St. James Building (New York City, New York)

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204-foot, 16-story Beaux-Arts/Renaissance-revival office building completed in 1897. Designed by Bruce Price for the St. James Company, it replaced the mid-19th-century St. James Hotel. Soon after completion, Price relocated his large and flourishing practice to the building, where the firm stayed through 1907. Several other architects also had offices in the St. James Building. Other tenants included merchants of woolen goods, hosiery, glass and china, as well as dolls and masonic articles. It was the first building in New York City to install a mail chute.

On Broadway it is five bays wide, with a 2-story rusticated limestone base featuring a central, arched portico with recessed entryway, carved architrave, leaded transom, incised lettering "St. James Building," and a surmounting oculus with scrolled keystone at the level of the 2nd-floor windows. The round-arched 2nd-floor windows have prominent keystones, and there is elaborate crown molding above this floor.

The 10-story rusticated red brick midsection features paired, square-headed windows with deep reveals, quoins, molded bands, paneled spandrels, and crown molding with scrolled brackets, egg-and-dart moldings, and masks; the upper section of the facade features arched, multi-story projecting and pedimented bays and fluted and banded arched columns with elaborate ornament; prominent keystones, quoins, and attic windows, all capped with a dentiled copper roof cornice.

The West 26th Street facade spans six bays, and also has paired windows, with similar detailing as on Broadway. At the westernmost bay of the ground floor is a round-arched service entryway with historic wrought-iron gate; some window openings above contain HVAC louvers. The western elevation is clad in reddish-brown brick with white terra-cotta quoins; there are six bays, two of which have paired windows. In the 2nd bay from the north, the openings in the lower six floors have been filled-in. There are terra-cotta arches above the 15th-floor windows. The southern elevation is clad in reddish-brown brick, painted white at the lower floors. It has four bays of windows, some paired at certain floors, and also has relieving arches at the top. The ground floor is occupied by Rizzoli bookstore, La Pecoria Bianca Caffe & Cucina, and Inday restaurant.