45 West 25th Street (New York City, New York)

 office building  Add category

135-foot, 11-story Neo-Renaissance/Romanesque office building completed in 1909. Designed by William H. Birkmire, it is five bays wide. The 2-story base has coursed limestone piers on grey granite bases framing the end bays, which both have entrances. The three middle bays have a modernized storefront of silver metal and glass, with two narrow metal columns extending up to the 2nd floor, dividing those bays into four windows each; the two outer bays have three windows at the 2nd floor. A stone cornice caps the base.

The 3rd & 4th floors have projecting tripartite bay windows, with angled, recessed side windows and large, square center windows. The 3rd floor has rusticated stone panels between each bay, with rectangular egg-and-dart moldings around a carved wreath. A stone band course with an ornate frieze of fleur-de-lys runs along the top of the 3rd floor.

The upper floors have buff-colored brick piers with low stone bases, and spandrels between stone sill and lintel courses in each bay. The triple-windows above the 4th floor are divided by black metal mullions. The piers have stylized capitals at the 10th floor, supporting a dentiled band course. The top floor has wreaths on the piers between each bay, and is crowned by a bracketed black metal roof cornice.

The western elevation is clad in brown brick, with a red brick section at the lower front area, displaying where a former neighboring building once stood. There are two bays of paired segmental-arched windows at the rear of this elevation (although there are only three windows at and below the level of the red brick section). The top seven floors have a bay of smaller windows in the center, and the top six floors have another bay of regular windows near the front. The ground floor is occupied by David's Bridal.