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98-672: 689 Fifth Avenue (originally the Aeolian Building and later the Elizabeth Arden Building ) is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City , at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street . The building was designed by Warren and Wetmore and constructed from 1925 to 1927. The fifteen-story building was designed in the neoclassical style with French Renaissance Revival details. The primary portions of

196-414: A bay angled toward 54th Street. There is a balustrade above the 13th story. The 14th story is set back from all sides and has a parapet above it. The roof of the building contains a short tower with a terracotta facade. The sides of the tower contain round-arched window openings with oculi, keystones, and garlands atop the windows. The corners of the tower are chamfered and contain shells above them. There

294-411: A black marble floor and a coffered ceiling supported by pilasters. Elevators from the reception hall led to the second-floor rotunda and the showrooms on upper floors. The third and fourth floors contained piano showrooms, which were elaborately decorated, while the fifth floor was used as a radio, music roll, and phonograph room. The 14th floor contained organ salesrooms, large and small organ rooms, and

392-433: A college education or higher. The percentage of Midtown Manhattan students excelling in math rose from 61% in 2000 to 80% in 2011 and reading achievement increased from 66% to 68% during the same time period. Midtown Manhattan's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In Midtown Manhattan, 19% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , less than

490-528: A definite time (National City Bank was run by Rockefeller's friends). Rogers and Rockefeller then set up a paper organization, known as the Amalgamated Copper Mining Company, with their own clerks as dummy directors, saying the company was worth $ 75 million. They had Amalgamated Copper Company buy Anaconda from them for $ 75 million in capital stock, which was conveniently printed for the purpose. Then, they borrowed $ 39 million from

588-515: A low population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, slightly less than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Midtown Manhattan is 0.0113 milligrams per cubic metre (1.13 × 10  oz/cu ft), more than the city average. Eleven percent of Midtown Manhattan residents are smokers , which

686-419: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 81.2% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 8 murders, 23 rapes, 653 robberies, 502 felony assaults, 660 burglaries, 2,375 grand larcenies, and 68 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The main part of midtown Manhattan, between 34th and 59th Streets from Lexington Avenue to Eighth Avenue, is served by five fire stations of

784-600: A major force in Midtown Manhattan's economy, and indeed the city's, as the total value of all New York City property was estimated at US$ 914.8 billion for the 2015 fiscal year . Manhattan has perennially been home to some of the nation's, as well as one of the world's, most marketable real estate, including the Time Warner Center , which had the highest-listed market value in the city in 2006 at US$ 1.1 billion, to be subsequently surpassed in October 2014 by

882-552: A musical library. In addition, the basement had a shipping department, which was accessed from the ground story via a truck lift. After the Aeolian Company moved out during 1938, cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, Inc. occupied the north storefront and shoe company I. Miller & Sons occupied the south storefront. In February 1925, the site of the William Rockefeller house at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street

980-588: A number of private languages and music centers (e.g. Berlitz , American Language Communication Center, New York Language Center, Swan Music School, and the New York Youth Symphony ). The La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi Italian international school moved to West Midtown in 2016. The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (also the Main Branch),

1078-464: A partnership headed by Larry Silverstein and Bernard H. Mendik . The next year, the corner space, formerly occupied by I. Miller, was leased by Aldo Gucci for $ 100/sq ft ($ 1,100/m) per year. Larry Silverstein arranged for Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Aldo Gucci to share the costs of remodeling the storefronts. The renovation was conducted by Weissberg Castro Associates , which used travertine marble and finely detailed stainless steel to harmonize with

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1176-966: A program aimed at creating "a 24/7, live-work, mixed-use neighborhood" in Midtown South though the conversion of commercial and office space to residential, as part of an effort to create 20,000 new residences citywide in a decade. According to The Broadway League , shows on Broadway sold approximately US$ 1.54 billion worth of tickets in both the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons. Both seasons featured theater attendance of approximately 12.3 million each. Companies that used to have their headquarters in Midtown Manhattan include American Airlines , American Comics Group , American Overseas Airlines , Central Park Media , Eastern Air Lines , GoodTimes Entertainment , LJN , NewKidCo , Pan American World Airways , Philip Morris Companies (now Altria Group ), Trans Caribbean Airways , and Trans World Airlines . In 1997, Aer Lingus announced that it

1274-679: A reference branch at 476 Fifth Avenue. The four-story building, constructed in 1911, is known worldwide for its architecture and has several million items in its collections. There are also five circulating branches in Midtown: Two campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY)—the doctorate-granting CUNY Graduate Center and the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College —are located in Midtown, while Baruch College , also of

