251 FIFTH AVENUE: RESTORATION AND PARTIAL RECONSTRUCTION
253 FIFTH AVENUE: NEW MIXED USE BUILDING
94,000 sf

Architect: TRA Studio
Preservation Consultant: TRA studio
Design Team: Caterina Roiatti, Robert Traboscia, Winston Wolf, Gabriel Ovelar, Ashley Mandat
The restoration of 251 Fifth Avenue, the demolition of 253 Fifth Avenue and the proposal for a new 19 stories, 94,000 square feet tower, to rise along and partially above the historic structure, have been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Both buildings are located in the Madison Square North Historic District.
The site is located on the edges of the Madison Square North Historic District, on a prominent corner, in a very dense area. The 251 and 253 buildings have direct sightlines to the Empire State building and the Flat-iron; conversely after reconstruction, the 251 Fifth Avenue turret, will be visible from both.
The Madison Square Park North District is a neighborhood of exceptions, marked by deviations to the grid as well as by architectural exceptions, diversified typologies and a vast collection of styles, materials and scales, the diversified character of the context is most visible in the areas surrounding the site, where the exception is the rule.
The development site is comprised of two lots 251 and 253 Fifth Avenue: built in 1872, 251 Fifth Avenue, designed in Queen Anne style by George B. Post, is one of the earliest surviving apartment buildings, it maintains enough of the original fabric to make the restoration both, possible and necessary. 253 Fifth Avenue, has been gradually stripped the building of any historic fabric, so much so that it is described as “no” style in the Condition Report, the deterioration was later accelerated by conjoining the two structures into a hybrid commercial loft complex. It is not a building for which the District was created and its demolition has been deemed appropriate by LPC.
The history of 251 and 253 Fifth Avenue reflects the neighborhood loss of heritage that followed the repurposing of most buildings in the district, from residential to commercial use. The recent influx of residential conversions and new developments has, and continues to bring, a new vibrancy to the district, the proposed restoration and new building will greatly contribute to this transformation.
The restoration will bring back the historical significance of 251 Fifth Avenue by completely restoring it and replicating the elements that have been removed by recreating, as closely as possible, the conditions of a 1905 well-known photograph.
The site of the new building is only 24’-9” wide, early in the design process it was understood that a small cantilever over the historic structure would need to be considered.
The massing for the Fifth Avenue buildings proposes a different approach to the typical cantilever strategy of pushing the mass as high as possible over the historic building, exposing the underside of the cantilever. Instead, the proposal eliminates the cantilever, respectfully moving the mass away from the front façade.
The design of 253 Fifth Avenue is informed by the idea that the air parcel above the historic building contains DNA that shapes the design of the new building, tying 253 and 251 Fifth Avenue into an integrated whole. 253 Fifth Avenue sculpts itself into a form that is at once innovative and reminiscent of the mansard roofs and stepped setbacks found in the area.
The gesture is a simple one: the plane of the 251 Fifth Avenue mansard roof and the viewing angles from across the street, are extended to move the bulk away from the front façade and turret. The mansard roof on the left side of the 251 Fifth Avenue turret is, at once, the separation and the connection, between and with the abutting building. This intentional action is respected and highlighted in the proposal, by extending the mansard plane along the new building, shifting the weight of the volume towards the back, freeing the turret. The 28th Street wall rises above the Fifth Avenue side creating a large dormer, similar to the dormers that top the two muscular buildings on this stretch of Fifth Avenue, 261 and 249 Fifth Avenue.
Although the Fifth Avenue and 28th Street façades, share the same materials and similar language, while responding to their unique conditions. A clear hierarchy is established between the 5th Avenue and 28th Street façades, the treatment of both facades, is at once, repetitive and varied, to produce a façade evocative of the historic detailing while maintaining a contemporary and timeless expression.
The Fifth Avenue facade is in alignment with the street wall of the adjacent buildings, characterized at the lower floors by large commercial windows, placed within mortar-set terracotta tiles. The upper floors change into smaller windows surrounded by stylized shaped terracotta spandrels with terracotta pilasters.
Following the spirit of the Queen Anne building below, the window grid is symmetrical but not exactly, regular but with exceptions. The North secondary façade turns the corner to capture the Empire State Building views. The vertical line of windows recalls the light wells seen on the side walls of buildings in the district, it is clad in sand-colored bricks, typical for the district. The muted palette of the new building harmonizes with the surrounding buildings and provides a backdrop to the vibrantly colored historic building.
251 and 253 Fifth Avenue work as partners: they respectively represent the old and the new, each enhancing the other. They are simultaneously distinct and part of a whole.
The 253 Fifth Avenue proposal confronts the challenge of producing thoughtful contemporary architecture. The new building is at once a suitable backdrop to the historic building and a proud presence along the Fifth Avenue street wall, it embraces the districts eclectic characteristics, respectfully standing out while supporting the significance of the historic landmark. The regeneration of the historic building is also a statement of urban regeneration. Its restoration will restore and repair the layers of history and bring a renewed significance to the site, the block and the district.