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86-666: The gem has been displayed across the United States. Its permanent home is at the Tiffany & Co. flagship store in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Discovered in South Africa in 1877, the stone was purchased by New York jeweler Charles Tiffany . His gemologist, George Frederick Kunz , studied the gem for a year before beginning to cut it, reducing it from 287 carats (57.5g) to its current size. The cutting

172-769: A Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Song for Mancini). The film also received numerous other accolades , although, Rooney's portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi garnered significant subsequent controversy for being racist . In 2012, the film was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress . Fending off a date from the night before, Holly Golightly visits the Tiffany & Co. flagship store but her date finds her at her apartment building. Holly, who cannot find her keys, buzzes her landlord, Mr. Yunioshi, to let her in. Holly meets her new neighbor Paul Varjak as she readies to leave for her weekly visit to incarcerated mobster Sally Tomato. Tomato's lawyer pays her $ 100

258-505: A branch of the New York Trust Company , which were interspersed with 19th-century mansions, music shops, and art dealerships. The site of the current Tiffany's flagship had been occupied by Collis P. Huntington 's mansion until 1926. The original building is a seven-story structure designed by New York City architects Cross & Cross in a "conservative modern" style and completed in 1940. The main contractor for

344-400: A cafe inside the building, quoted by news sources as finally allowing for a "breakfast at Tiffany"; the menu also includes a meal with that name. In 2019, as the company LVMH was preparing to purchase Tiffany & Company, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault toured the flagship store and was lost, which factored into his decision to remodel and brighten the store's interior. In 2020, Tiffany began

430-492: A cautionary tale about a little girl lost in the big city". He later labelled the film "a sugar and spice confection" and claimed Capote praised it as an independent work, but not as an adaptation. In later years, American Film Institute ranked the film No. 61 in 100 Years ... 100 Passions and "Moon River" as No. 4 in 100 Years ... 100 Songs . The film was also ranked No. 486 on Empire ' s The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list. The image of Hepburn with her hair in

516-452: A country girl into a Manhattan "socialite", along with wealthy Brazilian politician José da Silva Pereira and the wealthy American Rusty Trawler. Some time later, 2E enters Paul's apartment, worried about someone loitering outside the building. Paul confronts the man who explains he is Holly's husband, Doc Golightly. Doc informs him that Holly ran away and he has come to bring her back to rural Texas. After Paul reunites them, Holly informs Paul

602-524: A culturally significant film designated by the Library of Congress. Two years later, Tiffany's bought the land under its flagship location from First National City Bank, as well as the adjacent corner property that was occupied by Bonwit Teller . The company paid $ 1.25 million for the store building and $ 2.8 million for the corner property. Lord Astor of Hever , the beneficiary of the Astor trust that owned

688-549: A flame." Mae also praised the "slick" and "perceptive" screenplay and the "fine" supporting cast, singling out Peppard, Ebsen, Balsam and Rooney. Henry T. Murdock of the Philadelphia Inquirer said: " Breakfast at Tiffany's shines like a gem. Much of the iridescence comes from the richly impulsive performance by Hepburn as the scatterbrained, pathetic, fiercely independent lead. [Peppard] plays with understanding. Ebsen appears briefly, but to good effect [and] Rooney

774-457: A high chignon and carrying an oversized cigarette holder is considered one of the most iconic images of 20th century American cinema . The sunglasses worn by Hepburn, another popular item, were designed and manufactured in London by Oliver Goldsmith . In 2011, the sunglasses were re-released to mark the film's 50th anniversary. One of three dresses designed by Givenchy for Hepburn to use in

860-426: A minidress that she wore in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's . An oak staircase, with mirrors and transparent balustrades, runs from the first to the seventh floors. Following the 2020s renovation, the floors above the eighth story were gutted and replaced. The eighth and ninth stories became into an exhibit and event space. Next to this space is an outdoor terrace with seats and a bar. When it reopened in 2023,

