Judge Building

 office building, 1889_construction, Renaissance Revival (architecture)

147-foot, 11-story Renaissance Revival office building completed in 1889 for Goelet family interests. Designed by McKim, Mead & White as an 8-story office and manufacturing building, it received three additional stories in 1904, designed by Robert Maynicke. It was occupied by Louis Meyers & Son Glove Makers. In 1915, the prominent 3rd-story arches were replaced by square openings, but these were restored when the building was renovated in 1988.

On the Fifth Avenue side, the facade is organized according to an ABABA rhythm. Each "A" bay consists of: a 1st-floor entrance of new paired wood-and-glass doors and original metal grille transom, flanked by granite pilasters supporting an entablature with paired console "pediment"; a granite 2nd-floor with oculus framed within bundled laurel and laurel branches; a 3rd-floor round-arched window opening in a tan brick wall; rectangular window openings on the 4th through 9th floors; and a round-arched opening, between piers, which is divided into 10th and 11th floors by an embellished spandrel.

Each "B" bay consists of: a 1st-floor segmental-arched opening divided into four fixed-pane windows by metal mullions; a large arched opening encompassing a band of four fixed metal-frame windows on the 2nd floor, an original spandrel, and a lunette with metal spokes on the 3rd floor; a row of three window openings on the 4th and 9th floors; a large window divided into four panes by mullions, and framed by spandrels, on the 5th through 8th floors; on the 10th and 11th floors is an arrangement which triples the fenestration of the A bays.

The bays are united by a band of terra-cotta flowers inscribed in circles below the 4th floor, terra-cotta modillioned cornices above the 4th and 8th floors; a continuous modillioned cornice above the 9th floor, and a dentiled cornice resting on a band with lions' heads. The ends of the facade have raised brick and terra-cotta panels simulating rustication, and the southeast corner is rounded.

The 5-bay south facade repeats the organization of the Fifth Avenue facade, but in an ABBBA rhythm with slight modifications on the 1st floor. An additional (westernmost) bay is set back behind a rounded corner and differs slightly from the others: the 1st-floor rectangular opening has original metal pilasters and cornice which frame metal service doors; the 2nd- through 9th-floor fenestration contains a wider rectangular window flanked by narrow rectangular windows (all round-arched on the third floor). Otherwise this bay resembles its "B" counterparts and is framed by similar "rusticated" quoins.

The ground floor is occupied by the Camp 5th Avenue pop-up shop by BuzzFeed. Its exterior was restored in 2020 by Moed de Armas & Shannon Architects which reinvigorated the existing iron grille above the doors and added statuary bronze lanterns to either side of the new mahogany doors to the office portion.

digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-9a56-a3d9-e0...
dlc.library.columbia.edu/catalog/cul:tx95x69r8v
archive.org/details/isbn_9780486281469/page/12/mode/1up
dlc.library.columbia.edu/mmw_photographs/10.7916/d8-ztq...