Presbyterian Building (New York City, New York)

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220-foot, 13-story Romanesque-revival office building completed in 1895. Designed by Rowe & Baker for the Presbyterian Church of America, it is clad in Indiana limestone. The building is distinguished by arcaded bays, a prominent hipped roof with triangular gabled dormers, and Romanesque style carved details.

The Fifth Avenue facade, clad in limestone, is composed of a 3-story base surmounted by a carved stone cornice, above which a 7-story arcade articulates the midsection of the building, which is capped by a picturesque hipped roof. At the center of the base, an entranceway is formed by a large, round-arched portal set into a square enframement capped by a cornice. The portal features jamb capitals and archivolts intricately carved with geometric and foliated interlacing moldings, reminiscent of the Romanesque style. Behind the portal is an open, recessed vestibule which forms an angled niche containing three arched openings separated by paired columns. The central arch contains modern glass entrance doors and the others contain aluminum shop windows. The tympanum above the doors is elaborately carved, and has an oval medallion at the center to which the number "156" is appended. A floriated frieze runs above the arches, surmounted by modern aluminum-framed windows. At either side of the portal on Fifth Avenue is a storefront; each retains its original configuration but has modern glass and metal infill. These storefronts and the bays of the 2nd floor are framed by reverse zigzag moldings. The windows at the 3rd floor are separated by colonnettes.

The midsection of the building is defined by molded piers from which arches spring at the 10th floor, forming a tall arcade of three bays on the Fifth Avenue facade. The original windows are grouped in threes, have molded sills and are separated by stone mullions. The arches at the 10th floor and a continuous frieze which wraps around the tops of the piers are ornamented with stone carving. At the 11th floor, each bay has six narrow windows fronted by short colonnettes; this forms a clerestory which is capped by a modillioned cornice.

The hipped roof is metal-clad and painted to match the stone finish of the building. It is highlighted by tall, triangular gabled dormers, each with a foliated finial at its peak. The dormers are joined by an open arcade. The dormer over the central bay of the Fifth Avenue facade has an arch inscribed within an elongated gable, and is set into an enframement flanked by engaged piers topped with finials. Each dormer contains windows separated by paired colonnettes.

The facade on West 20th Street features the same overall composition and articulation of detail as the Fifth Avenue facade, but it is six bays wide instead of three. The two central bays are slightly recessed, this forming two shallow end pavilions and dividing the facade into three vertical sections. The hipped roof conforms to the end pavilions, and has dormers in groups of three above each section. Located on the roof are several skylights which have been installed since the building was erected. A polygonal smokestack is situated at the southwest corner of the roof. At the ground floor, the 3rd bay from the left has a low, round-arched portal with short jambs that serves as a side entrance to the building; glass doors are located behind the arch and reached by shallow granite steps. The jambs have foliated capitals and the archivolts are ornamented with foliated and geometric moldings. The western rear wall is clad in brown brick and has simple window openings.

After the construction of the Presbyterian Building, the church expanded its quarters while leasing the additional office space to generate income needed to carry out its operations. William Knabe & Company, piano manufacturers, were early occupants of the ground-level store. Several prominent architects also maintained offices here during the first decade of the century. During the 1920's, the lower level was occupied by Geo. P. Ide & Co. Shirtmakers, Crouch & Fitzgerald Trunkmakers, and Fleming H. Revell Co. Publishers. The ground floor is currently occupied by Sam Flax art supplies, a Nike store, and Ann Taylor Loft.

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