45 East 66th Street

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = 45 East 66th Street

| nrhp_type = cp

| partof = Upper East Side Historic District

| partof_refnum = 84002803

| image = 45 East 66th Street.jpg

| caption = Seen from across Madison Avenue and 66th Street (2009)

| alt = 45 East 66th Street as seen from across Madison Avenue and 66th Street

| location = 45 E. 66th St., Manhattan, New York

| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q16559140|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Manhattan#New York City#New York

| district_map = {{Maplink|coord={{Coord|40|46|5|N|73|58|4|W}}|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|frame-height=250|zoom=14|type=point|marker=|title=45 East 66th Street}}

| designated_other1 = New York State Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_abbr = NYSRHP

| designated_other1_date = June 23, 1980{{cite web |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |date=November 7, 2014 |url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |access-date=July 20, 2023 }}

| designated_other1_number = 06101.000059

| designated_other1_num_position = bottom

| designated_other2_name = New York City Landmark

| designated_other2_date = November 15, 1977{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|ps=.|page=1 }}

| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL

| designated_other2_link = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

| designated_other2_number = 0963

| designated_other2_color = #ffe978

| built = {{Start date|1908}}

| architect = Harde & Short

| architecture = French Gothic

| added = May 6, 1980

| area = {{Cvt|10042|ft2}}

| refnum = 80002674

}}

45 East 66th Street (also known as 777 Madison Avenue) is a cooperative apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was built between 1906 and 1908 and was designed by the firm of Harde & Short. The building is one of a few luxury apartment buildings that were developed in the surrounding area prior to World War I. It is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building, located at the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 66th Street, is ten stories high. The facade is made of red brick with light-colored French Gothic–style terracotta details. The Madison Avenue and 66th Street facades are both divided vertically into three bays and are ornamented with details such as band courses, ogee arches, finials, crockets, and tracery. Over the years, architectural critics such as Paul Goldberger and Christopher Gray have praised the detailing on the facade. Initially, the building had 20 apartments, surrounding a light court at the center; the typical apartment included three to four bedrooms and several family rooms. The ground-story apartments were replaced with retail in 1929, and most of the apartments were subdivided in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

The building was developed by Parkview Real Estate Company, which was led by Charles F. Rogers. The structure was sold in 1912 after going into foreclosure, and it was resold twice more in the next decade. Bing & Bing owned the building from 1929 to 1973, when the racehorse owner Sigmund Sommer bought it. Sommer fired several employees and made other changes to the building, triggering rent strikes and lawsuits. Bing & Bing ultimately repurchased 45 East 66th Street in 1977 and resold it to Martin J. Raynes in 1985. Raynes converted the building into a housing cooperative, and the facade was renovated in the late 1980s. After Raynes ended his involvement with the building in 1990, Classic Properties took over the remaining unsold co-ops, and it sold the retail space. A penthouse structure atop the building was erected in the 2010s.

Site

45 East 66th Street is on the northeastern corner of 66th Street and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.{{cite aia5|pages=429 }}{{Cite web |title=45 East 66 Street, 10065 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1381/7502 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning}}{{Cbignore }} The building has an alternate address of 777 Madison Avenue.{{harvnb|Alpern|1992|ps=.|page=93 }} The rectangular land lot covers {{convert|10,042|ft2}}, with a frontage of {{convert|100|ft}} on 66th Street to the south and {{convert|100|ft}} on Madison Avenue to the west. The building itself measures approximately {{Convert|100|by|89|ft}} across.{{Cite news |date=June 8, 1906 |title=The Building Department |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-the-building-departme/155413113/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |pages=13 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 8, 1906 |title=Big Deal in West 58th Street |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-big-deal-in-west-58th-s/155413346/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=11 }} Nearby structures include the Sara Delano Roosevelt Memorial House at 49 East 65th Street, on the block to the south,{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1981|ps=.|page=245 }} and the Seventh Regiment Armory between 66th and 67th streets, on the block to the east.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1981|ps=.|page=1094 }}

Prior to the current building's construction, the site at 777 Madison Avenue had been occupied by a four-story stone house and a brick-and-stone church.{{cite magazine |date=March 9, 1907 |title=Conveyances: Manhattan |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_039&page=ldpd_7031148_039_00000556&no=4 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=506 |via=columbia.edu |volume=79 |number=2039 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916214712/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_039&page=ldpd_7031148_039_00000556&no=4 |url-status=live }} When the building was developed in the 1900s, the surrounding area was occupied by rowhouses.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|page=1}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=4 }} A small number of luxury apartments were built nearby before World War I, including the Verona two blocks south.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1981|ps=.|page=11 }}

