineer David M. Oltarsh added a five-story annex to a two-story section of the Russeks building. The additional floors were suspended from the building's roof because it would have been prohibitively expensive to rebuild the foundation to support the extra weight. Russeks opened its Southern Resort Shops division within the third floor in 1930. Russeks announced in 1936 that 384 Fifth Avenue would be remodeled to complement
1472-449: A wall. String course (Belt course or Band course) : A decorative horizontal row of masonry, narrower than the other courses, that extends across the façade of a structure or wraps around decorative elements like columns. Sill course : Stone masonry courses at the windowsill, projected out from the wall. Split course : Units are cut down so they are smaller than their normal thickness. Springing course : Stone masonry on which
1564-615: Is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes. Under the broad designation Renaissance architecture 19th-century architects and critics went beyond the architectural style which began in Florence and Central Italy in the early 15th century as an expression of Renaissance humanism ; they also included styles that can be identified as Mannerist or Baroque . Self-applied style designations were rife in
1656-516: Is an outstanding ensemble of Neo-Renaissance townhouses from the last decades of the 19th century. The most famous Hungarian architect of the age, Miklós Ybl preferred Neo-Renaissance in his works. In Russia, the style was pioneered by Auguste de Montferrand in the Demidov House (1835), the first in Saint Petersburg to take "a story-by-story approach to façade ornamentation, in contrast to
1748-399: Is composed of a storefront, topped by three sets of sash windows, corresponding to the height of the base in the original building. The remaining stories are composed of six pairs of windows, one on each level. The ground-level arcade and attic loggia do not stretch around to the annex. The top of the facade contains a parapet below the original cornice. The entirety of the base originally had
1840-660: Is formed by not only the original Italian architecture but by the form in which Renaissance architecture developed in France during the 16th century. During the early years of the 16th century, the French were involved in the Italian Wars , bringing back to France not just the Renaissance art treasures as their war booty , but also stylistic ideas. In the Loire valley a wave of chateau building
1932-434: Is more in the lighter, more columned style of Ottaviano Nonni 's (named il Mascherino) staircase designed for Pope Gregory XIII at Rome's Palazzo Quirinale in 1584, thus demonstrating that architects wherever their location were selecting their Neo-Renaissance styles regardless of geography Gothic influences on both period and revived Renaissance architecture are readily apparent, first as much building occurred during
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#17328687142542024-471: Is particularly evident at Hatfield House (1607–1612), where medieval towers jostle with a large Italian cupola. This is why so many buildings of the early English Neo-Renaissance style often have more of a "castle air" than their continental European contemporaries, which can add again to the confusion with the Gothic Revival style . When the revival of Renaissance style architecture came en vogue in
2116-518: The British Raj in 1880, the façades of the 1777 Writers' building in Kolkata were redesigned in the Renaissance Revival style then popular in colonial India, though this version was remarkable in its unique design. Loggias of Serlian arches deceptively form an almost Indian appearance, yet they sit beneath a mansard roof. In what at first glance appears an Indian building, on closer examination shows
2208-495: The Gothic revival can at times be especially tricky, as both styles were simultaneously popular during the 19th century. As a consequence, a self-consciously "Neo-Renaissance" manner first began to appear c. 1840 . By 1890 this movement was already in decline. The Hague 's Peace Palace completed in 1913, in a heavy French Neo-Renaissance manner was one of the last notable buildings in this style. Charles Barry introduced
2300-755: The Palais Leuchtenberg (1817–21), by Leo von Klenze , then adopted as a state style under the reign of Ludwig I of Bavaria for such landmarks as the Alte Pinakothek (1826–36), the Konigbau wing of the Munich Residenz (1825–35), and the Bavarian State Library (1831–43). While the beginning of Neo-Renaissance period can be defined by its simplicity and severity, what came later was far more ornate in its design. This period can be defined by some of
2392-485: The Prudential Life Insurance Company placed a $ 1.2 million mortgage on the site. By the late 1950s, Russeks was reporting year-over-year losses. James Kassner took over the store around 1957 and remodeled it twice, but the small selling floors remained unprofitable and the high ceilings increased the cost of air conditioning and heating. In February 1959, after five years of losses, the company announced
