Demarest Building
Demarest Building
gelatinous print, 1891
General information
Address339 Fifth Ave
Town or cityNew York City
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°44′52″N 73°59′05″W / 40.7478°N 73.9847°W / 40.7478; -73.9847
Construction started1889
OwnerPi Capital Partners
Heightfour stories
Design and construction
Architect(s)James Renwick Jr.

The Demarest Building was a four-story structure at 339 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, designed by Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell and constructed for coachbuilder Aaron T. Demarest. An 1893 fire destroyed property in the building, which was later used for other purposes.

Description

The Demarest Building is located on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, just east of the Empire State Building.[1][2][3][4][5] The building has been compared stylistically to Carnegie Hall.[3]

History

A July 26, 1893 fire destroyed property at the building.[6][3][7] The building was later converted to other uses.[8][3]

By 2015, developer Pi Capital Partners planned to replace the building and neighboring structures with a new residential tower.[9] In 2019, Pi Capital filed plans for a 26-story mixed-use development on the site of the Demarest Building,[10][11] with 82 apartments.[11] This prompted preservationists and groups, including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, to petition the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to designate the building as an official city landmark, thereby protecting it from demolition. The LPC expressed concern that the building's exterior had been altered too frequently throughout its history and the old building was not saved.[10][12] As of 2021, it is being replaced by a 21-story, 82-unit mixed-use building with commercial space at the base and up to five residential units on each floor.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Kane 1997, p. 97.
  2. ↑ Ross, Wendy (March 21, 1995). "The Rise-but rarely the fall-of the Elevator". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021. The Otis brothers had installed the first two successful electric elevators in the Demarest Building in New York in 1889
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gray, Christopher (August 3, 2008). "Echoes of Carnegie Hall on Fifth Avenue". The New York Times. p. 8.
  4. ↑ Martinez 2009, p. 71.
  5. ↑ Madsen 2002, pp. 269–272.
  6. ↑ "Destructive Fire in Demarest's Carriage Warehouse in New York". Middletown Times-Press. Middletown, New York. July 26, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  7. ↑ "A.T. Demarest". Coachbuilt. Coachbuilt.com, Inc. 2012. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Friedmann opens office in New York Monday, promising he'll treat the Rich and poor alike". The Evening Republican. Meadville, Pennsylvania. March 1, 1913. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ↑ Fedak, Nikolai (February 17, 2015). "First Look: 339 Fifth Avenue". New York Yimby. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Colangelo, Lisa L. (September 17, 2019). "Fifth Avenue's 1890s Demarest Building faces demolition as preservationists fight back". AMNY Newsletter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Manrodt, Alexis (July 29, 2019). "Pi Capital Partners planning Koreatown project". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  12. ↑ Franklin, Sydney (December 18, 2019). "Preservationists fight to save Midtown Manhattan's 19th-century Demarest Building". The Architect’s Newspaper. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  13. ↑ Pham, Diane (September 17, 2019). "New Look for 335 Fifth Avenue, the 21-story tower replacing the Demarest Building". Urbanize New York. Urbanize Media, LLC. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demarest Building.
  • Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous First Facts, Fifth Edition. The H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3. The first electric elevator successfully operated was installed in 1889 by Otis Brothers and Company in the Demarest Building, Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, New York City.
  • Madsen, Axel (2002). John Jacob Astor. Wiley Press. ISBN 9780471009351.
  • Martinez, Mark Anthony (2009). The Myth of the Free Market. Kumarian Press. ISBN 9781565492677.
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