1372-616: A trust that Rockefeller set up for his born and yet-to-be born great-grandchildren, stated that he "left a gross estate of $ 102,000,000 which was reduced to $ 50,000,000 principally by $ 30,000,000 of debts and $ 18,600,000 of inheritance and estate taxes ." Rockefeller was a regular attendee of the Saint Mary's Episcopal Church in Scarborough in the last few years of his life. Rockefeller and Almira's second son, William Goodsell Rockefeller , married Sarah Elizabeth "Elsie" Stillman,

1470-530: A young pupil in public school, he was inspired and motivated by his teacher-mentor, Rufus Osgood Mason , whom Rockefeller later named "A Rockefeller Patron." At the age of sixteen, he began work as a clerk for a miller in Cleveland, Ohio . About two years later, he joined his older brother's produce commission business, Clark and Rockefeller, which later supplied provisions to the Union Army. Rockefeller

1568-471: Is 41% in Midtown Manhattan, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Midtown Manhattan is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Midtown Manhattan is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD . Midtown North is patrolled by the 18th Precinct, located at 306 West 54th Street, while Midtown South

1666-683: Is a pyramidal copper-clad roof and a copper lantern above the tower; the lantern was originally covered with gold leaf. East of the tower is a two-story mechanical penthouse. According to the New York City Department of City Planning , the building has a gross floor area of 91,210 sq ft (8,474 m). According to Vornado Realty Trust , the building's owner as of 2021, the building has about 99,000 sq ft (9,200 m), with each floor containing between 2,500 and 8,000 sq ft (230 and 740 m). The ceiling heights are typically 12 ft (3.7 m) high and

1764-651: Is also growing in Midtown Manhattan based upon the city's strength in academic scientific research and public and commercial financial support. By mid-2014, Accelerator, a biotech investment firm, had raised more than US$ 30 million from investors , including Eli Lilly and Company , Pfizer , and Johnson & Johnson , for initial funding to create biotechnology startups at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, which encompasses more than 700,000 square feet (65,000 m ) on East 29th Street and promotes collaboration among scientists and entrepreneurs at

1862-550: Is also near West 57th Street , where an artistic hub developed around the two blocks from Sixth Avenue west to Broadway during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The northeastern corner of 54th Street and Fifth Avenue had contained the house of William Rockefeller Jr. through the early 20th century. After Rockefeller died in 1922, his house was sold to the Mandel-Ehrich Corporation in 1923, along with other nearby buildings he had owned. 689 Fifth Avenue

1960-432: Is at 689 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . It is on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue to the west and 54th Street to the south. The land lot is L-shaped and covers 6,925 sq ft (643.4 m), with a frontage of 50.42 ft (15.37 m) on Fifth Avenue and 125 ft (38 m) on 54th Street. Nearby sites include the residences at 5 and 7 West 54th Street and

2058-702: Is commonly defined to be 59th Street ; its southern boundary is less clear, and variously taken to be 34th Street , 23rd Street , or even 14th Street . Midtown spans the entire island of Manhattan along an east–west axis, bounded by the East River on its east and the Hudson River to its west. The Encyclopedia of New York City defines Midtown as extending from 34th Street to 59th Street and from 3rd Avenue to 8th Avenue. In addition to its central business district , Midtown Manhattan encompasses many neighborhoods, including Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea on

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2156-554: Is considered to be the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere , servicing around 650,000 people per day. The Port Authority Bus Terminal , located at Eighth Avenue and 41st Street at the western edge of Midtown, is the city's main intercity bus terminal and the world's busiest bus station, serving 250,000 passengers on 7,000 buses each workday. The building opened in 1950 and had been designed to accommodate 60,000 daily passengers. A 2021 plan announced by

2254-727: Is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 86% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Midtown Manhattan, there are 11 bodegas . The nearest major hospitals are Mount Sinai West in Hell's Kitchen ; Beth Israel Medical Center in Stuyvesant Town ; the Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Langone Medical Center in Kips Bay ; and NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in

2352-505: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are adults: a plurality (45%) are between the ages of 25 and 44, while 22% are between 45 and 64, and 13% are 65 or older. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 7% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Districts 4 and 5 (including Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen )

2450-470: Is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 297 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 18th Precinct has a lower crime rate than it did in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.1% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 1 murder, 22 rapes, 154 robberies, 185 felony assaults, 205 burglaries, 2,065 grand larcenies, and 116 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The 14th Precinct also has

