505 Eighth Avenue

 office building, high-rise, Art Deco (architecture), 1929_construction

307-foot, 25-story Art-Deco office building completed in 1929. Designed by Chester James Storm, it is also known as the Hoover Building. It is clad in tan brick above a 4-story base. The ground floor is faced in grey stone; the plate-glass storefront and modest central entrance are framed by piers on red granite bases. The southern wall at the ground floor is largely limestone, with two service entrances at the west end. A broad band of textured grey stone runs across the top of the ground floor, capped by a cornice. The 2nd-4th floors are ornately designed, with various patterned bands and of terra-cotta overlaying the tan brick. The piers, pilasters and spandrels all have carved decorative designs. The three bays on the east facade have side windows separated by narrow pilasters - the end bays have three windows in between, while the wider middle bay has five windows in between the pilasters, all framed in dark-red metal. The south elevation has six bays; the middle two have three windows between the pilasters, and the four outer bays each have two. At the top of the base, both facades have especially ornate carved panels, and the piers have geometric terra-cotta projections extending onto the 5th floor.

The upper floors on the south facade have three windows in each bay; the end bays on the east facade are the same, while the center area is divided into two separate bays, each with two windows. The brick spandrels in each middle bay have angular arches, and the end spandrels have small vertical rows of dentil-like projections at both ends. The outer bays of both main facades set back above the 17th floor, with the middle bays setting back above the 19th. There are additional setbacks every two floors above, creating a tiered wedding cake effect. There are Art-Deco caps on the piers at each setback, and projecting panels on the spandrels.

The upper part of the western elevation is clad in brown brick, with bands of cream-colored brick at the edges and across every other floor level. There are single-windows at the end bays, and paired windows in the middle. The ground floor is occupied by The Tailor Public House bar and restaurant, and Manhattan Beauty.