Fred F. French Building (New York City, New York)

 office building, skyscraper, interesting place, Art Deco (architecture), 1927_construction

430-foot, 38-story Art-Deco office building completed in 1927. Designed by Sloan & Robertson with H. Douglas Ives for the Fred F. French Company, it was the tallest building on Fifth Avenue when it was completed. It is clad in limestone, russet-colored brick and polychromatic terra-cotta. The building has a tripartite configuration, with a 3-story limestone base that has a total of 15 commercial bays and an elaborate arched entrance on both Fifth Avenue and 45th Street; a pyramidal midsection that rises sheer to the 11th floor before receding in a series of setbacks; and a rectangular tower that rises sheer to the 35th floor before setting back with a triplex penthouse. The tower terminates with a water tower, elaborately masked by large faience bas-reliefs and crowned by a utilitarian flat roof.

Bronze-framed storefronts at the base of the building include a combination of old and new components that recall the spirit of the original retail facade. Six double-height limestone piers divide the Fifth Avenue facade into an entrance and four commercial bays. The storefronts are topped by transoms and bronze friezes, each with five metopes inhabited by winged Assyrian beasts, each resting on a beveled ground and crowned by an abstracted forest pattern. The 2nd floor has tripartite windows. A bronze molding runs from the grey granite water table at the sidewalk and frames the entire two floors of each bay. Above the 2nd-floor windows are bronze letters spelling out "THE FRED F. FRENCH BUILDING". Two projecting flagpoles are mounted at the 2nd & 5th piers. Introduced on the 3rd floor is the standard, paired window type used throughout the building's midsection and tower. The base is crowned by a limestone cornice, studded with rosettes and bordered by an upper chevron molding. The recessed entrance in the 2nd bay from the north on the avenue consists of a round-arch embossed with a lotus and papyrus molding. The piers have octagonal coffers and rosette inserts on a floral ground. At the rear of the vestibule are two revolving doors, the glass lights of which are surrounded by embossed rosettes.

13 limestone piers divide the 45th Street facade into another arched entrance (in the 5th bay from the east) and 11 commercial bays matching those on the west facade. The entrance arch also matches, but with non-recessed bronze-and-glass doors.

The brick midsection rises flush on all four sides to the 11th floor. Above, the setbacks are emphasized by limestone-trimmed fascias of red and black faience in geometric patterns, some with gold rosettes. Pier capitals are rendered in light-green faience and ornamented with a small rosette. Above most windows are metal spandrels with a decorative checkerboard relief.

Girdled by a green and orange faience belt course on the 31st floor, the rectangular tower rises sheer to the 34th floor on its narrow east elevation and to several floors higher on the west. The tower's broader north and south sides have gentle recesses. The limestone-trimmed 34th floor has faience spandrels above which is an orange and green frieze of interlaced serpents. The water tower above the 38th floor is masked by symbolic bas-reliefs, brightly colored on a light green background and encircled by a rosette-studded red faience frame. On the rear (east) elevation is a metal fire escape.

MetLife purchased the building in 1985 and immediately began a major capital renovation which included a lobby renovation and modernization of the ten passenger elevator cabs. The ground floor is occupied by Tommy Bahama apparel, the related Marlin Bar, and Morton's Steakhouse.