946-431: A pink-granite base with limestone on its upper stories. The main entrance, on the western facade, has a rectangular limestone frame with a wheat-leaf pattern. The windows in the vertical bays are separated horizontally by marble spandrels between each floor. The window frames are made of stainless steel and are bounded by pieces of Alpine marble, which hold the facade's shatterproof glass windows in place. The top of

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1032-441: A portion of the store across the intersection, but rejected the idea because transporting the merchandise every day would have caused logistical issues. In 1978, Peter Claman was hired to design a 13,500-square-foot (1,250 m ) expansion, which included constructing three stories on the roof. The expansion was completed in 1980. Tiffany's received a $ 5 million tax credit for completing the expansion, allowing them to save money on

1118-511: A pre-eminent luxury retailer was further boosted by the popularity of the film. Since the 1990s, Rooney's portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi, which featured makeup and a prosthetic mouthpiece, has been subject to controversy and labelled as a caricatured approximation of a Japanese man. In the Bruce Lee biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Breakfast at Tiffany's is used as an illustration of Hollywood's racist depiction of East Asians: it

1204-413: A response attributed to Hepburn herself in another account. According to Time , Mancini "sets off [the] melodies with a walking bass, extends them with choral and string variations and varies them with the brisk sounds of combo jazz . "Moon River" is sobbed by a plaintive harmonica, repeated by strings, hummed and then sung by the chorus and finally resolved with the harmonica." The soundtrack featured

1290-428: A score composed and conducted by Mancini, with several unreleased musical compositions not featuring in the final film. One piece, "Carousel Cue", appears in a deleted scene, while another piece titled "Outtake 1" also appears in a deleted scene. In 2013, Intrada Records released the complete score in its original film performance: as with many soundtrack albums from the time period, the album initially released alongside

1376-485: A sculpture of an apple, created by Claude Lalanne of the art duo Les Lalanne ; it alludes to New York City's nickname, the " Big Apple ". The building was one of the first major retail buildings built with central air conditioning in New York City. A heating plant for the ground floor was placed in the basement, while the upper floors were heated and ventilated through the original double-story penthouse on

1462-571: A two-year renovation of 727 Fifth Avenue and relocated to a temporary store in the adjacent 6 East 57th Street, called The Tiffany Flagship Next Door. The four-story building at 6 East 57th Street was built for Nike 's Niketown store, which occupied the space from 1996 to 2017, and had also been used by a Tiffany's pop-up store. At the time, the building was owned by the Trump Organization , which owns Trump Tower. During January 2020, workers moved more than 114,000 pieces of jewelry between

1548-436: A week to deliver "the weather report". Holly meets Paul's "decorator" Emily Eustace Failenson, a wealthy older woman, whom Paul nicknames "2E". That night, when Holly crawls out onto the fire escape to elude an over-eager date, she sees 2E leaving Paul money and kissing him goodbye. Holly visits Paul and learns he is a writer who has not had anything published in five years, and has no ribbon in his typewriter. Holly explains she

1634-525: A year and are planned more than a year in advance. The displays have been designed by various designers over their history. Gene Moore designed the displays for nearly forty years using smaller materials to frame the more expensive jewelry. Other window dressers have included Rachel Zoe , who in 2012 designed displays depicting the "Hollywood glamour" of the mid-20th century, as well as Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin , who designed Great Gatsby - themed displays in 2013. A 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of

1720-519: Is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards from a screenplay by George Axelrod and based on the 1958 novella of the same name by Truman Capote . It stars Audrey Hepburn , George Peppard , Patricia Neal , Buddy Ebsen , Martin Balsam , and Mickey Rooney . In the film, Holly Golightly (Hepburn), a naïve, eccentric socialite meets Paul Varjak (Peppard), a struggling writer who moves into her apartment building. Development for

1806-466: Is arrested in connection to a drug ring run by Sally Tomato. Berman pays her bail and Paul picks her up in a cab with all her things, including Cat and a breakup letter from José. Holly decides to go to Brazil anyway, breaking bail, as Paul declares that he loves her. Resistant to being in a relationship, Holly chastises him and releases Cat into an alley. Paul storms out of the cab, leaving the engraved ring with Holly. After she puts it on, Holly runs back to