2548-407: Is less than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Midtown Manhattan, 10% of residents are obese , 5% are diabetic , and 18% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 9% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which

2646-496: Is located at 421 8th Avenue. The post office stopped 24-hour service in 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Midtown Manhattan generally has a higher rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018 . A majority of residents age 25 and older (78%) have a college education or higher, while 6% have less than a high school education and 17% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 64% of Manhattan residents and 43% of city residents have

2744-941: Is located in Midtown Manhattan. Haier operates its United States offices in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway, formerly the headquarters of the Greenwich Savings Bank . Haier held the opening ceremony on March 4, 2002. Sumitomo Corporation operates its New York Office, the headquarters of the corporation's United States operations, at 600 Third Avenue, 10016 in the Murray Hill neighborhood. El Al 's North American headquarters are in Midtown. The Air France USA regional headquarters are in 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Hachette Book Group USA has its headquarters in 237 Park Avenue . In 1994 Alitalia considered moving its USA headquarters from Midtown to Lower Manhattan , but decided to keep

2842-1277: Is one of the world's leading financial centers. Midtown Manhattan is the one of the world's largest central business district , with 400 million square feet (37.2 million m ) of office space in 2018. Midtown contains the headquarters of major companies, including 4Kids Entertainment (formerly), Barnes & Noble , Bloomberg L.P. , Ernst & Young , Calvin Klein , Cantor Fitzgerald , CBS Corporation , Citigroup , Colgate-Palmolive , Cushman & Wakefield , DC Comics , Deloitte , Duane Reade , Estée Lauder Companies , Foot Locker , Frederator Studios , JPMorgan Chase , Hess Corporation , Kroll Inc. , L-3 Communications , Marsh & McLennan Companies , Marvel Entertainment , MetLife , MidOcean Partners , Morgan Stanley , Nasdaq, Inc. , NBCUniversal , The New York Times Company , NexCen Brands , Paramount Global , Pfizer , Polo Ralph Lauren , Saks Incorporated ( Saks Fifth Avenue ), The Sharper Image , Simon & Schuster , Six Flags , TBWA Worldwide , Thomson Reuters , Warner Bros. Discovery , Time Warner Cable , The Travelers Companies , and Univision Communications . The New York Institute of Finance

2940-490: Is part of 10001. Other areas between 14th and 34th Streets are covered by ZIP Codes 10003, 10009, 10010, and 10011, though these are generally not considered to be part of Midtown proper. There are also thirty-three ZIP Codes assigned to individual buildings or building complexes. The United States Postal Service operates six post offices in Midtown: The James A. Farley Station , the city's main post office,

3038-430: Is patrolled by the 14th Precinct, located at 357 West 35th Street. The precincts ranked 69th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. The high per-capita crime rate can be attributed to the low population of the area, as well as the high number of crimes committed against tourists. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 25 per 100,000 people, Midtown Manhattan's rate of violent crimes per capita

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3136-409: Is the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere . Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world, and has been ranked as the densest central business district in the world in terms of employees, at 606,108 per square mile (234,020/km ). Midtown also ranks among the world's most expensive locations for real estate; Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has commanded

3234-889: Is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan , serving as the city's primary central business district . Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building , the Chrysler Building , the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project , the headquarters of the United Nations , Grand Central Terminal , and Rockefeller Center , as well as several prominent tourist destinations, including Broadway , Times Square , and Koreatown . Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan

3332-429: The 1916 Zoning Resolution . According to Whitney Warren of Warren and Wetmore, "our inspiration [for the design] lay everywhere, difficult to fix". Warren sought to soften the edges of the exterior with the curved corner, bronze ribbon sashes, and slightly pitched roof. The ground story originally contained a storefront made of black and white marble, which was designed by Mott B. Schmidt in 1929. The Arden storefront

3430-522: The Aeolian Hall on 42nd Street. The company's vice president William H. Alfring said that Aeolian officials had felt "a sentimental urge to return to Fifth Avenue". According to initial plans, the building was to be 12 stories tall, with a design in the "Francis I" style, and it was to contain a corner entrance and large show windows. The interior was to have instrument-display areas, recital hall, artists' room, music recording library, and offices for

3528-496: The Amalgamated Copper Mining Company , a holding company that intended to control the copper industry. With Daly as company president and Rogers as Vice-President, Rockefeller and Rogers devised a scheme which earned them a profit of $ 36 million. First, they purchased Anaconda Properties from Daly for $ 39 million, with the understanding that the check was to be deposited in the bank and remain there for