Architecture

The building was designed by Harde & Short{{cite nycland |page=[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Guide_to_New_York_City_Landmarks/AwYcSFtdE_AC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA161&printsec=frontcover 161] }}{{efn|The building is sometimes incorrectly attributed to Stanford White.{{cite web |title=Sigmund Sommer, 62, Real Estate Dealer |first=Al |last=Harvin |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=May 1, 1979 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/01/archives/sigmund-sommer-62-real-estate-dealer-owner-of-highrise-apartments.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722184851/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/01/archives/sigmund-sommer-62-real-estate-dealer-owner-of-highrise-apartments.html |url-status=live }}}} and rises 10 stories.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|page=2}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=2 }} It contains decorative details inspired by the French Gothic style; the decorations are spread across the entire facade, unlike in other buildings built in New York City before World War I, where the decorations were typically confined to the bottom and top stories.{{harvnb|Alpern|1992|ps=.|page=91 }} According to the historian Christopher Gray, the decorations are similar to that of the Leuven Town Hall in Leuven, Belgium.{{cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |date=August 26, 1977 |title=Proposed Landmark's Quality Questioned |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=21 |id={{ProQuest|123209085}} }}

File:Madison Av May 2024 29.jpg

The decorations at 45 East 66th Street resemble those of several other buildings designed by Harde & Short. Before designing 45 East 66th Street, Harde & Short had designed the Red House at 350 West 85th Street, which also included large amounts of Gothic decoration.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|page=2}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=6 }}{{harvnb|Alpern|1992|ps=.|pages=91–93 }} The turret at the building's corner was adapted from another Harde & Short building at West End Avenue and 80th Street; the firm later used a similar rounded corner in the Alwyn Court.{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=December 4, 2005 |title=2 Architects' Brief Journey Into Design Pyrotechnics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/realestate/2-architects-brief-journey-into-design-pyrotechnics.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029171452/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/realestate/2-architects-brief-journey-into-design-pyrotechnics.html |url-status=live }} The building's decorations also influenced the design of 44 West 77th Street, which was built shortly afterward.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|ps=.|page=2 }}

= Facade =

45 East 66th Street is mostly clad in red brick, with light-colored terracotta details, in addition to pieces of blackened mortar. The facade's two primary elevations—the western elevation on Madison Avenue and the southern elevation on 66th Street—are connected by a rounded turret at the corner. The turret rises the entire height of the building and curves 180 degrees counterclockwise from the northwest to the southeast. Each elevation is divided vertically into three bays.{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=October 16, 1988 |title=Streetscapes: 45 East 66th Street; For a Jewel on the East Side, A Loving Facade Restoration |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/16/realestate/streetscapes-45-east-66th-street-for-jewel-east-side-loving-facade-restoration.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 }} The northernmost bay on Madison Avenue and the easternmost bay on 66th Street protrude slightly from the facade, with twisting engaged columns on either side, and consist of five windows on each story. The other bays on both facades are narrower; the two western bays on 66th Street have three windows per story, while the two southern bays on Madison Avenue have four windows per story.

The building's main entrance is on 66th Street. The original entrance was through a stone doorway at the corner of Madison Avenue and 66th Street, surrounded by leaf motifs and flanked by canopied windows. Above both the first and second stories are horizontal band courses. At the second and third stories, the windows in each bay are surrounded by a round arch with a drip molding, and there are corbels on either side of each bay. All stories above the first floor contain sash windows in a twelve-over-twelve configuration, except for the third floor, which has eight-over-eight windows.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|pages=2–3}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=2 }} On both elevations of the facade, there is a balustrade with scrollwork in front of the fourth-story windows.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977|page=3}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=2 }}

On the fourth through tenth stories, there are pointed ribs and terracotta key patterns on both sides of each bay. In addition, the windows above the fourth and fifth stories have terracotta spandrels with arch decorations. A Gothic canopy with ogee arches, finials, crockets, and tracery is located above each of the sixth-story windows. The canopies above the narrower bays are connected by trefoil arches with finials. At the seventh through ninth stories, the spandrels above each window consist of arches and corbels. Within each bay, there is an ogee arch above the tenth-story windows, which is decorated with tracery. Above the tenth story is a cornice with arches and vertical grooves, which resemble a partial colonnade. Above the cornice was originally a double-height parapet, which was removed in the 20th century due to extreme deterioration. The top of the roof was originally {{Convert|18|ft}} higher than the top of the facade.{{cite web |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=September 3, 1982 |title=Touring Hushed World of City Mansions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/03/arts/touring-hushed-world-of-city-mansions.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524103103/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/03/arts/touring-hushed-world-of-city-mansions.html |url-status=live }} A penthouse is placed above the roof.

{{Multiple image

| direction = horizontal

| total_width = 900

| image1 = Madison Av May 2024 48.jpg

| alt1 = View of the first through third stories from across Madison Avenue

| caption1 = First through third stories

| image2 = Madison Av May 2024 58.jpg

| alt2 = View of the fourth through sixth stories from across Madison Avenue

| caption2 = Fourth through sixth stories

| align = center

| alt3 = View of the seventh through tenth stories from across Madison Avenue

| caption3 = Seventh through tenth stories

| image3 = Madison Av May 2024 57.jpg

}}

= Features =

According to the New York City Department of City Planning, the building has a gross floor area of {{Convert|86,910|ft2}}. The original plans for the building called for 41 apartments decorated with hardwood, mosaic, and marble tile. The structure would be outfitted with steam heating and electric elevators.{{cite magazine |date=May 26, 1906 |title=Million Dollar Apartment House for Madison Av. |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00001050&no=1 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=996 |via=columbia.edu |volume=77 |number=1993 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916183058/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00001050&no=1 |url-status=live }} However, the building initially had 20 apartments, with two on each floor. The typical apartment had several family rooms, including a foyer, music room, living room, dining room, and salon, which covered a total of {{Convert|1600|ft2}}. In addition, each of the apartments had four bathrooms and three to four regular bedrooms, along with some smaller bedrooms for the live-in staff. The apartments had about 12 or 13 rooms apiece, and many were ornamented with elaborate woodwork. Similarly to the later Alwyn Court, the apartments surrounded a light court at the center.