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1892-432: Is at his funniest in this iconic classic, and Audrey Hepburn absolutely lights up the screen." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Time magazine noted "[Hepburn's portrayal] is not much different from Capote's [character]. She has kicked the weed but she is still jolly Holly who runs away to find some of

1978-461: Is implied that Lee and his future wife, Linda Lee Cadwell , walked out of a screening of the film upon viewing Rooney's performance. Promotional materials released by Paramount for the film between October and December 1960 did not reveal Rooney to play Yunioshi, with press releases stating that an upcoming Japanese comedian named "Ohayo Arigatou" ("hello" and "thank you" in Japanese ) would play

2064-629: Is instead supported by three 100-ton trusses spanning the 85-foot (26 m) width of the building, each of which consists of upper and lower girders connected by crossbeams. Upon the building's completion, the floors and pilasters were made of teakwood, while the display cases were decorated in teak, walnut, and marble. Jewelry and other merchandise was placed in wooden display cases with stainless-steel frames. These cases rested on wood, stainless steel, or granite pedestals. The display cases and spaces were illuminated using indirect lighting fixtures. The salesroom's most prominent permanent display

2150-414: Is made of two types of glass, which is inspired by the original building's parapet. The top floor uses flat panes of low emissivity glass to reduce energy use, as well as slumped glass panes that are more structurally sturdy and serve as one-way mirrors . The building's exterior windows include five storefront displays (two on Fifth Avenue and three on 57th Street), which are changed about eight times

2236-406: Is saving money to support her brother, Fred, after he completes his Army service. The pair fall asleep but are awakened when Holly has a nightmare about Fred. When Paul questions her about this, Holly chides him for prying. Holly buys Paul a typewriter ribbon to apologize, and invites him to a party at her apartment. There, he meets her Hollywood agent, Berman, who describes Holly's transformation from

2322-496: Is the Tiffany Yellow Diamond , a 128.54-carat gem. Metalwork such as brass, copper, silver, and stainless steel is used throughout the interior. The upper floors were built with public and private showrooms. The first four stories were used by retail departments, while the upper stories had offices, jewelers' studios, and a repair shop. The first mezzanine level contained three private showrooms, one each in

2408-542: Is too slapstick as the Japanese photographer. Edwards keeps things moving with a lilt." The film helped rejuvenate Ebsen's career, as it helped him land the role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971). A.H. Weiler of The New York Times called the film a "completely unbelievable but wholly captivating flight into fancy composed of unequal dollops of comedy, romance, poignancy, funny colloquialisms and Manhattan's swankiest East Side areas captured in

2494-642: The William Waldorf Astor estate. In a multi-part transaction, National City Bank acquired the 57th Street site from the previous owner of the Huntington site, as well as Tiffany's 37th Street building. Tiffany's then hired Cross & Cross to design a new flagship at that location. That August, Cross & Cross filed plans for the 57th Street structure with the New York City Department of Buildings . Turner Construction

2580-555: The French, English, and Modern architectural styles. There were also five glass-enclosed buying rooms. The flagship store includes a café on its fourth floor, Blue Box Cafe, operated by the restaurateur Daniel Boulud and opened in 2017. The café has a breakfast, lunch, and tea menu and is decorated in Tiffany Blue , the color for which the brand is known. The fifth floor contains memorabilia such as photos of Audrey Hepburn and

2666-614: The Studios at Paramount in Hollywood, California . The film's music was composed by Henry Mancini and its theme song, " Moon River ", was written by Johnny Mercer . Breakfast at Tiffany's was released in the United States on October 5, 1961, by Paramount Pictures . It grossed $ 14 million worldwide and received critical acclaim for its music and Hepburn's style and performance, being nominated for five Academy Awards , including Best Actress for Hepburn, and winning two ( Music Score of