2484-468: The loggia -like attic section comprises the seventh and eighth stories. The northeast corner is slightly rounded, similar to that of the Judge Building . The elevations to the south and west, which face other buildings, are made of brick. As built, the Gorham Building was much taller than surrounding structures. There is an annex on 36th Street, which is the same height as the original building. The base
2576-523: The 1850s contributed to shifting "the attention of scholars and designers, with their awareness heightened by debate and restoration work" from Late Neoclassicism and Gothic Revival to the Italian Renaissance. Like all architectural styles, the Neo-Renaissance did not appear overnight fully formed but evolved slowly. One of the first signs of its emergence was the Würzburg Women's Prison, which
2668-600: The 1910s, the Gorham Art Galleries operated in the Gorham Building. Among the gallery's exhibitions were works from the American League of Young Sculptors; a spring collection of American sculpture; a set of animal sculptures; and a stained-glass window that Gorham made for a church in Baltimore. In early October 1923, Gorham announced it would move uptown and sell both the building and its land lease. Three weeks later,
2760-447: The 36th Street side. There was a bronze frieze above the first floor. Most of the easternmost arch on 36th Street, and all of the arches on Fifth Avenue, were replaced in 1960 with a storefront composed of an aluminum and glass grid. The remaining arches on 36th Street were preserved, with the main entrance to the building being located within the westernmost arch. Each of the arches at the base corresponded to two vertical window bays on
2852-646: The American architect Henry Hobson Richardson whose work in the Neo-Renaissance style was popular in the US during the 1880s. Richardson's style at the end or the revival era was a severe mix of both Romanesque and Renaissance features. This was exemplified by his "Marshall Field Warehouse" in Chicago (completed in 1887, now demolished). Neo-Renaissance was adopted early in Munich , often based directly on Italian Palazzi, first appearing in
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2944-525: The Doge's Palace. Paris is home to many historicist buildings that partake equally from Renaissance and Baroque source material, such as the Opera Garnier . However, the Parisian Hôtel de Ville faithfully replicates the true French Renaissance style, complete with the steeply pitched roofs and towers, as it was a reconstruction, completed c. 1880 , of the previous Hôtel de Ville . In
3036-845: The German version of Neo-Renaissance culminated in such projects as the Town Hall in Hamburg (1886–1897) and the Reichstag in Berlin (completed in 1894). In Austria, it was pioneered by such illustrious names as Rudolf Eitelberger , the founder of the Viennese College of Arts and Crafts (today the University of Applied Arts Vienna ). The style found particular favour in Vienna , where whole streets and blocks were built in
3128-468: The Hotel Cambridge at that intersection with plans to build a store at the site. In December 1902, after acquiring the 33rd Street plot, Gorham president Edward Holbrook leased the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 36th Street. At the time, John Jacob Astor IV owned much of the site that Holbrook had leased. Holbrook hired McKim, Mead & White for the building's design, with Stanford White as
3220-851: The London Foreign Office in this style between 1860 and 1875, it also incorporated certain Palladian features. Starting with the orangery of Sanssouci (1851), "the Neo-Renaissance became the obligatory style for university and public buildings, for banks and financial institutions, and for the urban villas" in Germany. Among the most accomplished examples of the style were Villa Meyer in Dresden, Villa Haas in Hesse , Palais Borsig in Berlin , Villa Meissner in Leipzig ;
3312-672: The Martiz Realty Company bought the building on behalf of women's department store Russeks . The lease was finalized the next month, when Russeks also leased the adjacent 384 Fifth Avenue. Prior to moving into the property, Russeks added reinforced concrete floors and a new shop window. In addition, a four-story section of the building on 36th Street was enlarged to eight stories. Russeks moved into 390 Fifth Avenue in September 1924 and expanded into 384 Fifth Avenue in January 1926. Meanwhile, department store Stewart & Co. (which already had
3404-684: The Neo-Renaissance to England with his design of the Travellers Club , Pall Mall (1829–1832). Other early but typical, domestic examples of the Neo-Renaissance include Mentmore Towers and the Château de Ferrières , both designed in the 1850s by Joseph Paxton for members of the Rothschild banking family. The style is characterized by original Renaissance motifs , taken from such Quattrocento architects as Alberti . These motifs included rusticated masonry and quoins , windows framed by architraves and doors crowned by pediments and entablatures . If
