Textile Building

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233-foot, 16-story Neo-Classical office and showroom building completed in 1921 for George Backer. Designed by Sommerfeld & Steckler, it is built on the original site of Alfred Stieglitz Studios. It spans ten bays on 31st Street, with nine bays on 5th Avenue, and eight bays on 30th Street. On the west and north facades, the 2-story limestone base features an arcade of seven double-height round-arches, flanked by end bays with ground-level doorways and single-windows at the 2nd floor (in the case of the north elevation, there are two such bays at the eastern end). The doorways have stone surrounds with a simple circle above.

The main entrance is in the central arch on Fifth Avenue, with brass-framed doors recessed behind a pair of Doric columns. There is a hanging light fixture above the doors, and an entablature reading "TEXTILE BUILDING" above the columns. Above this are black cast-iron fluted spandrels with a gold bas-relief of a mechanized loom centered above and between two gold-leaf rosettes. Two black iron mullions divide the upper arch into three window panes. Larger raised metal letters above the central arch repeat "TEXTILE BUILDING".

The other arched bays have storefronts at the ground level, some with rounded black canvas canopies. The spandrels in these bays have three gold rosettes, and ornate gold panels with swags below them. Near the base of each pier, between the arches, are black-metal plaques with bronze lettering and borders, each of which reads either "TEXTILE BUILDING" or "295 FIFTH".

The upper parts of the arches on the north facade are the same, but the ground level has black iron infill with transoms at the top, instead of storefronts. The south facade has storefront windows with transoms in the five central arches. At the east end is an additional round-arch with a vehicle freight entrance that runs into an interior courtyard. A simple stone cornice caps the base.

The transitional 3rd floor is also clad in limestone, with three windows per bay above the arches, and two windows at the narrower bays, all separated by paneled pilasters. A broader cornice sets off the upper floors, which are clad in light-brown brick. The narrower bays are slightly projecting and framed by keyed limestone. At the 4th floor, the paired windows are framed by a stone surround with a cartouche on top.

A band course caps the 13th floor; the 14th & 15th floors are clad in stone. The center bays here are slightly more recessed and have four windows per bay, divided by grey metal mullions. The bays are separated by 2-story, fluted Corinthian columns, and there are paneled terra-cotta spandrels. A green copper bracketed roof cornice caps the 15th floor, with a set-back penthouse level above.

The eastern elevation on 30th Street is clad in red brick at the base, and white-painted brick elsewhere. There are numerous windows above the 3rd floor, mostly grouped toward the north end. The inward-facing walls of the light court are all clad in light-brown brick and lined with single-windows.

Over 150 textile companies used the building’s showrooms until they were displaced when the building was repositioned by Tribeca Investment Group. The ground floor was occupied by a Valley National Bank branch, Nourison rug company, and Kassatex bedding.

www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/nyregion/textile-building-ne...