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2752-568: The Tiffany's flagship for city landmark status. According to preservationist John Jurayj, the LPC said it would take the designation into consideration, but it did not make any further comment on the issue. Preservationists sent another request to the LPC in 2001, requesting the Tiffany's store be considered for landmark status, but they again received no responses over the following several years. Starting in 2001, Yabu Pushelberg redesigned portions of

2838-463: The alley, where Paul is looking for Cat. After Holly finds Cat, she cradles it in her coat and, smiling, walks into Paul's embrace. After Paramount producers Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd optioned the film rights to Capote's novella, they hired Sumner Locke Elliott to write its screenplay. Although generally faithful to the source material, Jurow and Shepherd disliked Elliott's screenplay and he

2924-418: The brand; the fifth flagship store did not have the name "Tiffany" appear on its facades, with only the statue and clock denoting the store's presence. The statue is a realistic depiction of a bearded, thin man, wearing nothing except a crossed leather strap. The figure stands upright, unbent despite appearing to hold the weight of the large clock above it. His left foot is placed in front of him, partially off

3010-417: The building's roof, only the fourth time in the city's history that had occurred. A 105-ton crane, with assistance from another and eight trucks as counterweights, lifted a 66-ton crane onto the structure. The project's interior designer, Peter Marino, added distinct design details within each room of the store. The main store reopened on April 27, 2023. Tiffany & Co. hosted a two-day party to celebrate

3096-443: The character because he was a comedy director. We had fun doing it. Never [since] we made it [has] there been [any] complaints. Every place I've gone in the world people say [I] was so funny." Rooney later said that he would not have taken the role if he thought it was offensive. The film continues to draw criticism for the character, with film historian Robert Osborne calling it "such a racial slur. I blame Edwards. The caricature

3182-517: The character. Other press releases featured false quotes, written in phonetically broken English, attributed to the fake comedian. Rooney eventually revealed his involvement in Breakfast at Tiffany's in a statement while wearing the makeup and prosthetic mouthpiece seen in the film. Shepherd later claimed that he wanted to cast a Japanese actor to portray Yunioshi, but that Edwards overruled him. He also stated he did not believe "[Rooney] didn't play

3268-474: The day together, taking turns doing things each has never done before. At Tiffany's, he has the ring from a box of Cracker Jack engraved as a present for her. After spending the night together, Paul awakens to find Holly gone. 2E arrives and calmly accepts when he ends their affair, realizing he loves Holly. Returning from a date with José, Holly learns Fred has been killed and trashes her apartment. Months later, Holly readies to move to Brazil and marry José but

3354-477: The expansion. The company's eligibility for the tax credit was subsequently investigated because the credit was not supposed to be given to retailers. Developer and future U.S. president Donald Trump purchased the building's air rights for $ 5 million in 1979 while he was developing the neighboring Trump Tower . Trump had considered the Tiffany's flagship to be the city's best real-estate property, and he had wanted to prevent another developer from tearing down

3440-430: The film and convinced Hepburn to reshoot scenes for free in the hope that scenes featuring Yunioshi could be edited out, but was overruled by Edwards. Edwards later stated he "would give anything to recast [Rooney]" and he "wished [he] had never done it" but stressed it was not something he could "undo". In a 2008 interview, Rooney said he was "heartbroken" regarding the criticism, saying, "Edwards wanted me to [portray]

3526-609: The film began soon after the publication of Capote's novel, with several actors, including Marilyn Monroe , Shirley MacLaine , Kim Novak , Steve McQueen , Jack Lemmon , and Robert Wagner , considered for the lead roles prior to Hepburn and Peppard being cast. The screenplay, which deviates from Capote's novella, was originally completed by Axelrod and director John Frankenheimer , who was replaced by Edwards well into pre-production. Principal photography began on October 2, 1960, with filming taking place in New York City and at

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3612-470: The film influenced her later roles. Tinee Mae of the Chicago Tribune also gave a positive review, saying, "In the wrong hands, the unconventional, disorganized, sophisticated, innocent, utterly contradictory [lead] character could be a tiresome idiot. Audrey makes her as sweet as she is silly, as appealing as she is affected, a playgirl without scruples, a moth who doesn't quite deserve to die in