The ground-story apartments were replaced with commercial storefronts as part of a 1929 renovation; the original entrance was moved from the curved corner to 66th Street at that time. Many of the remaining apartments were divided in the late 1940s and early 1950s, increasing the number of apartments to 34.{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|page=3 }} By the late 20th century, some of the apartments on the intermediate floors remained intact, but only the tenth floor retained its original layout. After the building was converted to a housing cooperative, the upper stories have included 33 apartments, while the lower stories have contained several storefronts and offices. The Department of City Planning cites the building as being split into 33 apartments and three non-residential units. At the beginning of the 21st century, the building had about {{Convert|5200|ft2}} of retail space.{{cite news |date=February 28, 2001 |title=Friedland Pays Record For Madison Ave. Sites |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |page=A45 |id={{ProQuest|279404164}} |agency=Bloomberg News }}

History

= Development and early years =

File:Madison Av May 2024 01.jpg

The building was developed by Parkview Real Estate Company, which was led by Charles F. Rogers. In early 1906, the firm of Schwartz & Gross was hired to design an 11-story apartment building at Madison Avenue and 66th Street, which was expected to cost $400,000.{{cite magazine |date=March 10, 1906 |title=Big Apartment House for Madison Avenue Corner |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00000470&no=1 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=416 |via=columbia.edu |volume=77 |number=1982 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916190344/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00000470&no=1 |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=April 21, 1906 |title=Residences and Flats |magazine=The Construction News |page=312 |volume=21 |issue=16 |id={{ProQuest|128408107}} }} Parkview Real Estate hired Harde and Short that May to design an apartment building on the site. The next month, Harde and Short submitted plans for a ten-story apartment building on the site, which was to cost $1 million, to the New York City Department of Buildings.{{cite magazine |date=June 9, 1906 |title=Projected Buildings |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00001185&no=2 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=1130 |via=columbia.edu |volume=77 |number=1995 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916183058/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_037&page=ldpd_7031148_037_00001185&no=2 |url-status=live }} The Century Investing Company lent Parkview Real Estate $315,000 to pay for the building's construction.{{cite magazine |date=March 9, 1907 |title=Building Loan Contracts |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_039&page=ldpd_7031148_039_00000579&no=6 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=529 |via=columbia.edu |volume=79 |number=2039 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916204351/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_039&page=ldpd_7031148_039_00000579&no=6 |url-status=live }} The structure was initially called the Parkview, a tribute to the fact that Central Park was one block west.

777 Madison Avenue was completed in 1908, and the Empire Trust Company lent Parkview Real Estate $115,000 for the property that year.{{cite magazine |date=July 11, 1908 |title=Real Estate Notes |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_042&page=ldpd_7031148_042_00000134&no=4 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=96 |via=columbia.edu |volume=82 |number=2105 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916204352/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_042&page=ldpd_7031148_042_00000134&no=4 |url-status=live }} Originally, the building's valuation was assessed at $1 million.{{Cite news |date=April 9, 1919 |title=Newspaper Specials |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wall-street-journal-newspaper-specia/155429417/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal |pages=9 }} In spite of the recent Panic of 1907, many of the building's apartments had been rented out shortly after its completion. Among the building's early residents was the socialite Micaela de Acosta, whose daughter Aida de Acosta was married there in 1908.{{cite news |date=November 6, 1908 |title=Root at Nephew's Wedding.: Oren Root Marries Mrs. Ada De Acosta in New York. |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=7 |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|144818839}} }} Other tenants included the socialite Helen Phelps Stokes,{{Cite news |date=April 8, 1919 |title=Apartment Houses Centre of Big Buying Movement |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-apartment-houses-centre/155428714/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=18 }} as well as the businessman Anson Wood Burchard.{{cite web |date=November 22, 1912 |title=Hitch in Wedding of Anson Burchard; Applied in London for License to Marry Mrs. Hostetter and Then Withdrew. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/11/22/archives/hitch-in-wedding-of-anson-burchard-applied-in-london-for-license-to.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916214703/https://www.nytimes.com/1912/11/22/archives/hitch-in-wedding-of-anson-burchard-applied-in-london-for-license-to.html |url-status=live }} In 1910, Albert J. Bodker was hired to add some bathrooms.{{cite magazine |date=April 9, 1910 |title=Manhattan Alterations |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_045&page=ldpd_7031148_045_00000803&no=4 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=757 |via=columbia.edu |volume=85 |number=2195 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916214709/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_045&page=ldpd_7031148_045_00000803&no=4 |url-status=live }} The structure soon went into foreclosure, and it was auctioned off in May 1912.{{cite news |date=May 5, 1912 |title=Auction Sales This Week: To Take Place at 14 and 16 Vesey Street, Unless Otherwise Specified. |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=XX3 |id={{ProQuest|97262782}} }}{{cite magazine |date=May 4, 1912 |title=Manhattan Alterations |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_049&page=ldpd_7031148_049_00001209&no=10 |magazine=The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide |pages=925 |via=columbia.edu |volume=89 |number=2303 |access-date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916214710/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_049&page=ldpd_7031148_049_00001209&no=10 |url-status=live }} The Barney Estate Company took over the building.{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1912 |title=The Real Estate Field |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-the-real-estate-field/155428251/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |pages=18 |postscript=none |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014813/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-the-real-estate-field/155428251/ |url-status=live}}; {{Cite news |date=October 26, 1912 |title=Business Troubles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-business-troubles/155428296/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=The Sun |pages=17 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014813/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-business-troubles/155428296/ |url-status=live }} The new owners obtained a $500,000 mortgage from the Title Insurance Company and a $500,000 mortgage from United States Realty.{{Cite news |date=May 11, 1912 |title=The Real Estate Field |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-the-real-estate-field/155428463/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |pages=18 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014813/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-the-real-estate-field/155428463/ |url-status=live }} 777 Madison Avenue was resold in 1919 to I. Randolph Jacobs and Everett Jacobs; at the time, the building was valued at $800,000.

