Tiffany and Company Building

The Tiffany and Company Building is a historic commercial building at 401 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York.[4] Completed in 1905, it was built for Tiffany and Company, whose headquarters it served as until 1940. Designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead, and White, its design is inspired by the Palazzo Grimani di San Luca in Venice, Italy. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978 for its association with Tiffany, one of the world's leading jewelry firms.[3][5]

Tiffany and Company Building
Tiffany & Co. Bldg.
Tiffany & Co. Bldg.
Tiffany & Co. Bldg.
Location401 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York[1]
Coordinates40°45′0″N 73°58′52.7″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1905 (1905)
ArchitectStanford White of McKim, Mead, and White
Architectural styleRenaissance
NRHP reference No.78001886[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJune 2, 1978[2]
Designated NHLJune 2, 1978[3]
Designated NYCLFebruary 16, 1988

Description and history

The former Tiffany and Company Building is located in Midtown Manhattan, at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street. It is a seven-story masonry structure, its exterior finished in iron, marble, and terra cotta. The exterior's monumental appearance makes it look like it only has three stories, with tall window groupings creating this illusion. The bottom tier bays are articulated by square Corinthian columns, which rise to an entablature and cornice which has a balustrade above. The second and third tier bays have engaged round Corinthian columns, also rising to an entablature and cornice; the top tier columns rise to the building cornice, which is studded with modillions. The interior of the building has been extensively altered since the Tiffany period of ownership, and only traces of its former grandeur survive on the top floor, as does the original Tiffany vault in the basement.[5]

Tiffany and Company was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young, and was by the time of the American Civil War one of the nation's leading jewelry makers. In 1868 the company built a headquarters at Union Square, which it was outgrowing by the end of the 19th century. Charles Lewis Tiffany hired McKim, Mead, and White to design the new building, but died in 1902 before plans were drawn. His successor as company president, Charles T. Cook, is said to have told the firm to "build me a palace". The resulting design is a near copy of the Palazzo Grimani di San Luca in Venice, Italy, designed by Michele Sanmicheli and completed in 1559. The building cost $600,000 to complete, on a lot that at $2 million was then the highest price paid for such a lot in Manhattan. Tiffany occupied this building until 1940, when it moved into its present quarters.[5]

Today, a TD Bank branch occupies the ground level. The People's Court and The Chris Gethard Show have filmed inside the building.[6][7]

gollark: I only speak gibberish, not lyric gibberish.
gollark: You get a mutable object thing?
gollark: Right, so it's just IMPLICITLY a reference?
gollark: I see.
gollark: But I can get references by passing things to functions.

See also

References
  1. American Memory from the Library of Congress
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Tiffany and Company Building". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-19.
  4. White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
  5. George R. Adams (December 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Tiffany and Company Building" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior, from 1976 and 1905 (1.44 MB)
  6. Getting tickets to TV shows – Big Apple Visitors Center
  7. "Be a Part of the Studio Audience at These NYC TV Shows". NYCgo.com. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.