900 Fifth Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 900 Fifth Avenue by Carter Horsley

Bay windows are fairly rare in New York apartment buildings, especially on Fifth Avenue and the largest are to be found in this 1960 building at 900 Fifth Avenue on the northeast corner at 71^st Street. 

The 19-story cooperative building was designed by Sylvan and Robert Bien for William R. Buxbaum.  

It has 50 apartments. 

The views on the sidestreet are superb since the building is across the street from the low-rise building of The Frick Collection that occupies the entire blockfront on the avenue between 71st and 70th Streets.

Bottom Line

A great location across the street from the north side of The Frick Collection and across the avenue from Central Park, this is one of the most desirable post-war, “white brick” buildings in the city.

Description

This 19-story, white-brick building is distinguished by its two piers of 7-part bay windows with gray-metal spandrels that provide sensational vistas of Central park and its wide entrance canopy.

Amenities

The building has a canopied entrance, a doorman and a concierge, a garage, a roof deck and a gym. It is pet-friendly and has a live-in superintendent.

Apartments

Apartment 17A is a two-bedroom unit with a 21-foot-wide living room with the 7-sided bay window adjoining a 46-foot-long terrace, a 21-foot-long entrance gallery that also led to a 16-foot-long dining room next to a 22-foot-long pass-through kitchen. 

Apartment 11B is a one-bedroom unit with a 16-foot-long entrance foyer that opens onto a 27-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a formal, 18-foot-long dining room next to a kitchen and maid’s room.  The apartment also has a 20-foot-long library. 

Apartment 12B is a three-bedroom unit that has a 16-foot-long entrance gallery, a 26-foot-long living room with the 7-sided bay window, a 19-foot-long dining room next to a 16-foot-long kitchen. 

Apartment 7C is a two-bedroom unit that has a 19-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 26-foot-long living room and a 16-foot-long dining room next to a 20-foot-long kitchen.

History

The building replaced a five-story residence at 900 Fifth Avenue and a four-story residence at 901. The building at 900 was sold by William A. M. Burden and Shirley Carter Burden and had been erected in 1926 by Mrs. Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly, a granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. 

In a December 31, 2000 article in The New York Times, Christopher Gray noted that Robert Bien, the architect, looked back “fondly” on the building, noting that it was “set back a few feet from the property line, and the two bays are unusually expressive in a period of pared-down expectations,” adding that ‘the owner wanted it to be classy and unusual,’ Mr. Bien said.” 

Mr. Gray’s article noted that “in 1959, The New York Times ran an ad for “New York’s Foremost Cooperative,’ the new  19-story 900 fifth Avenue, on the crest of Lenox Avenue.”  “Six rooms on the fifth floor were advertised for $50,596. According to the sales brochure, in the collection of Andrew Alpern, it was ‘conceived and designed for those who command the ultimate.’” 

A May 14, 2010 article in The New York Times by Joanne Kaufman about white-brick buildings noted that the architectural firm of Cutsogeorge Tooman & Allen wanted to reclad the building in taupe. The article quoted Craid Tooman, a partner in the firm, and explained that the Landmarks Preservation Commission objected” and it was reclad in white brick.