3626-589: The Fund for the Republic . Elizabeth Arden Inc. opened a men's boutique in the building in 1956 and, at one point, occupied eleven stories. Elizabeth Arden, the businesswoman, died in 1966. She had been the only owner of her company, but she had not planned for what would happen to the company's operations after she died. In 1969, the building was purchased by the Arden-Esquire Realty Company,

3724-467: The Hudson River from General Lloyd Aspinwall. He renovated or rebuilt the mansion Rockwood Hall . The Rockefeller Cottage is a house on Jekyll Island, Georgia . It is also called Indian Mound and is next to the Jekyll Island Club . The house was built by Gordon McKay in 1892. McKay died in 1903 and the house was bought by William Rockefeller in 1905, who used it as a winter home. It

3822-651: The Ladies' Mile , along Fifth Avenue from 14th to 23rd Street; and the Tenderloin , from 23rd to 42nd Street and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue . Important streets and thoroughfares The border of Midtown Manhattan is nebulous and further confused by the fact that the term "Midtown Manhattan" can be used to refer either to a district or a group of neighborhoods and districts in Manhattan: Midtown Manhattan, along with Lower Manhattan ,

3920-575: The New York City Fire Department (FDNY): The greater Midtown area between 14th Street and 59th Street contains seven additional fire stations. As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers in Midtown Manhattan are lower than the city average. In Midtown Manhattan, there were 67 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Midtown Manhattan has

4018-616: The Real Estate Record and Guide , the building was a "graceful addition to the music and art center" around Fifth Avenue near 57th Street. The Elizabeth Arden salon's interior, along with a nearby salon operated by Helena Rubinstein , was described as "among the most luxurious" in the United States in the 1939 WPA Guide to New York City . When the storefront was renovated in 1939, architectural critic Lewis Mumford called it "the most satisfactory piece of remodeling" on

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4116-585: The University Club of New York to the west; The Peninsula New York hotel to the northwest; the St. Regis New York hotel to the north; 19 East 54th Street to the east; the William H. Moore House to the south; and Saint Thomas Church to the southwest. Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century, when brownstone rowhouses were built on

4214-560: The Upper East Side . Midtown Manhattan is located within six primary ZIP Codes . West of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10018 between 34th and 41st Streets, 10036 between 41st and 48th Streets, and 10019 between 48th and 59th Streets. East of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10016 between 34th and 40th Streets, 10017 between 40th and 49th Streets, and 10022 between 49th and 59th Streets. The area southwest of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, sometimes considered to be in Midtown,

4312-660: The Waldorf Astoria New York , which became the most expensive hotel ever sold after being purchased by the Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, for US$ 1.95 billion . In the same year, six of the top ten most expensive zip codes in the United States by median housing price were located in Manhattan, underscoring the borough's dominant position in the real estate market. When 450 Park Avenue

4410-477: The facade are made of Indiana Limestone , interspersed with Italian marble spandrels , while the upper stories are made of decorative buff-colored terracotta . The first nine stories occupy nearly the whole lot, with a rounded corner facing Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. On the 10th, 12th, and 14th floors, the building has setbacks as mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution , and the building contains several angled sections. The decorative details include urns at

4508-625: The 11th floor for 15 years on behalf of her company Elizabeth Arden Inc. The following month, Elizabeth Arden Inc. expanded the lease to the north storefront and five stories. The north storefront was redesigned by Mott B. Schmidt and retrofitted with a bright red door. The salon opened in January 1930 and was known as the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. It contained glass walls with jade green surrounds, as well as rooms for salon treatments, exercise, and tap dancing on each of

4606-459: The Aeolian Company. The Rockefeller estate sold a $ 1.1 million mortgage loan for the building that June. Warren and Wetmore, who had designed both the previous Aeolian Hall on 42nd Street as well as the nearby Steinway Hall on 57th Street, were hired to design the structure. Warren and Wetmore officially submitted plans for the building in July 1925, with an expected cost of $ 1 million. At that point,

4704-517: The Aeolian Company. Robert Carson was hired to remodel the exterior, including the installation of a window at the ground-floor corner, while Louis Freedland was hired to redesign the interior. O'Brien & Fortin Inc. was hired as the general contractor. The I. Miller & Sons store opened in June 1939. Elizabeth Arden Inc. ultimately acquired outright ownership of the building in 1944, and it became known as

4802-693: The City University of New York, is located in Midtown South. Mercy College is situated at Herald Square . Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal are the two major railroad stations located in Midtown Manhattan. Penn Station serves Amtrak , NJ Transit , and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), while Grand Central serves the Metro-North Railroad and also serves the LIRR at Grand Central Madison . Penn Station

