608 Fifth Avenue

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{{infobox building

| image = 608 Fifth Avenue (51396227929).jpg

| image_size = 300

| name = 608 Fifth Avenue

| alternate_names = Goelet Building, Swiss Center Building

| location = 608 Fifth Avenue, Midtown Manhattan

| location_city = New York City

| location_country = United States

| mapframe-wikidata = yes

| coordinates = {{coord|40|45|29|N|73|58|42|W|display=inline,title}}

| start_date = 1930

| completion_date = 1932

| architect = Victor L.S. Hafner

| floors = 10

| architectural_style = Art Deco

| height = {{convert|132|ft|11|in|m}}

| references = {{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114525 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103221753/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/114525 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |title=Swiss Center (Goelet) Building |work=Emporis}}

| embedded = {{Designation list

| embed = yes

| designation1 = NYCL

| designation1_number = 1810

| designation1_date = January 14, 1992

| designation1_free1name = Designated entity

| designation1_free1value = Exterior

| designation2 = NYCL

| designation2_number = 1811

| designation2_date = January 14, 1992

| designation2_free1name = Designated entity

| designation2_free1value = Lobby interior

}}

608 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Goelet Building or Swiss Center Building, is an office building at Fifth Avenue and West 49th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, adjacent to Rockefeller Center. It was designed by Victor L. S. Hafner for the Goelet family, with Edward Hall Faile as structural engineer. The facade uses elements of both the Art Deco and International styles, while the lobby is designed exclusively in the Art Deco style.

The building consists of a two-story base and an eight-story upper section, with a facade of green and white marble. The base includes storefronts while the upper stories contain offices. The second story is cantilevered from the bottom of the third story so the storefronts could be combined into a large department store if necessary. The building's elaborately designed lobby is divided into an entrance vestibule, an S-shaped outer lobby, and an elevator lobby. These spaces are decorated extensively with marble and aluminum, and the outer and elevator lobbies also include the Goelet family's crest. The three elevator cabs contain ornate marble and aluminum decorations.

Prior to the construction of the present office building, Mary and Ogden Goelet lived in a mansion at 608 Fifth Avenue. The mansion was torn down in 1930, and Ogden's nephew Robert Walton Goelet built the office building on the site, which was finished in 1932. The structure was built while the construction of Rockefeller Center was ongoing, and its design was meant to complement that of the other buildings in Rockefeller Center. During the 1960s, the building was sold to the Korein family and was renovated. 608 Fifth Avenue was renamed the Swiss Center Building in 1966 after several Swiss companies leased space there. Both the lobby interior and the exterior were designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission as official city landmarks in 1992. The leasehold was sold to RFR Holding in 1998, and Vornado Realty Trust operated the retail space from 2013 to 2020.

Site

608 Fifth Avenue is in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, on the southwestern corner of Fifth Avenue and 49th Street. The land lot is slightly L-shaped, covering {{convert|13,150|ft2}}.{{Cite web |title=608 5 Avenue, 10020 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1264/40#17.7/40.757933/-73.977365 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715144950/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1264/40 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning}} The lot measures {{Convert|70|ft||abbr=}} on Fifth Avenue to the east and {{Convert|161.6|ft||abbr=}} on 49th Street to the north.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992|ps=.|p=4}} The longer leg of the "L" extends west–east along 49th Street, while a shorter leg extends north–south along the western portion of the site.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992|ps=.|p=9}}

608 Fifth Avenue is one of three buildings on the western side of Fifth Avenue between 48th and 49th Streets. Directly to the south is the Childs Restaurants building at 604 Fifth Avenue.{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=July 25, 2010 |title=The History of 3 Midtown Neighbors |language=en-US |page=RE9 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/realestate/25scape.html |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034852/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/realestate/25scape.html |url-status=live }} The southern side of the block, 600 Fifth Avenue, was built in 1949–1952 and was later incorporated into Rockefeller Center.{{Cite aia5|page=327}} Other nearby buildings include 600 Fifth Avenue to the south, 1 Rockefeller Plaza to the west, the British Empire Building to the north, the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store to the northeast, and 597 Fifth Avenue to the southeast.

Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century.{{Cite book |last=Bridges |first=William |title=Map of the city of New York and island of Manhattan :with explanatory remarks and references / |date=1811 |publisher=T&J Swords |hdl=2027/nnc2.ark:/13960/t6ww9pp9g |oclc=40023003}} In the latter half of that century, mansions and other residences were constructed along the avenue. Among these were two country mansions that Edward H. Kendall designed for brothers Robert and Ogden Goelet, within one block of each other.{{cite book |last1=Rider |first1=F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_s5AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA199 |title=Rider's New York City and Vicinity, Including Newark, Yonkers and Jersey City: A Guide-book for Travelers, with 16 Maps and 18 Plans, Comp. and |last2=Cooper |first2=F.T. |last3=Hopkins |first3=M.A. |publisher=H. Holt |year=1916 |pages=198–199 |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822153246/https://books.google.com/books?id=w_s5AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA199 |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |url-status=live}} The brothers were part of the Goelet family, a wealthy Dutch family{{cite book |title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography |date=1930 |volume=35 |page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078229229&view=1up&seq=841 417] |via=HathiTrust}} that had founded the Chemical Bank.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7IpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA104 |title=History of the Chemical Bank, 1823–1913 |publisher=Country life Press |year=1913 |page=104 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822153244/https://books.google.com/books?id=b7IpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA104 |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |url-status=live}} Robert's estate was at 589 Fifth Avenue, near present-day 48th Street, while Ogden's estate was at 608 Fifth Avenue one block north.

Architecture

608 Fifth Avenue is a ten-story building in the Art Deco style, with elements of the International Style.{{Cite news |date=December 7, 1930 |title=Building Designed for Future Needs – Goelet Business Edifice on Fifth Avenue Planned for Long Serviceability – Marble Facade Finish – Second Floor Hangs From Cantilever Girders – In Rockefeller Development Block |page=RE1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/building-designed-for-future-needs-goelet-business-edifice-on-fifth.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174411/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/building-designed-for-future-needs-goelet-business-edifice-on-fifth.html |url-status=live }}{{cite New York 1930|page=531}} It was designed by Victor L. S. Hafner{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992|ps=.|p=1}} and built by structural engineering firm E. H. Faile & Co. The planning application to the city's Department of Buildings was submitted by Roy Clinton Morris on behalf of Edward Hall Faile, leading to occasional disputes over who was the building's architect. Hafner worked for Faile for one and a half years.{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=December 16, 1990 |title=Streetscapes: The Goelet Building; A Facade Rich in Marble |page=R7 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/realestate/streetscapes-the-goelet-building-a-facade-rich-in-marble.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174409/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/16/realestate/streetscapes-the-goelet-building-a-facade-rich-in-marble.html |url-status=live }} Although Hafner had worked on several projects in New York City, the Goelet Building was the only such design mentioned by name in his New York Times obituary in 1947.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992|ps=.|p=3}}{{Cite news |date=1947-04-28 |title=Victor L Hafner, an Architect, 54; Navy Veteran of 2 World Wars Die—Once Warned Vatican on Dome of St. Peter's |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/28/archives/victor-l-hafner-an-architect-54-navy-veteran-of-2-world-wars.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316014710/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/28/archives/victor-l-hafner-an-architect-54-navy-veteran-of-2-world-wars.html |url-status=live }}

= Form and facade <span class="anchor" id="Form"></span><span class="anchor" id="Facade"></span> =

File:5th Av Oct 2020 66.jpg

The facades at the first story and the second-level mezzanine are composed of glass curtain walls. Green marble fills the spaces between each floor. From the outset, 608 Fifth Avenue was designed as a commercial structure that would maximize the rapidly rising land value of the area, with retail on the lower floors and office stories above.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992|ps=.|p=2}} At the time, retail space was more profitable per square foot than office space was. The retail space required large display windows facing the street, which were extremely profitable. To maximize the surface area of these show windows, Faile designed the third and higher stories on two-story-tall columns that are recessed {{Convert|5|ft||abbr=}} from the facade. An archway surrounded with green marble is placed along the western end of the 49th Street facade. A metal screen, painted bronze, is at the second story.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992|ps=.|p=5}}

The building has a recessed light court above the second story on 49th Street, allowing additional windows to be placed further inside the building.{{cite book |last=Robins |first=Anthony W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cnC6DgAAQBAJ |title=New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham's Jazz Age Architecture |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4384-6396-4 |series=Excelsior Editions |page=111 |oclc=953576510}} Faile engineered the building's columns to be strong enough to accommodate a possible conversion of the light court into additional office space.