By the early 1920s, the building's tenants paid $130,000 per year in rent. The Jacobses resold the building in November 1921 to Max Loewenthal, and they acquired Loewenthal's 22-room country estate in North Castle, New York, in exchange.{{cite news |date=November 13, 1921 |title=Madison Avenue Apartment Sold in $1,500,000 Track: I. Rudolph and Everett Jacobs Sell 66th Street Corner, Taking in Part Payment Westchester Estate Which They Have Occupied as Tenants |work=New-York Tribune |page=A13 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|576535478}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |title=Madison Avenue Deal; Eleven-Story Apartment Sold In $1,500,000 Transaction. |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=November 20, 1921 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/11/20/archives/madison-avenue-deal-elevenstory-apartment-sold-in-1500000.html |ref={{sfnref|The New York Times|1921}} |access-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916221726/https://www.nytimes.com/1921/11/20/archives/madison-avenue-deal-elevenstory-apartment-sold-in-1500000.html |url-status=live }} The building had originally been surrounded by a recessed areaway, but this was infilled in the early 20th century as Madison Avenue became more commercial in character. By the 1920s, the building's residents included the businessman Harry F. Guggenheim, former police chief Theodore A. Bingham, the novelist Cosmo Hamilton, and the businessman William Delavan Baldwin.{{cite web |date=February 20, 1928 |title=Alexander Bing Buys Madison Av. Corner; Ten-Story Apartment at 66th Street Is Bought From Max Lowenthal—West Side Deal. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/02/20/archives/alexander-bing-buys-madison-av-corner-tenstory-apartment-at-66th.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916221725/https://www.nytimes.com/1928/02/20/archives/alexander-bing-buys-madison-av-corner-tenstory-apartment-at-66th.html |url-status=live }}

= Bing and Bing ownership =

File:Madison Av May 2024 31.jpg

Gresham Realty, led by the real-estate investor Alexander Bing, bought 777 Madison Avenue in February 1928.{{cite news |date=February 22, 1928 |title=Wreckers Taking Down New Rochelle Landmark |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=30 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113436733}} }} At this point, the structure was valued at $1.5 million. Bing's firm, later known as Bing & Bing, owned the building for the next 45 years. Due to increasing demand for commercial space, the ground-story spaces were converted to storefronts in 1929 and the entrance moved to 45 East 66th Street. After the commercial space was finished, the Scottish-goods importer MacDougalls of Inverness leased a storefront at the building.{{cite magazine |date=December 19, 1929 |title=New York Store For Macdougalls: Plans To Open At 777 Madison Avenue About Feb. 1. |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=20 |volume=39 |issue=121 |id={{ProQuest|1653963719}} }}{{cite news |date=January 3, 1930 |title=Rentals of Business Space Centers in Midtown Section: Macdougall & Co., Ltd., Of London, Leases Store on Madison Avenue Corner |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=19 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113089747}} }} The antiques dealer Walter Philipp leased a storefront in 1938.{{cite news |date=September 12, 1938 |title=Dealer in Antiques Rents Store in Madison Avenue |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=28 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1244493161}} }} Among the building's residents in the mid-20th century were the singer Morton Downey,{{cite news |date=January 13, 1939 |title=Morton Downey Takes 12-Room East Side Suite: Singer Will Occupy Large Furnished Unit in 66th Street; Attorney Leases Dealer in Antiques Rents Store in Madison Avenue |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=30 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1255014674}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=January 13, 1939 |title=12-Room Apartment is Leased by Singer; Morton Downey Listed Among New Tenants in Ageney Reports |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/01/13/archives/12room-apartment-is-leased-by-singer-morton-downey-listed-among-new.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916231321/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/01/13/archives/12room-apartment-is-leased-by-singer-morton-downey-listed-among-new.html |url-status=live }} the politician Grafton D. Cushing,{{cite web |date=June 1, 1939 |title=Grafton Cushing, Lawyer, Dead, 74; Former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, As Well as Speaker of Legislature |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/06/01/archives/grafton-cushing-lawyer-dead-74-former-lieutenant-governor-of.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527210932/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/06/01/archives/grafton-cushing-lawyer-dead-74-former-lieutenant-governor-of.html |url-status=live }} and the socialite Nelly Régine Beer (the wife of banking magnate Robert de Rothschild).{{cite web |date=January 9, 1945 |title=N. De Rothschild, Baron's Wife, Dies; Member of Banking Family Who Fled From Paris in 1940 a Welfare Worker Here |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/01/09/archives/nde-rothschild-barons-wife-dies-member-of-banking-family-who-fled.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014813/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/01/09/archives/nde-rothschild-barons-wife-dies-member-of-banking-family-who-fled.html |url-status=live }}