3698-407: The film sold at auction by Christie's on December 5, 2006, for £467,200 (~US$ 947,000), about seven times the reserve price. The little black dress designed by Givenchy and worn by Hepburn is cited as one of the most iconic clothing items of the twentieth century and was described by Glamour as the most famous little black dress of all time. A second little black dress by Givenchy, which

3784-469: The film was a re-recording. Breakfast at Tiffany's was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures on October 5, 1961. The film was first released on home media in the 1980s, on VHS and DVD, and was one of the first films featuring Hepburn released on home video. On February 7, 2006, a 45th anniversary special edition DVD was released in North America, containing featurettes not included on

3870-510: The film was released, which added several new featurettes, including interviews by the cast, a documentary discussing the controversy regarding Rooney's portrayal of I.Y. Yunioshi, an interactive tour of the Paramount Studios lot where filming took place, and a tribute to Mancini. On June 29, 2011, the film was digitally restored in high-definition and released on Blu-ray to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Breakfast at Tiffany's

3956-810: The film, Hepburn sang the film's signature song, " Moon River ", written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer . The song was tailored to Hepburn's limited vocal range and its sequencing was inspired by songs she performed in Funny Face (1957). On the Anniversary Edition home media release featuring audio commentary by Shepherd, he stated that after the film's test preview in San Francisco , Martin Rankin, Paramount's head of production, wanted "Moon River" replaced with music sung by somebody else. Shepherd claimed he and Jurow refused to replace it –

4042-499: The finer things of life." It also pointed out the differences to Capote's novella, stating "after that out-of-Capote beginning, Edwards goes on to an out-of-character end." Hepburn's performance received rave reviews, with it considered to be one of her most memorable and identifiable roles. Almost a half century later, Richard Corliss of Time emphasized the level of Hepburn's performance, stating, " Breakfast at Tiffany's set Hepburn on her Hollywood course" and argued her performance in

4128-711: The firm. Kunz modified the accepted square antique brilliant cut, bringing the total facets to ninety. The result is a cut that returns a great deal of light to the eye. Large diamonds of comparable brilliance were not fashioned until well into the 20th century. In 1893 it was part of Tiffany's exhibit at the Chicago World's Fair. The gem was on loan from Tiffany & Co. to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., from April 18, 2007, until September 23, 2007. At

4214-402: The flagship store, reworking its second and fourth floors, and opening its fifth and sixth into public spaces. The renovation involved moving office spaces to other locations, expanding retail space from 32,500 to 40,500 square feet (3,020 to 3,760 m ). While the renovation was initially scheduled to be completed in 2004, it was not actually finished until late 2006. A 2017 renovation added

4300-464: The lots, had recently moved to the United Kingdom and was forced to sell the lots. British law at the time forbade its subjects to own any property outside the United Kingdom. By the late 1970s, the Tiffany's flagship had become overcrowded, in part because the company's overall success had resulted in increased sales. Tiffany & Co. president Walter Hoving contemplated a proposal to move

4386-407: The loveliest of colors". Weiler called Hepburn "a genuinely charming, elfin waif who will be believed and adored when seen" and further praised the performances of Peppard, Balsam, Rooney, Neal and Ebsen. Capote infamously disliked the film and Hepburn's performance for deviating from his novella. Capote's biographer, Gerald Clarke , characterized the film as a "valentine to free-spirited women, [not]

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4472-406: The marriage was annulled and she declines to return with Doc. After drinking at a club, Paul and Holly return to her apartment, where she tells him she plans to marry Trawler for his money. A few days later, Paul learns a short story inspired by Holly will be published. On the way to tell Holly, he sees a newspaper headline stating that Trawler has married someone else. Holly and Paul agree to spend

4558-469: The mythological figure Atlas is situated on the second story of the building's west facade, facing Fifth Avenue. The statue, shouldering a four-foot-wide clock, was built to stand atop the entranceway to the company's third flagship store in 1853. Charles Tiffany commissioned his friend Henry Frederick Metzler, a carver of ship figureheads, to design the work. The statue has traveled as the company has relocated its flagship. The statue stood as an icon of