The exterior of the upper stories is made of two main types of marble. The horizontal spandrel panels between each story are made of white marble, and the vertical piers are made of green marble. On both Fifth Avenue and 49th Street, the piers divide the facade into sets of three bays, each with multiple windows. The Fifth Avenue elevation contains one set of three bays, while the 49th Street elevation includes two sets of three bays (one on either side of the light court). Most of the building is nine stories high, but the central bay of each set rises to a dormer on the tenth story. The central bays' windows are separated by four green-marble "ribs", which frame the tenth-story dormers. The tenth story and penthouse are sheathed in green marble, and the penthouse has white trim lines.

Ornamentation on the exterior includes aluminum mullions on the windows and at the corners. Other decorative elements include a monogram consisting of interlocked letters "G", as well as the Goelet family crest of a swan. These elements are displayed above the second story on the Fifth Avenue elevation. The crest and monogram were hung above the original main entrance arch on Fifth Avenue, demolished in 1965, as well as the arched entryway on 49th Street. The original main entrance had a bronze door with the Goelet family's crest and reportedly cost $14,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=14000|start_year=1932|fmt=eq}}).

= Interior =

According to the New York City Department of City Planning, 608 Fifth Avenue has {{convert|127,558|ft2}} of gross floor area, with 55 units.

== Lobby ==

The building's lobby was designed in a full Art Deco style, as Victor Hafner was not constrained by the need to conform the building's interior to those of nearby buildings. The lobby is reached from a doorway on the southernmost portion of the Fifth Avenue facade.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992|ps=.|p=3}} Various marbles are used, including what The New York Times described as "aurora rossa, samosa golden, American pavonazzo, bleu belge, numidian red and Belgian black". The lobby is composed of three primary spaces: an entrance vestibule to the southeast, an S-shaped outer lobby, and an elevator lobby to the west.

The entrance vestibule has strips of veined gray marble, running diagonally toward the room's corners. The floor is surrounded by a rectangular band of white-and-black marble. The bottoms of the entrance vestibule's walls contain red-marble baseboards. Above those are black-marble wall panels with white veining, which are placed at regular intervals. Vertical aluminum battens hold these panels in place. The ceiling is made of aluminum painted in a bronze color. Art Deco motifs, inspired by both natural and geometric patterns, are placed on the ceiling and walls. Illumination is provided by four aluminum grilles, one at each corner of the vestibule, which are decorated with curving foliate patterns.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992|ps=.|p=4}}

A set of three swinging silver doors leads from the vestibule to the outer lobby. The doors contain symmetrical patterned designs, with three triangles at the top of each door and stepped patterns at the bottom. The outer lobby's travertine floor is surrounded by a black marble band and a deep-red marble band. The west and east walls contain reeded dark-marble pilasters. The walls contain wide horizontal bands of beige marble with white and brown veins, interspersed with narrower bands of brown marble with yellow veins. These bands are separated by aluminum battens. Stylized motifs are cast into the aluminum cornices above each wall. Lighting fixtures are placed behind the cornices. The outer lobby has a coved plaster ceiling with aluminum-leaf decorations. Inlaid in the middle of the ceiling is a depiction of the Goelet swan, surrounded by geometric patterns.

The floors, walls, and ceiling of the elevator lobby are similar to those in the outer lobby, with a floral motif at the center of the ceiling. The elevator lobby contains three openings for elevators, as well as a staircase to the floors above. Each elevator opening is recessed from the wall surface and flanked by reeded dark-marble pilasters. The soffits of the elevator openings contain indirect lighting sources, which shine onto the cast-metal doors. The elevator doors themselves are decorated with stylized leaves atop vertical bands of white and yellow metal. The centers of the doors contain octagonal medallions, which depict a gazelle and two maidens. The elevator openings and the staircase are all topped by decorative octagonal medallions made of metal. Each elevator cab has baked enamel wall panels, held in place by aluminum bands, as well as stylized aluminum motifs.