4900-666: The Elizabeth Arden Building. The I. Miller & Sons storefront was damaged in 1949 when a motorist, experiencing a heart attack, crashed into the store and subsequently died. During the mid-20th century, 689 Fifth Avenue contained office space for a wide range of office tenants. Some of the occupants specialized in clothing, fashion, and design, while others were in media, marketing, advertising, and public relations. The office tenants included public relations firm Leslie E. Roberts and carpet firm Lack Trading Company which, in 1943, simultaneously signed leases for space in

4998-565: The Elizabeth Arden offices. The Aeolian Company signed a lease for half the space at the Chickering Hall on 57th Street in early 1938. The new lease was signed because the existing lease at 689 Fifth Avenue was scheduled to expire that May. Accordingly, the Aeolian Company moved out that year. In December 1938, I. Miller & Sons Inc. rented the southern storefront for $ 750,000; the storefront had then been recently vacated by

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5096-699: The Fifth Avenue Association gave the Gould Realty Company an award for the Aeolian Building, which the association dubbed as the best new building erected around Fifth Avenue during that year. The sale of the building shortly afterward was characterized in The New York Times as "the first time on record that a gold medal building on Fifth Avenue has ever been offered at absolute public auction". According to

5194-479: The Gucci store at the Elizabeth Arden Building became a secondary branch selling shoes and luggage. The old Gucci space was leased to Façonnable in 1993. Three years later, Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Red Door Salons Inc. extended their leases in the northern storefront and planned a renovation of the salon in the Elizabeth Arden Building. Other tenants during this time included fashion company Kiton , whose offices faced

5292-696: The New York Stock Exchange. When the newly formed Mutual Alliance Trust Company opened for business in New York on the Tuesday after June 29, 1902, there were 13 directors, including Emanuel Lehman and Rockefeller. Rockefeller married Almira Geraldine Goodsell (March 19, 1844 – January 17, 1920) on May 25, 1864, in Fairfield, Connecticut . There were many connections among this and other elite families. Her sister Esther Judson Goodsell

5390-626: The Port Authority would spend $ 10 billion to expand capacity and modernize the facility. The New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations each operate several routes that go through Midtown. Additionally, the PATH train to New Jersey terminates at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown. Traffic congestion is common, especially for crosstown traffic. In 2011, a new system of traffic light control, known as "Midtown in Motion"

5488-496: The United Nations, and consulates-general accredited to the United States, in Midtown Manhattan. In addition, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) is in Midtown Manhattan. William Rockefeller Jr. He married Almira Geraldine Goodsell in 1864, and they had six children. Rockefeller died in 1922, leaving a gross estate of $ 102 million, significantly reduced by debts and taxes. He

5586-433: The United States achieved completion in Midtown Manhattan, at a selling price of US$ 238 million, for a 24,000 square feet (2,200 m ) penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park at 220 Central Park South . The COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid work models have prompted consideration of commercial-to-residential conversion within the neighborhood's real estate sector. In August 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced

5684-666: The West Side, and Murray Hill , Kips Bay , Turtle Bay , and Gramercy Park on the East Side. It is sometimes broken into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or north and south as in the New York City Police Department 's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts. Neighborhoods in the Midtown area include the following: Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as

5782-528: The William H. Moore House to the south; the company ultimately moved to that house in 2002. Vornado Realty Trust acquired the building in 1999 and renamed it 689 Fifth Avenue. Vornado placed the building on sale in April 2002, expecting to earn up to $ 75 million. Two months later, Façonnable announced plans to terminate its lease at 689 Fifth Avenue and move to Rockefeller Center . Subsequently, Vornado canceled

5880-550: The avenue. The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York. The lots along Fifth Avenue were laid out in the late 18th century following the American Revolutionary War . Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the American Civil War . By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area. The Aeolian Building's site

5978-536: The bank using Amalgamated Copper as collateral. They paid back Daly for Anaconda and sold $ 75 million worth of stock in Amalgamated Copper to the public. They paid back the bank's $ 39 million and had a profit of $ 36 million in cash. After Daly died in November 1900, banker John Dennis Ryan rose to head Amalgamated's Montana operations. Amalgamated acquired two large competitors, and soon controlled all

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6076-507: The brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District , is a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Sixth Avenue also has the headquarters of three of the four major U.S. television networks . Midtown is part of Manhattan Community District 5 . It is patrolled by the 14th and 18th precincts of the New York City Police Department . Geographically, the northern boundary of Midtown Manhattan