3496-483: The adjoining wythe(s). A single wythe of brick that is not structural in nature is referred to as a masonry veneer . A standard 8-inch CMU block is exactly equal to three courses of brick. A bond (or bonding) pattern) is the arrangement of several courses of brickwork . The corners of a masonry wall are built first, then the spaces between them are filled by the remaining courses. Masonry coursing can be arranged in various orientations, according to which side of
3588-468: The ambitions of wealthy Americans in equaling and surpassing the ostentatious lifestyles of European aristocrats. During the latter half of the 19th century 5th Avenue in New York City was lined with "Renaissance" French chateaux and Italian palazzi , all designed in Neo-Renaissance styles. Most of these have since been demolished. One of the most widely copied features of Renaissance architecture were
3680-409: The architect in charge. Holbrook requested that the Fifth Avenue building be fireproof and that its layout be able to accommodate the "needs of a great commercial enterprise". The building was designed entirely to the specifications of Gorham, its sole tenant. Fireproofing was considered especially important due to the value of Gorham's merchandise. When the store opened, one journal estimated that, while
3772-438: The area was the B. Altman and Company Building , which opened in 1906. Other department stores such as Lord & Taylor , as well as specialty stores such as Tiffany & Co. and the Gorham Manufacturing Company , relocated during the 1900s and 1910s. The Gorham, Tiffany, Charles Scribner's Sons , Coty , and Demarest buildings are among the few surviving stores that were erected for smaller retailers on Fifth Avenue during
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3864-460: The beginning of the 20th century, Neo-Renaissance was a commonplace sight on the main streets of thousands of towns, large and small, around the world. In southern Europe the Neo-Renaissance style began to fall from favour c. 1900 . However, it was still extensively practiced in the 1910s in Saint Petersburg and Buenos Aires by such architects as Leon Benois , Marian Peretyatkovich , or Francisco Tamburini ( picture ). In England it
3956-447: The bond patterns. Stretcher course (Stretching course) : This is a course made up of a row of stretchers. This is the simplest arrangement of masonry units. If the wall is two wythes thick, one header is used to bind the two wythes together. Header course : This is a course made up of a row of headers. Bond course : This is a course of headers that bond the facing masonry to the backing masonry. Plinth : The bottom course of
4048-813: The breadth of its source material, such as the English Wollaton Hall , Italian Palazzo Pitti , the French Château de Chambord , and the Russian Palace of Facets —all deemed "Renaissance"—illustrates the variety of appearances the same architectural label can take. The origin of Renaissance architecture is generally accredited to Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446). Brunelleschi and his contemporaries wished to bring greater "order" to architecture, resulting in strong symmetry and careful proportion. The movement grew from scientific observations of nature, in particular, human anatomy. Neo-Renaissance architecture
4140-559: The building "a surprise and a joy", and that "compared to the Gorham Building, the Tiffany Building is by way of being frivolous". A critic in 1912 said that following the construction of the Tiffany & Co, Gorham, and Knickerbocker Trust Company buildings, "the standard of excellence in commercial architecture was raised to a height previously unknown." Some of the building's praise concerned Stanford White's role in its design. in 1908,
4232-469: The building as an official city landmark. By 2000, the owner had hired architect Andrew Tedesco and decorator Eric Cohler to restore White's original facade in paint. The owner proposed painting 80 sheets of signboard, each measuring 4 by 8 feet (1.2 by 2.4 m); the signboards would then be affixed to the exterior. The plan would have cost $ 7 million. The LPC opposed the proposal, and the Schwalbes withdrew
4324-505: The building was used as a Gorham store, each floor had a different function. Most of the basement was used by the Storage Department and housed customers' silverware, which could be kept on-site indefinitely. The first floor, used as a gold and silverware showroom, had wide and shallow arches containing ornamental reliefs . Custom designs were shown on the second floor, while bronze objects and ecclesiastical and hotel merchandise were on
4416-534: The building was worth $ 1.25 million (equal to about $ 42 million in 2023), its merchandise was worth twice as much. McKim, Mead & White filed plans in July 1903 with the New York City Department of Buildings for an eight-story building at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street. The building was planned to cost $ 400,000 and would operate as a store for the Gorham Company. M. & L. Hess leased the building on