== Retail space ==

The construction of Rockefeller Center made it difficult to forecast whether numerous small stores or a single large retailer would be more suitable for the site. 608 Fifth Avenue included features such as wide staircases and fire sprinklers, as well as a {{Convert|17|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} ceiling in the rear of the first floor. This allowed the retail space to be converted into a department store easily.{{Cite news |date=June 14, 1931 |title=Good Craftsmanship Praised by Goelet – Was Important Factor, He Says, in Construction of New Edifice of 608 Fifth Avenue |page=RE1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/06/14/archives/good-craftsmanship-praised-by-goelet-was-important-factor-he-says.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174412/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/06/14/archives/good-craftsmanship-praised-by-goelet-was-important-factor-he-says.html |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}} When the second story was built, it was cantilevered from the third-story slab instead of being supported by columns above the first floor, thus maximizing the first-floor retail space. In total, the retail space covers {{Convert|44000|ft2|m2|abbr=}}.{{Cite web |title=608 Fifth Avenue {{!}} TRD Research |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/608-fifth-avenue/ |access-date=2020-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103222538/https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/608-fifth-avenue/ |url-status=live }}

History

File:Mrs. Ogden Goelet Mansion (608 Fifth Avenue).jpg's mansion at 608 Fifth Avenue, designed by E.H. Kendall]]

By the beginning of the 20th century, most of the area's mansions had given way to office and commercial buildings. When Ogden Goelet died in 1897, his widow inherited his property at 608 Fifth Avenue, while his brother Robert became the trustee, a role later passed to Robert's son Robert Walton Goelet. In 1920, Robert Walton Goelet commissioned the construction of an art gallery at 606 Fifth Avenue, directly south of Ogden's estate.{{cite book |last1=Field |first1=H.E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2JwDAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PR9 |title=The Arts |last2=Watson |first2=F. |publisher=Hamilton Easter Field |year=1920 |page=9 |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822153247/https://books.google.com/books?id=2JwDAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PR9 |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |url-status=live |issue=v. 1}} Ogden's widow Mary R. Goelet continued to live in the 608 Fifth Avenue mansion until 1926.

= Development =

By the time Mary died in February 1929, the house had been unused for three years.{{Cite news |date=February 26, 1929 |title=Mrs. Ogden Goelet Buried From Home – Services in Fifth Avenue House at Her Wish, Though Unoccupied for Three Years – Bishop Stires Officiates – Only Relatives and Close Friends Present – Crowds Stop for Funeral in Shopping District |page=20 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/02/26/archives/mrs-ogden-goelet-buried-from-home-services-in-fifth-avenue-house-at.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174409/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/02/26/archives/mrs-ogden-goelet-buried-from-home-services-in-fifth-avenue-house-at.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=26 Feb 1929 |title=Mrs. Goelet's Funeral Held at 5th Ave. Home: Old Mansion at 49th St., Long Closed, Re-opened at Services for Owner Crowds Hall on Sidewalk Sermon Preached by Rev. Dr. Stires; Relatives Attend |page=23 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1111418198}}}} By then, the construction of Rockefeller Center was ongoing in the area immediately surrounding the Goelet lots. Rockefeller Center's developers allowed Robert Walton Goelet to keep the lots at 2–6 West 49th Street because the company considered his "interest and concern" to be a significant factor. However, Goelet could not yet develop the western part of his site due to an easement that a neighbor held on the land.{{cite book |last=Okrent |first=Daniel |title=Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center |publisher=Penguin Book |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-14-200177-6 |location=London |author-link=Daniel Okrent |page=97}} Goelet started selling the objects in the house in December 1929,{{Cite news |date=November 14, 1929 |title=Goelet Furnishings Sold – Antiques and Rugs Bring $12,000 at First Day's Auction |page=27 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/11/14/archives/goelet-furnishings-sold-antiques-and-rugs-bring-12000-at-first-days.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174411/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/11/14/archives/goelet-furnishings-sold-antiques-and-rugs-bring-12000-at-first-days.html |url-status=live }} hosting four such sales.

