Coty Building

The Coty Building is a structure located at 714 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The six-story building contains a French-inspired facade and mansard roof, as well as 276 panes of glass on the third through fifth floors, which comprise the only documented architectural work by René Lalique in the United States. The Coty Building forms the base of the adjoining skyscraper at 712 Fifth Avenue.

Coty Building
(2019)
General information
LocationManhattan
Address714 Fifth Avenue
Town or cityNew York City
Coordinates40°45′44″N 73°58′29″W
Named forFrançois Coty
Groundbreaking1871
Renovated1907
1990
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
ArchitectWoodruff Leeming
Known forRené Lalique Windows
Renovating team
ArchitectBeyer Blinder Belle
New York City Landmark
DesignatedJanuary 29, 1985
Reference no.1534

Originally built in 1871 as a brownstone rowhouse, it was redesigned in 1907-1908 by architect Woodruff Leeming. It was commissioned by owner and real estate investor Charles A. Gould, who, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone. Upon its completion in 1910, the building was leased to perfumer François Coty. Coty then commissioned Lalique to design large glass windows on the third through fifth floors. Though Coty moved out during 1941, the building would continue to be referred to as the Coty Building. Since 1985, it has been a New York City designated landmark.

History

Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century.[1] 714 Fifth Avenue was built in 1871 as a brownstone rowhouse, one of several on the western side of Fifth Avenue between 55th and 56th streets.[2]:5 By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area.[3] 714 Fifth Avenue was redesigned in 1907-1908 by architect Woodruff Leeming; the project was commissioned by owner and real estate investor Charles A. Gould, who, foreseeing the neighborhood shift from residential to commercial use, wished to replace the facade of the brownstone.[2]:5

In 1910, the 6-story building with its new French-inspired facade and Mansard roof was leased to perfumer François Coty to serve as his American headquarters. Coty commissioned jeweler and glass maker René Lalique to design a wall of glass windows. Lalique created a composition of panes of glass decorated with flower vines in the Art Nouveau style, large enough to go from the third through fifth floors.[2]:4

The original lease extended till 1931 and was renewed until 1951, but after Coty’s death in 1934, Coty, Inc. remained at 714 Fifth Avenue only until 1941, having consolidated its operations at 423 West 55th Street.[2]:5 The building's 276 masterwork panes of glass were gradually covered by grime.[4]

Architecture

The six-story Coty Building's facade is designed as a frame around a glass wall. The first two stories have limestone-faced piers and a cornice supported by corbel brackets; they are treated as a single continuous section of the facade. The third through the fifth stories are also treated as one unit, as a wall of glass, surrounded by an overall limestone frame with architrave motif at the top and bellflower pendants motifs on each side. Cast-steel spandrels are located above the third and fourth stories.[2]:5

There are five vertical window bays, separated by thin vertical steel mullions. The general articulation remains unchanged from its original construction, although the original casement windows were removed for the insertion of the Lalique glass windows. Each bay consists of a multi-paned casement separated by a transom. The central bays contain clear glass, though decorative glass is located in the side bays. There is an arched, scallop-shaped pediment with small brackets above the third floor. Each pane is about 0.5 inches (13 mm) thick, surrounded by metal frames; the exterior of each frame is raised. The third- through fifth-story facade contains intertwining vine and flower designs, which according to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission are possibly poppies.[2]:6

The top floor is set off by a modillioned cornice with console brackets supporting a balustrade. The sloping metal-covered roof with its arched dormers allowed the building to harmonize with its neighbors.[2]:6 The overall effect of the composition is better perceived from the street. The windows, while not original to the design of the building, are its most striking feature.[2] It is the only documented Lalique architectural work in the United States.[5]

Preservation

In 1983, developer David S. Solomon began planning the construction of a new 44 story office skyscraper with entrances on West 56th Street and on Fifth Avenue. Since neither the Coty Building nor the adjacent Rizzoli Building at 712 Fifth Avenue were designated as official landmarks, his intent was to replace them.[4]

However, in 1984, the grime covered windows above an electronics store at 714 Fifth Avenue caught the attention of architectural historian Andrew Dolkart, an authority on the preservation of historically significant architecture and an expert in the architecture and development of New York City. Upon further research, albeit not signed, it was discovered that these windows were exquisite Art Nouveau work by Lalique and should be preserved on site rather than displaced into a museum.[6] The Municipal Art Society petitioned the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the building,[4] and both were designated in early 1985.[7][8] The Landmarks Preservation Commission also approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for the tower to be built behind the existing buildings incorporating the old facades in the design. The skyscraper, 712 Fifth Avenue, thus had to be built with the Coty Building at its base.[9] Steadsol Fifth Associates, which was developing the skyscraper, had its alteration permits for the Coty Building revoked following the landmark designations.[10]

In 1986, all 276 of the 14-by-14-inch (360 mm × 360 mm) Lalique panels were removed from the facade and restored by the Greenland Studio of Manhattan.[11] 46 panels were damaged beyond repair and had to be replicated by Jon Smiley Glass Studios of Philadelphia.[4] In 1990, Beyer Blinder Belle restored the facade for the opening of new tenant Henri Bendel's flagship store in New York City. Inside, a four story atrium replaced the former Coty offices.[4] In 2000, the windows had to undergo a second restoration to correct the framing system. Ten of the windows had cracked because the steel frame expanding from water erosion created pressure on the glass panes.[12] One author wrote, "This type of hybrid preservation [...] with a balance between development and preservation is politically and economically essentiel in modern cities."[13]

References
  1. Bridges, William (1811). Map of the city of New York and island of Manhattan :with explanatory remarks and references /. T&J Swords. hdl:2027/nnc2.ark:/13960/t6ww9pp9g. OCLC 40023003.
  2. "714 Fifth Avenue" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. 1985-01-29. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  3. "Mr. Edward Harriman..." (PDF). The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide. 79 (2038): 296. April 6, 1907 – via columbia.edu.
  4. "A Belle of Fifth Avenue Returns, Freshened Up". The New York Times. 1991-02-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  5. Stained Glass:A Journal Devoted to the Craft of Painted and Stained Glass. 86. Stained Glass Association of America. 1991.
  6. Anderson, Susan Heller; Dunlap, David W. (1984-12-03). "New York Day By Day; Glass Master's Windows". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  7. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1.
  8. Prial, Frank J. (1985-01-31). "5th Ave. Tower Blocked by Vote for Landmarks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  9. Dunlap, David W. (1991-02-17). "Commercial Property: 712 Fifth Avenue; High Hopes, and Vacancy, for a 4-Building Complex". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  10. "Coty Building's Owner Loses Permits to Alter". The New York Times. 1985-02-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  11. Anderson, Susan Heller; Dunlap, David W. (1986-04-21). "NEW YORK DAY BY DAY; Lalique Windows Are Going But Just for Restoration". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  12. "René Lalique's windows saved this Fifth Avenue building from destruction in the 1980s". 6sqft. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  13. Jerold S. Kayden; The New York City Department of Planning; The Municipal Art Society of New York (2000). Privately Owned Public Spaces: The New York City Experience. John Wiley & Sons Inc. p. 169.

Bibliography
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