Fifth Avenue Tower, 445 Fifth Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 445 Fifth Avenue by Carter Horsley

The Republic Bank originally planned to erect two nearly twin towers that would be a "gateway" to Manhattan south of the New York Public Library at 40th Street.

Both were designed by Eli Attia and one was built over the former Knox Hat Building on the southwest corner at 40th Street, an immensely complicated project with a stunning, light beige, north façade that has a most unusual stepped layout. A similar tower and design was planned for this site, but unfortunately the bank decided against it and the site was eventually acquired by Arthur G. Cohen, Martin Goodstein and Steven Goodstein.

The economics of residential versus commercial construction, of course, are quite different and to the developers' and architect's credit, the tower is clad in bronze-colored glass that complements the other façades of the bank's tower across the avenue and mimics the Seagram Building's influence on office buildings. Indeed, this looks more like an office building than an apartment tower and that probably reflects the fact that the developers were possibly a bit uncertain which way to go on this site as it ended up containing some commercial space in the base of the setback tower. Emery Roth & Sons, the city's most prolific architectural firm specializing in office buildings, was the architect.

The 33-story, 182-unit condominium building was completed in 1986. The lower floors of the building's base have broad arches in light-colored material that do not relate to other elements in the building, or anything nearby, but were an attempt to provide a higher-level of retail space.

Many apartments, however, do have quite impressive midtown vistas and some have fireplaces. The building has a sundeck, but no garage, or health club. However, to its credit this building does offer its residents a prime, central location, a bicycle room and storage space.