Most of the apartments remained intact during the Great Depression, but rental income decreased due to temporary rent regulation restrictions imposed during World War II. As such, from 1948 to 1953, the owners subdivided most of the upper-story apartments as older tenants moved out. During the mid-1950s, many of the decorations on the sixth and tenth floors were removed. The Sagittarius Gallery moved to 45 East 66th Street in 1958,{{cite web |last=Ashton |first=Dore |date=October 24, 1958 |title=Art: Tanager Gallery Opens Season; Cooperative Exhibits Work of Members |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/10/24/archives/art-tanager-gallery-opens-season-cooperative-exhibits-work-of.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916231321/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/10/24/archives/art-tanager-gallery-opens-season-cooperative-exhibits-work-of.html |url-status=live }} and the retailer Henry Greenhut moved into the building the next year.{{cite magazine |date=October 27, 1959 |title=New York Retailer Moves |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=18 |volume=99 |issue=94 |id={{ProQuest|1523434342}} }} In addition, Betty Metcalf opened a dress shop there in 1963.{{cite web |date=April 23, 1963 |title=Design Aim Of Fashions Is Flexibility |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/04/23/archives/design-aim-of-fashions-is-flexibility.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |ref={{sfnref|The New York Times|1963}} |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916231321/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/04/23/archives/design-aim-of-fashions-is-flexibility.html |url-status=live }}

= Sommer ownership and Bing repurchase =

The racehorse owner Sigmund Sommer bought 45 East 66th Street in July 1973;{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Marilyn |date=June 9, 1974 |title=Pickets at Belmont—Some Side Action |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-pickets-at-belm/155412892/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |pages=3 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014813/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-pickets-at-belm/155412892/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=July 8, 1973 |title=Sommer and Bing & Bing Close Deal |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=266 |id={{ProQuest|119856144}} }} at the time, the building's residents included United Nations ambassadors and theatrical personalities, who paid up to $2,500 a month.{{Cite news |last=Medina |first=David |date=December 17, 1976 |title=Tenants Given Lift by Elevator Ruling |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-tenants-given-lift-by-elevato/155437099/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=135 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014814/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-tenants-given-lift-by-elevato/155437099/ |url-status=live }} After taking over, Sommer allegedly fired three employees, including a doorman and an elevator operator. He converted the original manually-operated elevator to automatic operation.{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Sybil |date=September 2, 1974 |title=Landlord Bridled When They Picketed His Horse |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-landlord-bridled-when-they-pi/155437276/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=117 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014814/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-landlord-bridled-when-they-pi/155437276/ |url-status=live }} Sommer also changed the lightbulbs from antique ones to cheaper neon tubes, a move protested by several tenants.{{cite web |last=Howe |first=Marvine |date=August 7, 1994 |title=Neighborhood Report: East Side; Madison Avenue Eviction Dispute: Tempest in a Gas Stove |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/07/nyregion/neighborhood-report-east-side-madison-avenue-eviction-dispute.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128212918/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/07/nyregion/neighborhood-report-east-side-madison-avenue-eviction-dispute.html |url-status=live }} The dissenting tenants claimed that the building was being neglected and that the employees' dismissals made the building less safe,{{cite web |date=August 5, 1974 |title=30 East Side Tenants Accusing The Landlord of Cutting Service |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/05/archives/30-east-side-tenants-accusing-the-landlord-of-cutting-service.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916232917/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/05/archives/30-east-side-tenants-accusing-the-landlord-of-cutting-service.html |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} though Sommer claimed that he had lost over $33,000 in one fiscal year.{{cite web |last=Kaiser |first=Charles |date=January 26, 1975 |title=East Siders Fight Landlord on Cuts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/26/archives/east-siders-fight-landlord-on-cuts-long-battle-in-luxury-tower.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916232916/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/26/archives/east-siders-fight-landlord-on-cuts-long-battle-in-luxury-tower.html |url-status=live }} The tenants filed suit to prevent Sommer from dismissing the staff,{{Cite news |last=Bowles |first=Pete |date=October 26, 1975 |title=Winningest U.S. Horse Owner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-winningest-us/155440244/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |pages=25 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920014816/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-winningest-us/155440244/ |url-status=live }} and they also went on a rent strike, withholding thousands of dollars until the staff were reinstated.{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Sybil |date=June 9, 1974 |title=Picketed Landlord Gets His Lumps at Race-Track |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-picketed-landlord-gets-his-lu/155440139/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=120 }} Several of the building's residents went to the Belmont Park horse track to protest Sommer. The protesting tenants bet on Sommer's horse, in the hope that they would win $100,000 to hire the elevator operator, although they lost their money.{{cite web |date=June 9, 1974 |title=Horseowner's Tenants Picket at Belmont Park |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/09/archives/horseowners-tenants-picket-at-belmont-park.html |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916232917/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/09/archives/horseowners-tenants-picket-at-belmont-park.html |url-status=live }} Sommer agreed to employ a doorman 24 hours a day.