The house and adjacent art gallery were demolished in March 1930.{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|1113138698}} |title=Wreckers Claim Goelet House in Fifth Avenue: Home Built in 1888 Gives Way to Ten-Story Office Building |date=2 Mar 1930 |page=E1 |work=New York Herald Tribune}}{{Cite news |date=1930-03-02 |title=Goelet Home Being Razed; Old Fifth Av. Residence to Be Replaced by Office Building. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/03/02/archives/goelet-home-being-razed-old-fifth-av-residence-to-be-replaced-by.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315020239/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/03/02/archives/goelet-home-being-razed-old-fifth-av-residence-to-be-replaced-by.html |url-status=live }} Plans for a commercial building were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings the same month.{{Cite news |date=March 7, 1936 |title=Goelet Estate Plans New Midtown Building |page=31 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/07/archives/goelet-estate-plans-new-midtown-building.html |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034845/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/07/archives/goelet-estate-plans-new-midtown-building.html |url-status=live }} By that May, Goelet was still deciding between two different plans for a 15-story building. Though both options included office space above a two-story retail area, only one of the options provided space for a showroom.{{Cite news |date=May 18, 1930 |title=Goelet Building Plans – Two Types of Commercial Structure Considered for Fifth Av. Corner. |page=S10 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/18/archives/goelet-building-plans-two-types-of-commercial-structure-considered.html |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034849/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/18/archives/goelet-building-plans-two-types-of-commercial-structure-considered.html |url-status=live }} In November 1930, the East River Savings Bank gave Goelet a $1 million mortgage for the project.{{cite news |date=1 Nov 1930 |title=Goelet Borrows $1,000,000 on New Building: Bank Arranges Financing on Southwest Corner of Fifth Ave. at 49th Street |page=30 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113727934}}}}{{Cite news |date=1930-11-01 |title=Manhattan Mortgages |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/01/archives/manhattan-mortgages.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315180851/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/11/01/archives/manhattan-mortgages.html |url-status=live }} The plans for the current 10-story commercial building were announced the next month. At the beginning of 1931, Fifth Avenue was experiencing high demand for storefront space, with only 12 of 224 stores being unoccupied. 608 Fifth Avenue, along with 500 Fifth Avenue and the Empire State Building, were expected to add a combined 11 stores.{{Cite news |date=1931-02-08 |title=Few Shops Vacant on Fifth Avenue; Survey Discloses Only Twelve Stores Available in the Business Blocks |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/02/08/archives/few-shops-vacant-on-fifth-avenue-survey-discloses-only-twelve.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315174142/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/02/08/archives/few-shops-vacant-on-fifth-avenue-survey-discloses-only-twelve.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Dailey |first=John A. |date=8 Feb 1931 |title=Fifth Avenue Still Leading Shopping Center: Few Stores Are Available North of Forty-Second St., Recent Survey Indicates $3,750 Foot Top Rental Shoe Healers Predominate, There Being 28 Such Shops |page=E1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114167981}}}} In June 1930, Robert Walton Goelet hosted a ceremony to give craftsmanship awards to 23 workers who were involved in the project.{{Cite news |date=1931-06-14 |title=Good Craftsmanship Praised by Goelet; Was Important Factor, He Says, in Construction of New Edifice of 608 Fifth Avenue. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/06/14/archives/good-craftsmanship-praised-by-goelet-was-important-factor-he-says.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102174412/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/06/14/archives/good-craftsmanship-praised-by-goelet-was-important-factor-he-says.html |url-status=live }}

