Hess Building

 office building  Add category

295-foot, 21-story Neo-Classical office building completed in 1913. Designed by Neville & Bagge, it has a 2-story rusticated limestone base. The deeply coursed piers sit on granite bases, dividing the north facade into 10 bays, and the east facade into five. There is a modern entrance in the south bay of this elevation; on 26th Street, the three western bays have a service entrance, another main building entrance, and another service entrance. The 5th bay from the east also has a secondary entrance. The other eastern bays, and those on Park Avenue South, have storefronts. All the non-entrance bays have low, black cast-iron bases with decorative iron railings. The 2nd floor has replacement double-windows, and the base is capped by a modillioned cornice.

The transitional 3rd floor also clad in limestone, with triple-windows divided by black metal mullions. A band course with a Greek-fret motif sets off the upper floors, which are faced in brown brick with terra-cotta spandrels. They have the same triple-windows as the 3rd floor, with stone sills. The spandrels each have three panels with vertical grooves. The piers continue uninterrupted to the 17th floor, where there is a dentiled band course below, and another band course above. At the top of the 20th floor the piers have stylized capitals supporting the white metal modillioned roof cornice. There is a recessed penthouse floor above the cornice.

The interior was modernized and completely renovated in 2003. Most of the building is occupied by Reed Elsevier, a noted scientific publisher. The ground floor was occupied by The Hurricane Club restaurant but is now Park Avenue Autumn/ Winter/ Spring/ Summer.