101 Fifth Avenue

 office building, 1909_construction, Renaissance Revival (architecture)

151-foot, 11-story Renaissance-revival office building completed in 1909. Designed by Mulliken & Moeller as a stores-and-loft building, it features a distinctive iron-framed, double-height storefront. The facade is articulated by end bays of single window openings flanking a central bay of five windows. At the 2-story stone base, the recessed doorway of the storefront is flanked by two large windows at each side which are flush with the facade, while the transoms, carried on iron brackets, project. An ornate molded spandrel separates the 1st floor from the 2nd, which forms a 5-part angled bay window with glazed transoms. Entrances to the building flank the storefront; they have pedimented surrounds. The end bays at the 2nd floor have modern single-pane windows.

The 3rd floor, which makes a transition from the base to the midsection of the building, has the same configuration as the floors above but it is faced in stone, and is set off by shallow cornices which cap the base. The 4th-9th floors are clad in light-brown brick, with metal mullions between the windows. The wide center bay is slightly recessed, and has simple brick spandrels between the stories. At the 9th floor the end bays are flanked by terra-cotta cartouches and the center bay is topped by modillions which support a decorative string course. The 10th & 11th floors are faced in terra-cotta, with ornate classical moldings and foliated elements highlighting the piers. Large, scrolled brackets support a modillioned cornice which is surmounted by a shallow pediment.

Among the early tenants of the building were Cohen Brothers lace curtains, and Blaskoff & Company children's clothing, in addition to shirtwaist and cloak and suit merchants. The ground level storefront is currently occupied by Zara apparel.