Fischel Building (New York City, New York)

 office building  Add category

217-foot, 16-story office building completed in 1922. Designed by Sommerfeld & Steckler for Harry Fischel, who was a businessman and philanthropist. Born in the small Russian town of Meretz to poor but pious parents, he became an architect and a builder at 19, emigrated to America virtually penniless at 20 (after giving most of his earnings to his parents who remained in Russia), and earned his first million in real estate at a young age.

The Fischel Building's two main facades, on Broadway and 37th Street, are organized in a tripartite "base-shaft-capital" design. There is a 3-story limestone base, a buff-colored brick-faced shaft, and a brick-faced 2-story top. The Broadway facade is five bays wide, while the 37th Street side spans eight bays, divided by double-height stone piers with simple capitals; there is also a narrow chamfered corner at the northwest. The ground floor has storefronts in most bays; the north and south bays on Broadway have entrances, with brass-and-glass doors in the north bay, and steel-and-glass in the southern bay, which is also covered by a marquee.

The 2nd and 3rd floors have triple-windows with black iron frames; those on the 2nd floor also have transoms. A stone band course caps the 2nd floor, and the bays on the 3rd floor have beige brick around the stone piers, and running above the windows. The base is capped by a brick band course with stone coping at the top and bottom. There is a single window at each floor of the chamfered corner.

The upper floors have three windows per bay, , and paneled brick spandrels between the piers and pilasters. The top two floors are set off by a band course, and have recessed edges on the piers. Both facades are crowned by a black metal modillioned roof cornice that wraps around the chamfered corner. The south elevation above the adjoining Haier Building is faced in beige stucco, with a bay of single-windows and a bay of paired windows at the west end, and another bay of smaller single-windows at the east end. The ground floor is occupied by Kati Shop restaurant, and Rosenthal & Rosenthal.

fischelfoundation.org/