Hi friends, welcome back! My friend is studying architecture and when she was in town, she asked if I wanted to join her on a Madison Avenue, High Fashion, and Historic Preservation walking tour through the American Institute of Architects NY. I’m always down for a walking tour so I was happy to tag along. It was a pretty gloomy day, but at least it made for less sidewalk congestion on the tour. We started at 61st Street and Madison Avenue making our way up to 75th Street. I will say this tour is catered to those studying architecture or in the field, so a lot of the information was a little over my head such as building styles, materials, and names of architects, but I still enjoyed the tour. What I lack in architectural knowledge, I will make up for in googling interesting facts about each building 😊
The first building we saw was the old Barney’s department store at 660 Madison. This was originally designed in 1958 for John Paul Getty and I believe is in the process of being converted into condos.
We admired Hermès new NYC flagship at 690 Madison Avenue complete with a cocktail bar, retail spaces, and rooftop garden.
Across the street the original Hermès store was designed in 1927 with the glass addition in 1984.
This colonial building on 64th and Madison Avenue was built in 1933 and stands out from the rest of the street. It is currently owned by Chase.
The next stop on the tour was at 19 E 64th Street, the Wildenstein & Company Building. This was the most expensive townhome ever sold in NYC. In 2017 it first sold for $79.5 million and then ten months later it sold for $90 million.
Originally constructed in 1879, 740 Madison Ave became home to Bottega Veneta in 2014. They commissioned a major renovation to combine three buildings into one making it the luxury brands largest location in the world.
Georgio Armani is almost done with a massive construction project at 760 Madison Avenue. Per the website full floor residences start at a measly $21.5m 😉 I better check my couch for loose change. This compound includes a flagship store on the ground level, ten apartments, 13 floors, and even Armani himself bought a unit. It’s set to be completed this summer.
My favorite building on the tour was the Fred Leighton Building at 45 E. 66th S. I love the architecture.
These townhomes between 68th and 69th street were converted into commercial use. That massive window is pretty cool.
St. James Church was built from 1869-1884 and designed by James Renwick. He also designed the more famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. In 1924 St. James Church underwent a massive overhaul by Ralph Adams Cram to transform it into the neo-Gothic style seen today.
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church was designed in 1899 to accommodate the growing population moving north in NYC.
Our last stop for the day was at 945 Madison home to the distinct Breuer Building. This building was built from 1964-66 as the new home of the Whitney Museum of American Art before it moved south to the Meatpacking District in 2014. From 2016-2020 the Met leased the space for a new branch location called Met Brauer. In 2021 The Frick Museum collection moved into the space while the Henry Clay Frick House was undergoing a multi-year renovation. The building was recently sold to Sotheby’s to become its headquarters and exhibition space.
Adjacent to the museum building are historic 1880s row houses that have been converted into retail stores and stunning condos. Per a prior listing on Street Easy, the penthouse recently sold for over $40 million.
Hope you enjoyed following along on the tour! Despite my lack of architectural knowledge I had a great time learning more about the history of Madison Avenue as told by it’s buildings.