6174-477: The building's address. Above the second story, the pilasters are topped by plaques made of carved disks, and there are urns above half of these disks. The midsection, consisting of the third through ninth stories, has an Indiana limestone facade, as well as spandrel panels of Italian marble between the windows on each story. On the third story, there are balusters across the bottoms of each window, as well as entablatures above each window. There are also flagpoles on

6272-427: The building's height was finalized at 14 stories. The James Baird Construction Company started erecting the structure that October. Gould died in January 1926, shortly after construction commenced. While the building was under construction, the limestone facade was severely damaged in a fire in April 1926. The conflagration had been caused by an acetylene torch, which a worker had failed to turn off before leaving for

6370-722: The building. Media tenants included the Transamerican Broadcasting and Television Corporation, which took three floors; Olmsted Sound Studios, which leased a sound recording studio; and Robert Saudek , which leased the penthouse in 1966. Organizations also took space in the building. These included the Institute of Pacific Relations , which took two floors; the Greater New York chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis ; and

6468-401: The center and with nearby academic, medical, and research institutions. The New York City Economic Development Corporation 's Early Stage Life Sciences Funding Initiative and venture capital partners, including Celgene , General Electric Ventures, and Eli Lilly, committed a minimum of US$ 100 million to help launch 15 to 20 ventures in life sciences and biotechnology. Real estate is

6566-498: The character of the existing facade. The renovation cost $ 1 million in total and was completed in October 1970. The Gucci store in the building became the company's main store in New York City. According to Ernest Castro, one of the renovating architects, the building was probably the city's first to use finely detailed stainless steel decoration, as opposed to mechanically stamped panels. A newer New York flagship for Gucci opened in 1980 at 685 Fifth Avenue, just across 54th Street, and

6664-411: The citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 92% of high school students in Midtown Manhattan graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%. There are no public elementary or middle schools in Midtown. The New York City Department of Education operates the following public high schools in Midtown, serving grades 9–12: Private schools include The Beekman School , Rebecca School , and

6762-440: The day. Several thousand people were rumored to have watched the fire, which scorched the facade up until the third floor. According to the New York Herald Tribune , hundreds of spectators gathered at the nearby University Club and Saint Thomas Church. Gould's estate scheduled an auction for twelve of his buildings, including the new Aeolian Building, in late 1926. The building was purchased for $ 3 million in January 1927. The buyer

6860-423: The early 2010s, a move that Manhattan Community Board 5 approved. Clothing retailer Massimo Dutti moved into the former Zara space in 2012, and Elizabeth Arden Inc. moved out the same year, being replaced by MAC Cosmetics . The MAC Cosmetics store closed permanently in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City . Clothing store Canada Goose opened a store at 689 Fifth Avenue in 2022. In December 1926,

6958-441: The elder daughter of James Jewett Stillman and Sarah Elizabeth Stillman; her father was National City Bank president. The new couple's family included James Stillman Rockefeller . He became a member of the Jekyll Island Club (aka The millionaires Club) on Jekyll Island, Georgia , along with J. P. Morgan , Joseph Pulitzer , and other business moguls of the day. In 1886, Rockefeller bought property in Westchester County along

7056-473: The floors can accommodate loads of 120 lb/sq ft (590 kg/m). When the building had opened in 1927, it had five showroom floors, a second-floor rotunda with a fountain, and a 150-seat recital hall for the Aeolian Company . The main entrance on the first floor was positioned at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. The space, leading to the main showroom, was a circular vestibule with

7154-480: The mines of Butte, Montana . The company returned to the name Anaconda in 1915, and by the late 1920s Anaconda Copper Company was the fourth-largest company in the world. From 1912 to 1913, the Pujo Committee investigated Rockefeller and others for allegedly earning $ 30 million in profit through cornering the copper market and "synchronizing with artificially enforced activity" in Amalgamated Copper stock in

7252-510: The neighborhood was 64.1% (18,351) White , 4.6% (1,310) African American , 0.1% (34) Native American , 20.8% (5,942) Asian , 0% (8) Pacific Islander , 0.3% (92) from other races , and 2% (569) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 8.1% (2,324) of the population. The entirety of Community District 5, which comprises Midtown Manhattan, had 53,120 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.8 years. This

7350-532: The ninth floor. The central section of the Fifth Avenue facade has one double-height round-arched window, and that on 54th Street has three such windows. Both of these central sections have garlands and keystones above the windows as well as scroll brackets on either side. A cornice with modillions, as well as a parapet, runs above the 11th story on all sides. The 12th and 13th stories are set back from all sides and have double-height round-arched windows, with

