Medical Arts Building (New York City, New York)

 office building, Neoclassical (architecture), commercial building

220-foot, 18-story Neo-Classical office building completed in 1928. Designed by Warren & Wetmore, it is clad in white brick and dark-green terra-cotta above a 3-story limestone base with a red granite water table. The main entrance is at the northern of the seven bays along the avenue. It has bronze-and-glass double-doors next to a bronze service door in a 2-story slightly-recessed opening framed by a stone molding with a feather pattern. Above the doors is a large bronze screen, and the top of the opening is arched, surmounted by a gilded, scrolled keystone and a pair of gilded, winged dragons. Above these, at the 3rd floor, is an oculus window with a flagpole projecting from its base. The other bays have double-height openings at the lower two floors, edged in green marble. They have large show-windows and storefronts at the ground floor, and tripartite windows at the 2nd floor, all framed in bronze, topped by patterned bronze screens, and separated by bronze spandrels panels, some partially covered by sign boards. The 3rd floor has bronze-framed triple-windows above signboards affixed to the limestone. At the top of the base there is a band course adorned with medallions featuring gilded portraits of famous historical physicians; these are flanked by golden dragons whose tails transform into gilded foliate ornament wrapping around rosettes, and the medallions are also topped by elaborate gilded ornament. At the piers there are short, angled projections at the top of the base, with gilded pendants featuring faces extending down into the 3rd floor, and fanciful gilded foliage featuring a snake extending up into the 4th floor. Later alterations were made by Der Scutt Architects.

The upper floors have paired windows at each bay, with dark-green metal framing and dark-green terra-cotta spandrels each featuring three urn-like shapes - except for the north bay, which has recessed balconies; each has a metal railing and there are plain terra-cotta spandrels between floors. The 14th floor has a large cartouche topping this bay; the others have simple stone surrounds at each window, highlighted by carved heads at the tops. Between these, at each pier, there are projecting, torch-like ornaments above swags, marking the setback above the 14th floor (except for the 2nd bay from the north and 3rd bay from the south, which don't set back until the 2nd setback that occurs above the 16th floor). The 15th & 16th floors match those below, with the piers decorated by elongated figures supporting carved torches above their heads. Lintels with Greek fret motifs top the 16th-floor windows, and the crenelated parapet at the 16th-floor setback is heavily decorated with various classical ornament. The north bay continues above the 1st setback as a 4-story tower, with more recessed balconies ending in a round-arch at the 18th floor. A mechanical level above has an oculus window opening below the peaked copper roof that crowns this length of this slender tower section. To the south, the 17th & 18th floors are much simpler, without the ornament displayed above. The 17th floor extends for four bays of paired windows, and the 18th floor has three such bays; it is also topped by a small mechanical penthouse level, shorter than the tower at the north with its steep-sloped roof.

The south facade on 57th Street spans four bays, and follows the same design as the west facade, except for the entrance in the 2nd bay from the east, whose glass-and-bronze double-doors are set in a 2-story panel of grey marble. At the center of the 2nd floor of this bay there is a large, round, cutout panel outlined in bronze, with the number 57 also in bronze. The 14th-floor setback occurs at the end bays and outer half of the middle bays, with the center section extending up to the 16th floor. In addition to the plentiful carved ornament matching the south facade, there are also round columns flanking the center section and also separating the three south-facing windows at the 15th-16th floors, rising from a projecting stone balcony that is carried by three large, scrolled brackets at the top of the 14th floor. An enormous cartouche tops the 16th floor at the center.

The east elevation is clad in stone up to the 9th floor, and parged brick above. The south section has, above the 8th floor, two bays of single-windows, and a bay of paired windows (with a couple other randomly-placed openings). The middle section is recessed, and has two more bays of paired windows, and the north bay has single-windows.

The ground floor is occupied by a Verizon Wireless store, and Quality Italian Steakhouse, with the restaurant also occupying space on the other two levels of the base. A recent renovation was conducted by Der Scutt Architects. The building is currently owned by Williams Equities, managed by Colliers.

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