= Early years =

File:5th Av Oct 2020 71.jpgThe building was completed by 1932 but, due to a lack of interest from large tenants, the ground-floor space was divided into smaller units.{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1932 |title=Fifth Av. Chances in Midtown Section – New Foreign Units for Rockefeller Frontage – Jewelry Firm in Goelet Building – Union Club Moving Plans Northward Expansion of Trade Shown by Recent Building and Leasing Activity |page=RE1 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/12/archives/fifth-av-chances-in-midtown-section-new-foreign-units-for-rocke.html |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034845/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/12/archives/fifth-av-chances-in-midtown-section-new-foreign-units-for-rocke.html |url-status=live }} Within the area bounded by Sixth and Fifth Avenues between 48th and 51st Streets, the Goelet Building was among the few plots that was not owned outright by Rockefeller Center's developers by the end of 1932.{{Cite news |date=December 9, 1932 |title=Rockefeller Buys Last Lots For Site – Purchase of Six From Fox Rounds Out Holdings of Center to Carry Out Full Project – 31-Story Building Planned – Complete Architectural Balance Is Assured – Price of Sixth Av. Property Not Disclosed |page=23 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/09/archives/rockefeller-buys-last-lots-for-site-purchase-of-six-from-fox-rounds.html |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034846/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/12/09/archives/rockefeller-buys-last-lots-for-site-purchase-of-six-from-fox-rounds.html |url-status=live }} According to contemporary photographs of 608 Fifth Avenue, the ground floor was first occupied by several small stores. These included brokers Cowan & Co.,{{cite news |date=30 Aug 1933 |title=Real Estate News and Transactions in the New York City and Suburban Field Reviewed: Apparel Dealer Leases Larger Midtown Space Kruger Firm Gets Quarters 5 Times as Large as Old in Rockefeller Area |page=28 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1221960853}}}} restaurant operator Susan C. Palmer,{{cite news |date=30 Sep 1932 |title=Large Midtown Quarters Taken By Restaurant: Chicago Operator Will Pay Rent Exceeding $200,000 in Roekefeller Center Zone |page=33 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1221305266}}}} the Tecla Pearl Company,{{cite news |date=23 Oct 1933 |title=Tecla Pearl Co. Leases Space on Fifth Avenue: Jewelry Firm Takes Quarters Near Rockefeller Center |page=30 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1221366096}}}} and a Manufacturers Hanover Corporation bank branch.{{Cite news |date=1934-11-13 |title=Hanover Opens Branch Today. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/13/archives/hanover-opens-branch-today.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315183939/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/13/archives/hanover-opens-branch-today.html |url-status=live }} The earliest office tenants included jewelry firm Theodore A. Kohn & Son Galleries,{{Cite news |date=1932-06-01 |title=$3,690,000 Is Loaned on 7th Av. Buildings; Garment Center Capitol, Inc., Obtains Extension of Mortgage Placed Ten Years Ago. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/01/archives/3690000-is-loaned-on-7th-avbuildings-garment-center-capitol-inc.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315183935/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/01/archives/3690000-is-loaned-on-7th-avbuildings-garment-center-capitol-inc.html |url-status=live }} photography studios Underwood & Underwood,{{cite news |date=21 Jul 1933 |title=Real Estate News and Transactions in City and Country: Photographers Rent Quarters On 5th Avenue Underwood & Underwood Take Portrait Studio in New Goelet Building |page=30 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1221351104}}}} and several gem dealers.{{cite news |date=6 Feb 1936 |title=Oil Firm Rents New Offices in Midtown Area: Pennzoil Company Leases in Rockefeller Center; Gem Importers Move |page=34 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1243470679}}}} The Kohn Galleries also hosted art exhibitions in its offices.{{Cite news |date=1935-06-10 |title=Two Stores Plan Art Exhibitions; Contemporary American Work Will Be Shown at Altman's for Next 12 Days. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/10/archives/two-stores-plan-art-exhibitions-contemporary-american-work-will-be.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163746/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/06/10/archives/two-stores-plan-art-exhibitions-contemporary-american-work-will-be.html |url-status=live }} Goelet had his offices in the tenth-floor penthouse.