7448-436: The ninth-story setback, garlands , and a mechanical penthouse with a pyramidal roof and a lantern. 689 Fifth Avenue was commissioned by iron and steel magnate Charles A. Gould , who died before the building's completion. His daughter Celia Gould Milne bought the structure at an auction in 1927 and kept it until 1944. The building was the headquarters of the Aeolian Company , an instrument manufacturer, until 1938. Afterward,

7546-720: The offices where they were at the last minute. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Midtown Manhattan. Silicon Alley , the common metonym for New York City's high tech sector, is based in Midtown South , specifically the Flatiron District . Prominent Silicon Alley companies in Midtown include AppNexus , Blue Apron , Gilt , Betterment , Oscar , SoFi , Rent the Runway , Warby Parker , and WeWork . The technology sector has been expanding across Midtown Manhattan since 2010. The biotechnology sector

7644-408: The sale and sought a new tenant before it planned to place the building for sale again. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated 689 Fifth Avenue as a landmark on December 10, 2002. Yamaha Artist Services opened a piano salon on the third floor in 2004, and fashion retailer Zara leased the corner storefront in 2005. Vornado proposed a renovation of the building's base in

7742-414: The second-story windows on the southern part of the Fifth Avenue facade, and on the whole 54th Street facade, were replaced with yellow marble. A limestone band, as well as a cornice with modillions , runs above the second story. Metal letters spelling elizabeth arden had been mounted on the Fifth Avenue side through the 2000s. As part of a renovation in the 2010s, these were redesigned with letters with

7840-535: The storefront was renovated and the building's upper stories were used by a variety of office tenants. During the mid-20th century and late 20th century, the building was also named for Elizabeth Arden, Inc. , which occupied the northern storefront and some office space for eight decades. The southern storefront has been used by numerous tenants including Gucci , Zara , and Massimo Dutti . The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 689 Fifth Avenue as an official landmark in 2002. The Aeolian Building

7938-423: The third story facing Fifth Avenue. On both facades, pilasters separate the vertical bays of windows from the third story to the setbacks above either the ninth or eleventh floors. On each of the third through ninth floors, there are louvers across the easternmost windows on 54th Street and plain windows in the other bays. The upper section of the building is clad with buff-colored architectural terracotta , which

8036-483: The upper floors. The salon interior was designed by Mrs. John Alden Carpenter and the ground-level shop was designed by Nicholas Remisoff. In the 1920s, the new Aeolian Building hosted art exhibits such as a collection of works created by Albert, 4th duc de Broglie . During the 1930s, the building hosted events such as an exhibit of composers' manuscripts in the Aeolian offices, as well as musical benefit performances at

8134-409: The upper part of Fifth Avenue. Similarly, critic Talbot Hamlin regarded the modifications as "harmonious with the old". In the 1980s, the building was further described by architectural writer Paul Goldberger as possibly the "most inventive merging of modern commercial design with French and classical architectural detail" of any New York City building. Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan

8232-509: The world's highest retail rents and is the most expensive shopping street in the world. Midtown Manhattan is the country's largest commercial, entertainment , and media center, and is also a growing financial and fintech center. Many of New York City's skyscrapers , including its tallest hotels and apartment towers , are located in Midtown Manhattan. The neighborhood hosts commuters and residents working in its offices, hotels, and retail establishments, tourists and students. Times Square,

8330-466: Was $ 101,981, though the median income in Midtown individually was $ 120,854. In 2018, an estimated 11% of Midtown Manhattan residents lived in poverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. One in twenty residents (5%) were unemployed, compared to 7% in Manhattan and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,

8428-596: Was Gould's daughter, Cecilia Gould Milne, who paid the then-record price of $ 432/sq ft ($ 4,650/m). Early the next month, the Franklin Savings Bank placed a first mortgage loan of $ 1.8 million on the building. On February 23, 1927, the building was formally dedicated with the building's architect Whitney Warren, city government official Arthur J. W. Hilly, and Aeolian vice president E. L. Votey in attendance. The company's old building on 42nd Street closed in April 1927. In July 1929, Elizabeth Arden leased

8526-729: Was a prominent member of the Rockefeller family , contributing to its reputation as a leading American business dynasty. William Avery Rockefeller Jr. was born in Richford, New York . He was the middle son of con artist William Avery Rockefeller Sr. and Eliza Davison. In addition to elder brother John , William Jr.'s siblings were Lucy, Mary, and twins Franklin (Frank) and Frances (who died young). He also had two elder half-sisters, Clorinda (who died young) and Cornelia, through his father's affairs with mistress and housekeeper Nancy Brown. In 1853 his family moved to Strongsville, Ohio . As