4508-574: The classical method, where the façade was conceived as a unit." Konstantin Thon , the most popular Russian architect of the time, used Italianate elements profusely for decorating some interiors of the Grand Kremlin Palace (1837–1851). Another fashionable architect, Andrei Stackenschneider , was responsible for Mariinsky Palace (1839–1844), with "the faceted rough-hewn stone of the first floor" reminiscent of 16th-century Italian palazzi. The style
4600-437: The closure of its Fifth Avenue store. A writer for Women's Wear Daily attributed the decline of the Russeks store to its heavy focus on luxury fashion, even though most such stores had long since moved further up Fifth Avenue. The store closed on May 2, 1959. After the Russeks store closed, the building was sold to Spear Securities. Robert H. Arrow, who represented the owners, first attempted to find another discount store that
4692-484: The design of 390 Fifth Avenue, giving the store a frontage of 96 or 97 feet (29 or 30 m) on Fifth Avenue. The buildings were linked internally and the facade of number 384 was rebuilt with a limestone base and ground-floor display windows. At this time, the store was expanded at its southwestern corner, within the interior of the block. The next year, the Empire Trust Company acquired 390 and 384 Fifth Avenue at
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#17328687142544784-413: The early 20th century. 390 Fifth Avenue is an eight-story building designed by McKim, Mead & White in an early Italian Renaissance Revival style. In his notes, Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White said he wanted both the facade and the store's interior to exhibit "a feeling of elegance and simplicity". A variety of Renaissance inspirations were used in the design. The bronze ornamentation for
4876-465: The exterior highly visible shell, and others—the artisans—who decorated and arranged the interior. The original Italian mannerist house was a place for relaxation and entertaining, convenience and comfort of the interior being a priority; in the later Baroque designs, comfort and interior design were secondary to outward appearance. This was followed by the Neoclassical period, which gave importance to
4968-435: The facade and interior was designed by White and manufactured by Gorham. Along the eastern elevation on Fifth Avenue and the northern elevation on 36th Street, the facade is clad with yellowish-white Bedford limestone . These elevations are divided into three tiers, which are separated by horizontal string courses . The base comprises the first and second stories; the midsection comprises the third through sixth stories; and
5060-502: The first "picture windows", but also the blending of architectural styles allowed interiors and exteriors to be treated differently. It was at this time that the concept of "furnishing styles" manifested itself, allowing distinctions to be made between interior rooms and external appearances, and indeed between the various rooms themselves. Thus the modern concept of treating a room individually, and differently from its setting and neighbours, came into its infancy. Classic examples of this are
5152-452: The first decade of the 20th century, factories and lofts were opening in the area around 889 Broadway. Furthermore, stores on Ladies' Mile began to move further north into larger space. The Gorham Manufacturing Company was one of the earliest companies to consider moving uptown. As late as May 1902, Gorham denied rumors that it was planning to develop a new store near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street. Later that year, Gorham leased
5244-468: The floor had a blue carpet. On all five stories, there were stockrooms behind the partitions. Between 1959 and 1960, part of the ground story was converted into a lobby that was decorated in marble, bronze, and stainless steel. The upper stories became offices. In 1884, the Gorham Manufacturing Company opened its New York City showroom on 889 Broadway , at 19th Street in the Ladies' Mile Historic District . By
5336-424: The four center bays on the fifth floor. On the cornice above the sixth floor of the Fifth Avenue facade, there is a frieze, with a cartouche in the center flanked by a pair of lions. The cartouche on Fifth Avenue contains the inscription " ANNO D. MCMIIII", representing 1904, the year the building started construction. A simple frieze runs above the sixth floor of the 36th Street facade. On the loggia-style facade of
5428-604: The great Rothschild house in Buckinghamshire , hybrids of various Renaissance chateaux , and 16th century English country houses , all with interiors ranging from "Versailles" to " Medici ", and in the case of Mentmore Towers a huge central hall, resembling the arcaded courtyard of a Renaissance villa, conveniently glazed over, furnished in Venetian style and heated by a fireplace designed by Rubens for his house in Antwerp By
