119 Fifth Avenue

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8-story Renaissance-revival office building completed in 1906. Designed by John H. Duncan as an annex to the Lord & Taylor department store, the building is roughly L-shaped. After the company moved uptown in 1914, it continued to lease space in this building for storage. In 1924 it was acquired by Nathan Straus & Sons, one of the country's leading importers and manufacturers of china and glassware. From 1938 to 1951 Philip Morris & Company leased the 3rd through 8th floors for their New York offices.

The Fifth Avenue and 20th Street facade are clad in limestone, brick, and terra-cotta, painted a light cream color. The two facades share a common decorative scheme and are linked by a series of unbroken cornices. These create a tripartite story grouping comprising a 2-story base, 5-story mid-section, and an unusually tall attic which reads as one-and-a-half-stories.

On Fifth Avenue the facade is arranged in a three bay composition which focuses on the slightly wider center bay. On the ground floor the bays are set off by limestone piers articulated as banded pilasters. The northern bay is now given over to a modern metal and glass entrance while the center and southern bay are occupied by contemporary glass storefronts. Originally the center bay contained the main entrance to the building while the outer bays were used for show windows. The ground floor is crowned by a dentilled entablature which has a long molding-edged frieze that was originally used for signage.

On the 2nd floor deeply channeled smooth-faced rustication is employed. Large segmental-arches with faceted keystones enframe original wooden window frames. In the narrower outer bays cross bars divide the windows into three sections: an inward opening bottom casement, a pivoting central light, and an arched transom. In the center bay these horizontal divisions are repeated but the windows are further sub-divided by mullions so that the center light is flanked by sash windows. In all three bays iron railings screen-off the bottom casements.

Above a wide entablature, the 3rd through 7th floors are faced with alternating bands of brick and terra-cotta rustication. Rectangular window openings are disposed around a central arch which is embellished with a stone balustrade and a console keystone decorated with a lion's head. In the arch, the mullions and spandrels are metal, the window frames and sash are wood. The arrangement of windows is similar to that of the center bay of the 2nd floor.

The attic is set off by a richly decorated torus molding. Here the number of window openings per floor has been increased to five and the areas between the openings have been enriched with terra-cotta trophy panels and swags. On the 8th floor the windows have flat-arch surrounds with console keystones. Instead of windows there are pairs of French doors fronted by iron railings. Above is a false half story with small blind window openings. The building is crowned by a prominent cream-colored galvanized iron roof cornice with modillions and dentils.

The articulation of the 7-bay 19th Street facade duplicates that of the Fifth Avenue facade with some slight modifications. On the ground floor the banded pilaster articulation of the Fifth Avenue facade is continued on the two westernmost bays on 19th Street. These are balanced by a pair of pilastered bays at the east end of the facade. The three center bays are faced with rusticated limestone. Both the center and eastern bays are divided into basement and mezzanine floors.

On the 2nd floor the rusticated coursings and segmental-arched openings of the Fifth Avenue facade are repeated. In all but the easternmost bay the large openings and tripartite window frames are identical with those of the center bay on Fifth Avenue. The slightly narrower eastern bay has a pair of windows surmounted by an arched transom. On floors three through seven the decorative scheme of the Fifth Avenue facade is expanded with three giant arches flanked by double rows of rectangular windows. The articulation of the attic is identical to that on Fifth Avenue.

The brown brick northern elevation is visible from Fifth Avenue. This wall has an irregular roof line and three irregularly spaced projections. The ground floor is occupied by Sephora cosmetics.