4644-543: The northwest, the Crown Building to the west, 712 Fifth Avenue to the southwest, Corning Glass Building to the south, and 550 Madison Avenue to the southeast. In the early 20th century, the section of Fifth Avenue south of 59th Street was becoming a commercial area. By the 1920s, the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street contained commercial buildings, including the Heckscher Building and

4730-573: The novella, stating the changes made were for "audience approval". Filming began on Fifth Avenue outside the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on October 2, 1960. Most of the exteriors were filmed in New York City , and all of the interiors, except for portions set inside Tiffany & Co., were filmed on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood. According to one report, the film's on-location opening sequence outside Tiffany & Co.

4816-459: The occasion in a necklace of white diamonds. It was subsequently worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1961 publicity photographs for Breakfast at Tiffany's . In 2019, Lady Gaga wore the diamond at the 91st Academy Awards . Beyoncé wore the necklace in a Tiffany campaign of 2021. In addition, Gal Gadot wore a replica of the diamond made by Tiffany & Co. in the 2022 film Death on the Nile , where

4902-503: The original building has a scalloped parapet . The use of limestone in the facade was intended to evoke older store buildings, but Cross & Cross used a more modernistic Art Deco style because, according to the author Peter Pennoyer, it "better expressed the modern age". The eighth through tenth stories are clad with a glass facade designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture . The eighth and ninth stories contain flat glass panes without any exterior columns. The top floor's facade

4988-405: The part well". Shepherd later apologized for Rooney's casting and performance, saying, "If we could just change Mickey, I'd be thrilled with the [film]." Although Axelrod expanded the role of Yunioshi in the screenplay compared to the novella, Edwards sought to use the character for comic relief and hired Rooney, his old roommate. Axelrod clashed with Edwards regarding the placement of Yunioshi in

5074-414: The prior releases. These included a photo gallery, the film's theatrical trailer, a history featurette on Tiffany & Co., audio commentary by Shepherd, a making-of featurette with interviews from Edwards and Neal, and a tribute to Hepburn, which contained a letter written by Hepburn to Tiffany & Co. for their 150th anniversary in 1987. On January 13, 2009, a remastered Centennial Collection version of

5160-527: The reopening. Upon the store's reopening, it was known officially as "The Landmark". Officials of LVMH said they intended for the store to cater to the "ultra-elite", and Tiffany's CEO Anthony Ledru said, "For us, the Landmark is now the lighthouse of the brand." The first art exhibit at the Landmark flagship store opened in March 2024. Breakfast at Tiffany%27s (film) Breakfast at Tiffany's

5246-402: The roof. The flagship store is the sixth for the company, which moved uptown five times since its founding in 1837. Immediately prior to the construction of the building at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, Tiffany & Co. had its flagship at 401 Fifth Avenue , twenty blocks south. In May 1939, the company leased a site at 57th Street from First National City Bank , which acted as trustee for

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5332-447: The second story of the building's west facade, facing Fifth Avenue. The building's first-floor main salesroom, covering 8,400 sq ft (780 m ) with a ceiling 24 ft tall (7.3 m), has no supporting columns in its superstructure . The upper floors were built with public and private showrooms. Prior to the building's construction, Tiffany & Co. had its flagship at 401 Fifth Avenue , twenty blocks south. The new site

5418-402: The source material. Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly: he considered Monroe to best reflect the character, with Axelrod required to "tailor" the screenplay to accommodate Monroe. Monroe declined to star in the film, opting for The Misfits (1961), after theatre director Lee Strasberg advised her that playing a "lady of the evening" would be bad for her image. The role

5504-484: The statue's base. It was sculpted from wood of a fir tree, painted to resemble the patina of weathered bronze; the feet are made of solid lead. Tiffany & Co. has released products based on the statue's design, and has created replicas for its stores in other locations across the country. The building's first-floor main salesroom has 8,400 sq ft (780 m ) and is 24 ft tall (7.3 m). It has no supporting columns in its superstructure . The ceiling