5520-441: The great opera houses of Europe, such as Gottfried Semper 's Burgtheater in Vienna, and his Opera house in Dresden . This ornate form of the Neo-Renaissance, originating from France, is sometimes known as the "Second Empire" style, by now it also incorporated some Baroque elements. By 1875 it had become the accepted style in Europe for all public and bureaucratic buildings. In England, where Sir George Gilbert Scott designed
5612-481: The great staircases from the chateaux of Blois and Chambord . Blois had been the favourite residence of the French Kings throughout the renaissance. The Francis I wing, completed in 1524, of which the staircase is an integral part was one of the earliest examples of French Renaissance . French renaissance architecture was a combination of the earlier Gothic style coupled with a strong Italian influence represented by arches, arcades, balustrading and, in general,
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#17328687142545704-445: The interior of their palace church (1909–1916) near Moscow to be decorated in strict imitation of the 16th-century Venetian churches. The style spread to North America , where it became a favourite domestic architectural style of the wealthiest Americans. The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island , was a residence of the Vanderbilt family designed by Richard Morris Hunt in 1892; it and contemporaneous Gilded Age mansions exemplify
5796-489: The masonry unit is facing the outside and how it is positioned. Stretcher : Units are laid horizontally with their longest end parallel to the face of the wall. This orientation can display the bedding of a masonry stone. Header : Units are laid on their widest edge so that their shorter ends face the outside of the wall. They overlap four stretchers (two below and two above) and tie them together. Rowlock : Units laid on their narrowest edge so their shortest edge faces
5888-485: The mid 19th century understood them as part of a continuum, often simply called 'Italian', and freely combined them all, as well as Renaissance as it was first practiced in other countries. Thus Italian, French and Flemish Renaissance coupled with the amount of borrowing from these later periods can cause great difficulty and argument in correctly identifying various forms of 19th-century architecture. Differentiating some forms of French Neo-Renaissance buildings from those of
5980-407: The mid 19th century, it often materialized not just in its original form first seen in Italy, but as a hybrid of all its forms according to the whims of architects and patrons, an approach typical of the mid and late 19th century. Modern scholarship defines the styles following the Renaissance as Mannerist and Baroque , two very different, even opposing styles of architecture , but the architects of
6072-429: The mid- and later 19th century: "Neo-Renaissance" might be applied by contemporaries to structures that others called " Italianate ", or when many French Baroque features are present ( Second Empire ). The divergent forms of Renaissance architecture in different parts of Europe, particularly in France and Italy , has added to the difficulty of defining and recognizing Neo-Renaissance architecture. A comparison between
6164-407: The one at the Warsaw University of Technology designed by Bronisław Rogóyski and Stefan Szyller (late 19th century), both rise from pastiches of true Renaissance courtyards. Both staircases seem more akin to Balthasar Neumann 's great Baroque staircase at the Würzburg Residenz than anything found in a true Renaissance Palazzo. The apparent Baroque style staircase at Mentmore is not without
6256-499: The only style of architecture to have existed in so many forms, yet still common to so many countries. Course (architecture) Coursed masonry construction arranges units in regular courses. Oppositely, coursed rubble masonry construction uses random uncut units, infilled with mortar or smaller stones. If a course is the horizontal arrangement, then a wythe is a continuous vertical section of masonry one unit in thickness. A wythe may be independent of, or interlocked with,
6348-463: The outside of the wall. These are used for garden walls and for sloping sills under windows, however these are not climate proof. Rowlock arch has multiple concentric layers of voussoirs . Soldier : Units are laid vertically on their shortest ends so that their narrowest edge faces the outside of the wall. These are used for window lintels or tops of walls. The result is a row of bricks that looks similar to soldiers marching in formation , from
6440-482: The period of transition from the Gothic to the Renaissance style; and also as Renaissance−era design took the form of the addition of Renaissance ornamentation to Gothic−era buildings thus creating an accretion of details from disparate sources. Architects who designed in the Renaissance Revival style usually avoided any references to Gothic Revival architecture, drawing instead on a variety of other classically based styles. However, there are exceptions and occasionally
