212 Fifth Avenue

 condominium, Neo-Gothic (architecture)

264-foot, 23-story Neo-Medieval residential building completed in 1913. Designed by Schwartz & Gross as a 20-story office and showroom building, it has subtle terra-cotta detailing at the sills on each floor, with more intricate carvings at the 3rd, 5th, 15th and top floors. In 2015 it was renovated and converted to condominiums with 48 units. A new triplex penthouse was constructed on top, and the crenelated parapet around the main roof line was recreated.

In 1876 Delmonico's, at the time the most fashionable restaurant in New York, moved here. The women's organization Sorosis met in an upstairs room. When Delmonico's moved uptown in 1899, it became Cafe Martin, where on June 25, 1906 architect Sanford White had his last meal before being shot at his Madison Square Garden. This building went up in 1913; the FX cable channel was here in the 1990s.

The 5th Avenue side is three bays wide, with a recessed entryway to the upper floors within curved arch and decorative surround in the south bay. The Broadway side is also three bays wide, with another entrance in the south bay. There is a 1-bay chamfered corner at the intersection of Broadway and 26th, and the north elevation spans seven bays. The middle bays in these three facades have triple-windows with black metal mullions, while the end bays have double-windows. Each bay has bracketed window sills with terra-cotta detailing between the paneled stone piers. At the original top floor, the windows are grouped under arches just below the elaborate roof parapet. The south elevation, prominently visible from Madison Square Park, is clad in brick with terra-cotta bands and panels. It has Kalamein-type windows, with the end bays being replaced by paired windows.

Upon completion, the building was occupied by several garment firms, with offices on the upper floors and showrooms on the lower ones. It continued to contain offices until the 2015 conversion to residential by Helpern Architects for Thor Equities, Madison Equities, and Building and Land Technology. In 2019, Jeff Bezos purchased the penthouse suite and two below for at total of $80 million. The ground floor is occupied by Aveda cosmetics, and Togas House of Textiles.