8624-515: Was announced, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. Approximately 750,000 vehicles enter Midtown Manhattan on a fall business day. According to the 2011 Traffic Data Report for New York State, 777,527 vehicles a day went through select toll facilities into Manhattan. The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division , First Department, is located at the Appellate Division Courthouse at 25th Street and Madison Avenue

8722-402: Was at the northern portion of the west facade on Fifth Avenue. The original ground-story storefront had bronze-framed storefront windows, limestone pilasters , and a pink granite water table . The southern storefront was renovated in 1939 with yellow marble cladding in place of the limestone pilasters, as well as a large curved-glass window designed by Robert Carson. After the 1970s, the building

8820-602: Was completed in 1900 by architect James Brown Lord , who used a third of the construction budget to decorate the building with statues and murals. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration operates its New York office on the 22nd floor at 135 West 50th Street . Several countries, including Algeria , Argentina , The Bahamas , China , Costa Rica , Germany , Ireland , Israel , Jamaica , Japan , Luxembourg , Mexico , Morocco , Saudi Arabia , Singapore , South Africa , South Korea , United Kingdom , and Ukraine , have Permanent Missions accredited to

8918-528: Was designed in the neoclassical style by Warren and Wetmore and constructed by the James Baird Construction Company. It is 15 stories tall, or 14 stories excluding its penthouse. The roof of the building is 224 ft (68 m) above ground. The building has a curved corner facing the intersection of 54th Street and Fifth Avenue, and it has setbacks at its 10th, 12th, and 14th floors. The setbacks were included to comply with

9016-490: Was manufactured by the Federal Terra Cotta Company. Above the ninth story, the corners of the building are set back and contain a limestone balustrade with decorative details, as well as large urns atop the balustrade on each of the corners. These setback sections contain angled and curved walls. The center sections of either facade continue through the 11th story and have a decorative balcony in front of

9114-609: Was married to Oliver Burr Jennings , who became one of the original stockholders of Standard Oil. Together, William and Almira had: William Rockefeller Jr. died of pneumonia on June 24, 1922, in Rockwood Hall. He had caught a cold during a car trip he took with brother John and nephew John Jr. to visit his childhood home in Richford, New York . He was interred in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery , Sleepy Hollow, New York . The New York Times , in discussing

9212-523: Was moving its North American headquarters from Midtown to Melville , New York , in Suffolk County on Long Island . Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Midtown Manhattan was 28,630, a change of 2,823 (9.9%) from the 25,807 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 692.81 acres (280.37 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 41.3 inhabitants per acre (26,400/sq mi; 10,200/km ). The racial makeup of

9310-471: Was renovated with doorways on the northern portion of the Fifth Avenue facade, the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street, the eastern portion of the 54th Street facade. The rest of the ground story had travertine pilasters and glass-and-metal storefronts. In the early 2010s, a replacement storefront with bronze-framed windows, limestone pilasters, and a granite water table was designed. The second story initially had cusped windows with marble surrounds. In 1939,

9408-408: Was sold on July 2, 2007, for US$ 510 million, about US$ 1,589 per square foot (US$ 17,104/m ), it broke the barely month-old record for an American office building of US$ 1,476 per square foot (US$ 15,887/m ) based on the sale of 660 Madison Avenue . In 2014, Manhattan was home to six of the top ten zip codes in the United States by median housing price. In 2019, the most expensive home sale ever in

9506-493: Was sold to Commodore Charles A. Gould , a developer who had made his fortune in the steel and iron industry. It was leased back by Henry Mandel, the previous owner, for $ 112,000 a year. Gould proposed to erect an office building on the site. In April 1925, the media reported that instrument manufacturer Aeolian Company had signed a 63-year lease for much of the space in the building. The company had previously been at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street until 1912, when it had relocated to

9604-679: Was very adept in business matters. When John D. formed Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler in 1867, he invited William to take charge of the company's export business in New York . In 1867, William Rockefeller and Co. was formed as a subsidiary to Rockefeller and Andrews. In 1870, that company became Standard Oil . In 1911 Standard Oil of New Jersey was split up by the United States Supreme Court . In 1899, Rockefeller joined fellow Standard Oil principal Henry H. Rogers and Anaconda Copper Company founder Marcus Daly in forming

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