6532-423: The plan before the LPC could vote on it. The Schwalbes then hired architect Arthur Kahane to draw up plans for a full restoration of the building in the 2010s. In its early years, 390 Fifth Avenue was lauded for its design. Augustin-Adolphe Rey, a French architectural critic, referred to 390 Fifth Avenue as "the most beautiful business building in the world" in 1904. Three years later, Architectural Record dubbed
6624-428: The proportions and dignity of interiors, but still lost the comfort and internal convenience of the mannerist period. It was during the Neo-Renaissance period of the 19th century that the mannerist comforts were re-discovered and taken a step further. Not only did the improved building techniques of the 1850s allow the glazing of formerly open loggias and arches with the newly invented sheets of plate glass, providing
6716-525: The same time. Williams Real Estate, which was hired to rent out 390 Fifth Avenue's office space, recommended customizing each story's design to a specific tenant. Williams opened a rental office at the building in November 1959, while renovation was underway. Early the next year, Coquette's shoe store took over the former storefront. The office space was leased by several manufacturers of men's and boys' clothing, including shirt company F. Jacobson & Sons, which
6808-554: The so-called Neo-Renaissance style, in reality, a classicizing conglomeration of elements liberally borrowed from different historical periods. Neo-Renaissance was also the favourite style in Kingdom of Hungary in the 1870s and 1880s. In the fast-growing capital, Budapest many monumental public buildings were built in Neo-Renaissance style like Saint Stephen's Basilica and the Hungarian State Opera House . Andrássy Avenue
6900-532: The southernmost portion of the site (at 384 Fifth Avenue) from Gorham in 1904, and Gorham ultimately sold that building in 1920. Because Gorham was developing its store on 36th Street, it leased the 33rd Street site to other merchants, including jewelry store Shreve & Co. 390 Fifth Avenue opened on September 5, 1905, the same day as the nearby Tiffany and Company Building . The building ultimately cost $ 1.25 million, of which bronze ornamentation accounted for ten percent. Gorham closed its Broadway store in 1906. In
6992-642: The street level facade. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1998, after the lower floors were significantly altered from their original design. 390 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Gorham Building, is in the South Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City , on the southwestern corner of Fifth Avenue and 36th Street . The land lot is slightly L-shaped and covers 12,575 square feet (1,168.3 m). The main building measures 67 feet (20 m) on Fifth Avenue and 167 feet (51 m) along 36th Street. An annex, about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide with
7084-541: The third floor. Wholesale merchandise was sold on the fourth floor. The fifth story was used for administrative functions, while the top three stories contained the polishing, stationery, and engraving departments. When women's department store Russeks moved into the building in 1924, the floors were redecorated slightly to give the appearance of individual shops. The first story sold accessories such as undergarments, perfume, and toiletries; it contained marble floors and walnut fixtures. The second story, used for selling furs,
7176-700: The time of the building's construction, it was one of the first in New York City to be constructed of Guastavino arches. On the first floor, eight columns supported the Guastavino-tiled ceiling. The second story had higher ceilings than the other floors, as the space measured 15 feet (4.6 m) high. Architects' and Builders' Magazine described the building a having a steel frame "combined with ribs and domes [that were] self-supported and self-decorating". The stairways and elevators were also clad with bronze. Each story spanned 125,000 square feet (11,600 m). When
7268-468: The two distinct styles are mixed. The sub-variety of Gothic design most frequently employed is floral Venetian Gothic , as seen in the Doge's Palace courtyard, built in the 1480s. A common Baroque feature introduced into the Renaissance Revival styles was the "imperial staircase" (a single straight flight dividing into two separate flights). The staircase at Mentmore Towers designed by Joseph Paxton, and
7360-420: The upper floors. There are six bays on the upper floors on the Fifth Avenue facade and 14 such bays on the 36th Street facade. The middle four stories are plainer in design compared to the base. A cartouche with lions was installed above the windows on the fourth floor. On the Fifth Avenue side, there is a balcony spanning the two middle bays on the fifth floor, and on the 36th Street facade, another balcony spans
7452-502: The upper two floors, each bay is separated by a Corinthian column. An entablature runs atop the loggia, wrapping along both sides. There was a 8-foot-deep (2.4 m) cornice above the eighth floor. The copper cornice was once polychrome and gilded . Over the years, the cornice has corroded to a green color. The interior was supported by Guastavino tile arches and contained a superstructure of steel beams. The fireproofing consisted of fire clay , masonry , and Portland cement . At
