Rockefeller Apartments (South) (New York City, New York)

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133-foot, 12-story Bauhaus/Art-Deco cooperative-apartment building completed in 1936. Designed by Harrison & Fouilhoux for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Nelson Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Apartments is a very special example of Bauhaus architecture in New York City. There are two separate buildings, one on 54th Street and one on 55th, separated by a garden courtyard. Originally erected as a rental residence, the Rockefeller Apartments were converted to cooperative ownership in 1954.

They are clad in tawny-colored brick made uniform by using regular twelve-inch bricks laid in mortar of approximately the same color and with thin joints. There are no deep reveals creating holes in the wall. All of the steel casement windows are placed on the outer edge of the bond to ensure the continuity of the wall surface. On 54th Street the centrally-placed entrance with its paired doors and a light fixture between the doors is both indicated and protected by a cantilevered metal canopy. Behind the flashing on the canopy are flanges with sliding hooks on each of the three sides. Freestanding poured concrete planters flank the doorway.

The most distinctive feature of the facade is the four rounded bays that bow out from the wall, two on either side of the entrance. These vertical, cylindrical bows (two of 10 stories bracketing two of 11 stories) are lined with window bands. The north building is very similar, but with only two vertical bows, each of nine floors. Above the 11th floor is a setback penthouse with French doors opening onto terraces flanked by tall chimneys.