5590-466: The store had forty artworks by artists including Damien Hirst , Jenny Holzer , Rashid Johnson , and Richard Prince . By 2024, the building had 58 works of art. Among these are Jean-Michel Basquiat 's painting Equals Pi , installed on the ground floor. The works also included a color-changing oval designed by James Turrell , a cabinet by Hirst, a group of mirrored disks by Anish Kapoor , and animations for 14 window frames. The eighth floor has

5676-514: The store to build a taller building. Trump later named his daughter Tiffany Trump after the location; the air rights acquisition was reportedly one of his favorite deals. After Avon Products acquired Tiffany's in the early 1980s, the building was sold in 1984 to a Texas investment syndicate, who paid $ 66.5 million and leased the space back to Tiffany's. The syndicate resold the building to Daiichi Real Estate in 1986 for $ 94.35 million. Daiichi paid about $ 959 per square foot ($ 10,320/m ), which at

5762-495: The structure, and reacquired it fifteen years later. The store was renovated during the early 2000s. As part of another renovation, including a replacement rooftop structure, the store was temporarily closed from 2020 to 2023. The Tiffany & Co. flagship store is at 727 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . The rectangular land lot is at the southeastern corner of Fifth Avenue to

5848-422: The theft of the diamond is a part of the mystery. Tiffany %26 Co. flagship store The Tiffany & Co. flagship store is a ten-story retail building in Midtown Manhattan , New York City, within the luxury shopping district on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 60th Streets. The building, at 727 Fifth Avenue, has served as Tiffany & Co. 's sixth flagship store since its completion in 1940. It

5934-536: The time was the highest price per square foot for a commercial property in the United States. At the time, the property contained 98,000 square feet (9,100 m ). Following the early 1990s recession , the property became unprofitable for Daiichi, which resold the building to Tiffany's in 1999 for $ 94 million. In 1998, preservationists requested that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) consider

6020-539: The time, Jeffrey E. Post, the museum's gem curator, said that this was the largest diamond on display in the U.S. The famous Hope Diamond is only 45.5 carats, which is about one-third the mass of the Tiffany Yellow Diamond. The diamond is known to have been worn by only four women during its lifetime. It was worn by Mary Whitehouse at the 1957 Tiffany Ball held in Newport, Rhode Island , mounted for

6106-464: The two buildings; the relocations were done quietly to prevent robberies. Exterior renderings of the renovated building were revealed in August 2020. The renovation process involved a redesign of the building's interior spaces, as well as the replacement of a three-story rooftop addition (built in 1980) with a similarly-sized addition designed by OMA . The renovation necessitated lifting a crane onto

6192-516: The west and 57th Street to the north. The lot covers approximately 11,000 square feet (1,000 m ), with a frontage of 85.5 feet (26 m) on Fifth Avenue and 125 feet (38 m) on 57th Street. The building is on the same city block as Trump Tower to the south and 550 Madison Avenue to the east. Other nearby buildings include 3 East 57th Street to the north, the Bergdorf Goodman Building and Solow Building to

6278-433: The work was Turner Construction . Architectural historian Paul Goldberger cites it as an important retail building in New York City, and an important example of the transition from classicism to modernism in architecture. Upon the building's completion, a critic for Architectural Forum magazine characterized it as a monumental structure with an "orthodox" exterior and a utilitarian interior. A three-story addition

6364-429: Was a commercial success, grossing $ 14 million on a $ 2.5 million budget. The film was screened at Radio City Music Hall before its theatrical release, where Variety called it "a bright box office contender". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 88% of 56 critics' reviews are positive, with an average score of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "It contains some ugly anachronisms, but Blake Edwards

6450-498: Was awarded the general construction contract and had already started demolishing the previous four-story structure on the site. Prior to the 727 Fifth Avenue building's completion, Charles B. Driscoll wrote in April 1940: "The new Tiffany building is close enough to completion to indicate that it is to be one of the substantial ornaments to this part of town." The 727 Fifth Avenue store opened on October 21, 1940, without any fanfare; it

