78 Fifth Avenue

 office building  Add category

140-foot, 10-story Neo-Renaissance office building completed in 1896. Designed by Albert Wagner for the Bloomingdale brothers, founders of the Bloomingdales Department Store, its rather tall and narrow facade is framed by outer piers that sit on tall stone bases. They are banded in rough stone through the 2-story base, where three rosettes decorate their capitals. Above, they are beige brick, with thin stone banding on the 3rd-4th floor and stylized capitals at the 7th floor. They are also banded on the 8th-9th floors, with the same three-rosette capitals as seen on the base. Finally, on the 10th floor they are highlighted by stone wreaths.

Between the piers, the floors have four windows framed by grey cast-iron. Above each of the middle floors is a stone cartouche and garlands. The windows are round-arched at the 9th & 10th floors, and the facade is topped by a black metal roof cornice. A white metal fire escape with full-width landings runs down the entire facade. The ground floor is occupied by Ariston Flowers & Cafe.