Backer Building

 office building, Neoclassical (architecture)

220-foot, 16-story Neo-Classical office building completed in 1916. Designed by Sommerfeld & Steckler as a commercial loft and manufacturing building for lingerie, it was called the Backer Building. It is clad mostly in buff-colored brick above a 4-story limestone base. It spans seven bays along Madison Avenue, and five bays on 31st Street.

The main entrance is in the northern bay on Madison Avenue, with a stone surround outlined by a rope molding. The double-doors are topped by a fanlight with intricate wrought-iron detailing. At the top of the surround is a stone panel reading "BACKER BUILDING" surmounted by a shallow peaked pediment that interrupts the Greek-fret patterned band course running above the ground floor. The other bays have storefronts with black wrought-iron arched frames separating the window panes - except for the westernmost bay on the south facade, which has a service entrance and metal vents. A lantern is attached to each pier at the ground floor. The next three floors of the base have 3-story fluted piers with modified Ionic capitals supporting a dentiled cornice. Each bay has triple-windows divided by narrow fluted pilasters. Barely visible above the elaborate Greek key meander are the bases of monumental Scamozzi Ionic pilasters. Located beyond the tremendously heavy wrought iron and glass doors is a very familiar travertine vestibule followed by the lobby with its vaulted and coffered ceiling.

On the brick upper floors, each bay has three windows, except for the end bays, which each have two windows. At the top two floors, the middle bays are clad in stone, underlined by a cornice. The stone piers have stylized capitals at the top of the 16th floor, where both facades are crowned by a white, modillioned roof cornice. The western elevation is clad in plain brown brick. The building features a luxurious Art-Deco lobby, and the rest of the ground floor is occupied by ddc furniture store, and Minotti furniture store.

A 4-story building on 32nd Street is internally to 136 Madison, and serves as its main freight entrance, with a vehicle entrance taking up the ground floor. It has a roll-down metal gate, and is framed by grey-painted brick piers supporting a stone entablature inscribed with "FREIGHT ENTRANCE". The three upper floors are clad in beige brick with bands of four windows divided by thick brown iron mullions.