7544-466: Was called the Hotel Lenox. William Waldorf Astor had acquired the site in 1890. The residential core of Manhattan relocated north from lower Manhattan during the late 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, development was centered on Fifth Avenue north of 34th Street , where new department store buildings were quickly replacing the street's brownstones. One of the first new store buildings in
7636-478: Was carried out using traditional French Gothic styles but with ornament in the forms of pediments, arcades, shallow pilasters and entablatures from the Italian Renaissance . In England , the Renaissance tended to manifest itself in large square tall houses such as Longleat House (1568–1580). Often these buildings had symmetrical towers which hint at the evolution from medieval fortified architecture. This
7728-520: Was covered in Caen stone and light-stained oak. The third story sold dresses and had stone decorations, a tan carpet, and display niches at each corner. That story also contained three Louis XVI style lounges, as well as women's dressing rooms decorated in enamel. The fourth story sold suits and cloaks and was decorated in walnut; there was a Louis XVI style room on that floor as well. The fifth story, which sold millinery and shoes, also had walnut decorations, and
7820-407: Was erected in 1809 designed by Peter Speeth . It included a heavily rusticated ground floor, alleviated by one semicircular arch, with a curious Egyptian style miniature portico above, high above this were a sequence of six tall arched windows and above these just beneath the slightly projecting roof were the small windows of the upper floor. This building foreshadows similar effects in the work of
7912-606: Was further elaborated by architects of the Vladimir Palace (1867–1872) and culminated in the Stieglitz Museum (1885–1896). In Moscow , the Neo-Renaissance was less prevalent than in the Northern capital, although interiors of the neo-Muscovite City Duma (1890–1892) were executed with emphasis on Florentine and Venetian décor. While the Neo-Renaissance is associated primarily with secular buildings, Princes Yusupov commissioned
8004-504: Was in fact a truly internal feature. Further and more adventurous use of glass also enabled the open and arcaded Renaissance courtyards to be reproduced as lofty halls with glazed roofs. This was a feature at Mentmore Towers and on a far larger scale at the Warsaw University of Technology , where the large glazed court contained a monumental staircase. The "Warsaw University of Technology staircase", though if Renaissance in spirit at all,
8096-613: Was installed along the lower stories. Tannenbaum later said he had wanted to save the carved marble and the colonnade. The contractors built a new marble lobby, replaced three elevators, and added a freight entrance with its own elevator. 384 Fifth Avenue again became its own building and was leased by the Tandy Corporation . The Gorham Building was one of more than 25 buildings on Fifth Avenue between 34th and 50th Street that had been significantly altered since World War II, even as only eight new buildings had been erected in that area during
8188-429: Was so common that today one finds "Renaissance Italian Palazzi" serving as banks or municipal buildings in the centres of even the smallest towns. It has been said " It is a well-known fact that the nineteenth century had no art style of its own. " While to an extent this may be true, the same could be said of most eras until the early 20th century, the Neo-Renaissance in the hands of provincial architects did develop into
8280-436: Was the building's largest tenant and occupied two and a half floors. In 1961, a year after the renovation was completed, the building had 40 office tenants that occupied 90 percent of the space. The storefront was being used by a store named Dennison's Party Bazaar by 1962. In January 1970, United States Realty Investments sold the building and the lease to Jacques Schwalbe. The building and its lease were given to 390 Fifth LLC,
8372-431: Was to become one of the features of Neo-Renaissance design. It became a common feature for the staircase to be not just a feature of the internal architecture but also the external. But whereas at Blois the stairs had been open to the elements in the 19th century new and innovative use of glass was able to give protection from the weather, giving the staircase the appearance of being in the true renaissance open style, when it
8464-521: Was willing to occupy the Gorham Building. Spear announced plans in October 1959 to renovate the building, hirring Herbert Tannenbaum as the architect in charge and the MacArthur Construction Corp. as the general contractor. The renovation was completed the next year at a cost of $ 1 million. The building's colonnade and carved-marble sheets were removed as part of the renovation, and a glass facade
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