In late 1974, the state's conciliation and appeals board fined Sommer $2,500 for dismissing the elevator operator.{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Sybil |date=November 6, 1974 |title=Lift Case Going Up to Supreme Court |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-lift-case-going-up-to-supreme/155437878/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=161 }} Even though the elevator had just been automated, the board ordered Sommer in late 1974 to hire an elevator operator. Sommer appealed the decision, forcing the tenants to operate the elevator themselves; twenty tenants went on a rent strike while the decision was appealed. The New York Supreme Court ruled in early 1975 that the elevator operator had to be hired,{{cite web |last=Wedemeyer |first=Dee |date=January 8, 1977 |title=The Night the Luxury Tenants Toasted Their Strike Victory |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/08/archives/the-night-the-luxury-tenants-toasted-their-strike-victory.html |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917011734/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/08/archives/the-night-the-luxury-tenants-toasted-their-strike-victory.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Sybil |date=March 5, 1975 |title=Breeder Gets a Horselaugh From Tenants |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-breeder-gets-a-horselaugh-fro/155441233/ |access-date=September 17, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=5 }} although the $2,500 fine was waived. That November, New York's landlords and tenants court ruled that, because the building had lacked an elevator operator for 11 months, Sommer had to refund tenants 10% of the rent payments made during that time.{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=November 11, 1975 |title=Landlord Runs Out of the Money |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-landlord-runs-out-of-the-mone/155437672/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=7 }} The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, upheld the Supreme Court ruling in 1976, mandating that an elevator operator be hired.

Bing and Bing bought back the building in 1977.{{cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=April 6, 1977 |title=About Real Estate: Bing & Bing Manhattan Properties in a New Shift |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=92 |id={{ProQuest|123160034}} }} Afterward, the tenants sought to have the building designated as a city landmark, and they commissioned Christopher Gray to write a report about 45 East 66th Street.{{cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=May 12, 1977 |title=Design Notebook: Tenants Fight For Landmark Designation |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=60 |id={{ProQuest|123318102}} }} The owners, who opposed the designation, hired the architect Percival Goodman, who claimed that the preservation movement "will be cheapened by dubious designations". Conversely, the Municipal Art Society, the American Institute of Architects' local chapter, the Society of Architectural Historians, and several individual architects supported landmark protection. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) considered designating 45 East 66th Street as a city landmark in May 1977,{{Cite news |date=May 8, 1977 |title=City Plans Auction of 425 Parcels |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-city-plans-auction-of-425-par/155602632/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=483 }} and the commission granted the designation on November 15, 1977.{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1977 |title=Interior Parts Of Met Museum Now Landmark |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/16/archives/interior-parts-of-met-museum-now-landmark.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324201053/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/16/archives/interior-parts-of-met-museum-now-landmark.html |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Miele |first=Alfred |date=November 16, 1977 |title=Landmarks in 3 Varieties |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98290538/landmarks-in-3-varietiesalfred-miele/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324165248/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98290538/landmarks-in-3-varietiesalfred-miele/ |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=232 }} The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.{{cite web |title=Federal Register: 46 Fed. Reg. 10451 (Feb. 3, 1981) |publisher=Library of Congress |date=February 3, 1981 |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046022/fr046022.pdf |access-date=March 8, 2020 |page=10649 (PDF p. 179) |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201110754/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046022/fr046022.pdf |url-status=live }} By the early 1980s, the building's retail tenants included the shoe store Botticellino{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Angela |date=January 13, 1982 |title=Discoveries; An Early Start on a Spring Hat; 1. Colorful Straw Hats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/13/garden/discoveries-an-early-start-on-a-spring-hat-1-colorful-straw-hats.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524123644/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/13/garden/discoveries-an-early-start-on-a-spring-hat-1-colorful-straw-hats.html |url-status=live }} and the jeweler Fred Leighton.{{cite magazine |date=November 22, 1983 |title=Retail Briefs |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=12 |volume=146 |issue=101 |id={{ProQuest|1445532518}} }} In addition, the building had an Italian shoe boutique, Flaminia Shoes.{{cite web |last=Giovannini |first=Joseph |date=June 26, 1986 |title=The 'New' Madison Avenue: A European Street of Fashion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/26/nyregion/the-new-madison-avenue-a-european-street-of-fashion.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330004516/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/26/nyregion/the-new-madison-avenue-a-european-street-of-fashion.html |url-status=live }}