6536-481: Was built in 1980 to designs by Peter Claman. A 2020s renovation replaced the 1980 addition with a similarly-sized structure. As of 2023, the building encompasses 110,000 square feet (10,000 m ) of retail space. The store has been featured in multiple works of film and literature, such as Truman Capote 's novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the films Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002). The original structure's facade has

6622-580: Was carried out in Paris . It was later mounted by Jean Schlumberger . In 1879, the Tiffany branch in Paris obtained the Tiffany Diamond, which weighed 287.42 carats in the rough. It was the largest yellow diamond found up to that time. The task of supervising the cutting of this stone was the responsibility of one George Frederick Kunz (1856–1932), a twenty-three-year-old gemologist who had just joined

6708-402: Was designed by New York City architects Cross & Cross in a "conservative modern" style. The building's facade is made of granite and limestone. Its five storefront displays, which are changed about eight times a year, have had various designers, including Gene Moore (who designed displays for over 40 years). A 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of the mythological figure Atlas is situated on

6794-529: Was extremely difficult to shoot, due to issues related to crowd control, Hepburn's dislike of pastries, and an accident that nearly resulted in the electrocution of a crew member. However, another report claims the sequence was captured rather quickly, owing to an unexpected lull in city traffic. It took me time to figure out what Holly Golightly was all about. I don't drink much, but I was sipping and it came to me one night. I wrote [the song] in half an hour. Henry Mancini on writing " Moon River ". During

6880-452: Was leased from First National City Bank in May 1939 and the store opened on October 21, 1940; Tiffany's bought the underlying land in 1963. The building was notably featured in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's . The store, originally seven stories tall, was expanded in 1980 with a three-story rooftop addition designed by Peter Claman. Tiffany's sold the building in 1984, continuing to lease

6966-451: Was offered the role of Paul Varjak, but declined the offer due to being under contract with United Artists , and Jack Lemmon was also approached, but was unavailable. Robert Wagner was also considered. The film's original director, John Frankenheimer , worked with Axelrod for three months on the project before he was replaced by Edwards after Hepburn's agent requested a higher-profile director. Edwards also supported Axelrod's changes to

7052-425: Was replaced by George Axelrod . Axelrod, who previously made structural changes to the source material while adapting The Seven Year Itch (1955), worked with Jurow and Shepherd to deviate from Capote's novella. This included altering its plot and tone to be a romantic comedy, replacing its unnamed gay narrator with a named, heterosexual male love interest, adding new characters, and reducing gay subtext present in

7138-472: Was styled with a wide-brimmed hat, influenced the comic book design for Catwoman by artist Adam Hughes and later inspired the costume for the character in The Dark Knight Rises (2008). A diamond necklace at Tiffany's that Hepburn's character scorns as too flashy was the Tiffany Yellow Diamond , which Hepburn wore in publicity photos for the film. Tiffany and Co.'s established profile as

7224-460: Was then offered to Shirley MacLaine , who turned it down in favor of starring in Two Loves (1961), and Kim Novak also turned down the role. Capote was angry at the studio's eventual decision to cast Hepburn, remarking, "Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey". Hepburn was hesitant to star in the film, citing difficulty playing an extroverted character. Steve McQueen

7310-535: Was totally embarrassing". It has also been the subject of censorship and petitions against its contemporary screening or labelling as a "classic". In 2011, a group of viewers opposed a screening held by SyFy and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation to commemorate the film, and in 2022, the broadcaster Channel 5 (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global ) aired the film in the UK with

7396-575: Was visited by 12,000 people in its first day of operation. It had an estimated cost of $ 1 million. Upon the building's completion, the Fifth Avenue Association deemed it the "best new structure erected in the Fifth Avenue section during 1940". Cross & Cross never designed another building in New York City and ceased operation in 1942. In 1961, the store's interior and exterior were filmed for Breakfast at Tiffany's ,

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