= Co-op conversion =

File:Madison Av May 2024 25.jpg

In 1985, the developer Martin J. Raynes agreed to buy 45 East 66th Street and several other properties from Bing and Bing, with plans to convert the structures into condominiums or cooperatives.{{cite web |last=Wedemeyer |first=Dee |date=June 30, 1985 |title=Bing & Bing Sells Off Its Properties |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/30/realestate/bing-bing-sells-off-its-properties.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723011513/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/30/realestate/bing-bing-sells-off-its-properties.html |url-status=live }} Raynes began converting 45 East 66th Street into cooperative apartments. The cooperative apartments on the upper floors constituted a single condominium for ownership purposes, while the retail space and two professional offices downstairs were split into three different ownership condominiums.{{cite web |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 7, 1991 |title=Commercial Property: Retail Condominiums; For the Premier Locations, The Price Is Commensurate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/07/realestate/commercial-property-retail-condominiums-for-premier-locations-price-commensurate.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525224042/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/07/realestate/commercial-property-retail-condominiums-for-premier-locations-price-commensurate.html |url-status=live }} Several retailers opened stores at the building in 1987, including the clothing retailer Alexon Group,{{cite magazine |last=Born |first=Pete |date=September 8, 1987 |title=Alexon's Us Chain Starts In New York |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=70 |volume=154 |issue=48 |id={{ProQuest|1445543816}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Gross |first=Michael |date=September 15, 1987 |title=Notes on Fashion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/15/style/notes-on-fashion.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101122306/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/15/style/notes-on-fashion.html |url-status=live }} the clothing retailer David Berk,{{cite magazine |last=Moin |first=David |date=October 7, 1987 |title=Berk Opens First U.S. Store |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=26 |volume=154 |issue=68 |id={{ProQuest|1445571184}} }} and the jeweler Matthew Hoffman.{{cite magazine |date=October 23, 1987 |title=Accessories: Matthew Hoffman to Open Store in NY |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=14 |volume=154 |issue=80 |id={{ProQuest|1445585657}} }} This was followed in 1988 by the opening of Christian de Castelnau's clothing boutique,{{cite magazine |date=May 4, 1988 |title=De Castelnau To Open First Store, In N.Y. |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |pages=2 |volume=155 |issue=87 |id={{ProQuest|1445576082}} }} which operated in the building for only two years. The co-op conversion took effect in September 1988. As part of the co-op agreement, workers were not allowed to renovate the building during the summer.{{cite web |last=Walter-Warner |first=Holden |date=August 7, 2023 |title=Rudy Giuliani Lists Upper East Side Pad for $6.5M |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/08/07/rudy-giuliani-lists-upper-east-side-home-for-6-5m/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The Real Deal |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010143532/https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/08/07/rudy-giuliani-lists-upper-east-side-home-for-6-5m/ |url-status=live }}

After the co-op conversion went into effect, the engineer Vincent Stramandinoli supervised a restoration of the facade, while Hydro Kleen was hired to clean the facade.{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=October 11, 1992 |title=Getting the Grime off the Face of the City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/11/realestate/getting-the-grime-off-the-face-of-the-city.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030235412/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/11/realestate/getting-the-grime-off-the-face-of-the-city.html |url-status=live }} Raynes ended his involvement with the co-op conversion in 1990. Classic Properties took over the remaining unsold apartments, while the Executive Life Insurance Company became a limited partner in the conversion. The next year, Mitsui Real Estate Sales bought the building's ground-level retail space from Raines for $14.75 million, or {{convert|2854.65|$/ft2}}. La Perla opened a clothing boutique at 777 Madison Avenue in 1994.{{cite magazine |last=Forden |first=Sara Gay |date=November 21, 1994 |title=Innerwear Report/In The Markets: La Perla Mulling Stock Offer |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |page=10 |volume=168 |issue=101 |id={{ProQuest|1445731107}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Ward |first=Timothy Jack |date=November 24, 1994 |title=Currents; Design as Smooth as Skin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/garden/currents-design-as-smooth-as-skin.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526110216/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/24/garden/currents-design-as-smooth-as-skin.html |url-status=live }} Twelve of the building's apartments were still rental units by then, even as the remaining tenants had bought into the co-op offering plan. The building gained more retail tenants in the late 1990s, including the luxury label Goldpfeil{{cite magazine |last=Meadus |first=Amanda |date=July 1, 1995 |title=High-Class Holiday |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |page=6 |volume= |issue= |id={{ProQuest|1445663760}} }} and the Italian shoe boutique Pancaldi.{{cite magazine |last=Croghan |first=Lore |date=October 18, 1999 |title=First-Time Emigres |magazine=Crain's New York Business |page=3 |volume=15 |issue=42 |id={{ProQuest|219192878}} }}

Friedland Properties bought the retail space for $22.55 million in 2001; it was estimated to be the most costly commercial-real-estate transaction in New York City. At the time, the building's retail tenants included a Charles Jourdan shoe store, as well as David Berk, La Perla, and Fred Leighton.{{Cite news |last=Herman |first=Eric |date=February 28, 2001 |title=More Than 4G a Sq. Ft. For 4 Madison Ave. Shops |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-more-than-4g-a-sq-ft-for-4/155424036/ |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |pages=25 |id={{ProQuest|305656373}} }} The same year, part of the ground-floor interior was renovated to accommodate an expansion of the Fred Leighton store.{{cite magazine |last=Hessen |first=Wendy |date=January 29, 2001 |title=Accessories Report: A Mixed Trio Grows in Retailing: Fragments' Investment |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |page=11 |volume=181 |issue=19 |id={{ProQuest|1498748504}} }} A Judith Ripka jewelry boutique opened at the building in 2005.{{cite web |last=Holt |first=Emily |date=April 18, 2005 |title=Ripka's Second Stop on Madison |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/ripka-s-second-stop-on-madison-577263/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=Women's Wear Daily |postscript=none |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202233152/https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/ripka-s-second-stop-on-madison-577263/ |url-status=live}}; {{cite web |date=March 10, 2005 |title=Judith Ripka opens Madison Ave. flagship; unveils new collection |url=https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/judith-ripka-opens-madison-ave-flagship-unveils-new-collection/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=JCK |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920015354/https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/judith-ripka-opens-madison-ave-flagship-unveils-new-collection/ |url-status=live }} The LPC approved plans for a penthouse structure atop the building in 2014,{{cite web |last=Bindelglass |first=Evan |date=December 10, 2014 |title=Even Rudy Giuliani Couldn't Stop An Addition To His Building |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2014/12/10/10013464/even-rudy-giuliani-couldnt-stop-an-addition-to-his-building |access-date=September 14, 2024 |website=Curbed NY |archive-date=September 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914004320/https://ny.curbed.com/2014/12/10/10013464/even-rudy-giuliani-couldnt-stop-an-addition-to-his-building |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Kodé |first=Anna |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Giuliani's Upper East Side Apartment Is for Sale |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/realestate/rudy-giuliani-apartment-sale-nyc.html |access-date=September 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713015401/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/realestate/rudy-giuliani-apartment-sale-nyc.html |url-status=live }} with a bedroom, bathrooms, and dressing rooms. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani lived on the top floor at the time; according to his ex-wife Judith, Rudy had opposed the penthouse's construction because he did not want his apartment to lose its status as the building's penthouse. The penthouse was ultimately built anyway. The diamond company De Beers operated a temporary store at 777 Madison Avenue during the late 2010s.{{cite web |last=Conti |first=Samantha |date=January 21, 2016 |title=De Beers Confirms Madison Avenue Location |url=https://wwd.com/feature/de-beers-confirms-new-store-on-madison-10323225/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=WWD |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920015403/https://wwd.com/feature/de-beers-confirms-new-store-on-madison-10323225/ |url-status=live }} The building continues to operate as a co-op, with a doorman, into the 2020s.

Reception

When the building was being considered for landmark designation in 1977, the historian Paul Goldberger said the "eccentricity of its lavish detailing and round tower strikes just the right note on bustling Madison Avenue" because the decorations redirected observers' attention upward. In another news article three years later, Goldberger felt that the building was "just elaborate enough to be showy, just restrained enough to be dignified".{{cite web |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=November 7, 1980 |title=Browsing Along The Madison Mile; Browsing Along a Special Mile on Madison—the 60's and 70's Where Retail Activity Starts Matrons' Art Deco The Drive to Look New The Climb Up Lenox Hill Windows of Wit and Grace Lively Auction Scene Big Crowds at the Whitney A Building of Good Manners |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/07/archives/browsing-along-the-madison-mile-browsing-along-a-special-mile-on.html |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328231604/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/07/archives/browsing-along-the-madison-mile-browsing-along-a-special-mile-on.html |url-status=live }} In a 1992 book about apartment buildings in New York City, Andrew Alpern wrote that the facade's decorations "show an intricate complexity of surface treatment and a flamboyance that has few equals in all the city". Christopher Gray, writing for The New York Times in 1988, called the structure a "high-water mark in early apartment styling", as buildings erected in the city after World War I were generally designed in a more conservative style. Not all commentary was positive; Goodman felt that the building had a mediocre design and that its architects had had little influence.

References

= Notes =

= Citations =

= Sources =

{{cite report |url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0963.pdf |title=45 East 66th Street Building |date=November 15, 1977 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{sfnref|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1977}}}}
{{Cite book |last=Alpern |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9dPPEk7FUs8C |title=Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan: An Illustrated History |date=1992 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-27370-9 |pages=91–94 |language=en}}
{{cite report |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002674.pdf |title=Historic Structures Report: Building at 45 East 66th Street |date=May 6, 1980 |publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1980}}}}
{{cite report |url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1051.pdf |title=Upper East Side Historic District Designation Report |date=1981 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |volume=I |ref={{Harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1981}}}}

External links

{{cite web |author= |date= |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Building at 45 East 66th Street |url={{NRHP url |id=80002674}} |access-date=September 12, 2024 |publisher=National Park Service}} With {{NRHP url|id=80002674|photos=y|title=accompanying pictures}}

Category:1908 establishments in New York City

Category:Condominiums and housing cooperatives in Manhattan

Category:Gothic Revival architecture in New York City

Category:Madison Avenue

Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan

Category:Residential buildings completed in 1908

Category:Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan

Category:Residential condominiums in New York City

Category:Upper East Side

Category:1900s architecture in the United States