In 1935, Robert W. Goelet bought Charles J. Coulter's house at 6 West 49th Street for $82,000, initially to preserve the Goelet Building's exposure to natural light.{{Cite news |date=1935-02-15 |title=Operators Resell Flats on Heights; Two Broadway Terrace Houses Bring Cash Over Mortgage in Investment Sale. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/15/archives/operators-resell-flats-on-heights-two-broadway-terrace-houses-bring.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315185419/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/02/15/archives/operators-resell-flats-on-heights-two-broadway-terrace-houses-bring.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=15 Feb 1935 |title=Robert Goelet Buys Building In 49th Street: Takes C. J. Coulter House Adjoining 5th Av. Corner for Light Protection |page=32 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1245306435}}}} The next year, Goelet filed plans for a western annex on that site.{{Cite news |date=1936-03-07 |title=Goelet Estate Plans New Midtown Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/07/archives/goelet-estate-plans-new-midtown-building.html |access-date=2020-01-03 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034845/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/03/07/archives/goelet-estate-plans-new-midtown-building.html |url-status=live }} E. H. Faile designed the annex, while the Starrett Corporation received the general construction contract. The four-story annex was built as an extension of the Goelet Building, with all access being through the main building, but it could also be arranged as its own structure, with provisions for the installation of separate elevators and stairs. Banks Custom Tailors leased most of the second-floor retail space in 1937,{{cite news |date=1 Oct 1937 |title=Custom Tailors Rent Big Unit On 5th Avenue: Banks Organization Takes Space at 49th Street; City Plans New Court |page=37 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1240445159}}}} and J.S. Bache & Co. moved into a portion of the second story the same year.{{cite news |date=3 May 1937 |title=J. S. Bache Opens New Office |page=4 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|129820042}}}} At the end of the decade, jewelers Rimler and Horning took a large portion of the retail space.{{cite news |date=17 Feb 1939 |title=Real Estate News in City and Suburbs: Building Firm Rents Quarters In East 48th St A. J. Robinson Co. Takes Midtown Floor; Many Other Leases Are Closed Even Big Suites Are Leased |page=33 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1244707327}}}} The building's tenants in the 1940s included watch dealers Louis Manheimer & Brothers{{Cite news |date=1940-03-21 |title=Bickford's Rents 505 5th Ave. Unit; Store Will Be Modernized as a New Outlet for Chain of Restaurants |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/21/archives/bickfords-rents-505-5th-ave-unit-store-will-be-modernized-as-a-new.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315183936/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/21/archives/bickfords-rents-505-5th-ave-unit-store-will-be-modernized-as-a-new.html |url-status=live }} and gem importers Lieberman & Bienenfeld.{{cite news |date=9 Mar 1940 |title=Gem Importer Leases Suites In 5th Avenue: Lieberman-Bienenfeld, Inc. Takes Midtown Offices; Bentkamp Rents Space |page=27 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1335119628}}}} After Manufacturers Hanover announced its intention to relocate its bank branch in 1941,{{Cite news |date=1941-07-12 |title=State Banking Changes; Central Hanover Would Move Branch in Midtown |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/07/12/archives/state-banking-changes-central-hanover-would-move-branch-in-midtown.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315185420/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/07/12/archives/state-banking-changes-central-hanover-would-move-branch-in-midtown.html |url-status=live }} men's store John David Inc. leased the bank's three-story former space in 1945.{{Cite news |date=1945-08-01 |title=John David Leases Fifth Ave. Corner |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/08/01/archives/john-david-leases-fifth-ave-corner.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315185419/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/08/01/archives/john-david-leases-fifth-ave-corner.html |url-status=live }} John David continued to occupy the building through for the next two decades.

Tenants during the 1950s included the Jewelry Industry Council,{{Cite news |date=1950-03-29 |title=Airline Takes Space in 230 Park Avenue |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/29/archives/airline-takes-space-in-230-park-avenue.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316014707/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/29/archives/airline-takes-space-in-230-park-avenue.html |url-status=live }} wool-trade group Woolens and Worsteds of America,{{Cite news |date=1958-07-15 |title=New Trade Group to Promote Wool; Growers and Manufacturers Map Drive to Increase Domestic Sales |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/07/15/archives/new-trade-group-to-promote-wool-growers-and-manufacturers-map-drive.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316014238/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/07/15/archives/new-trade-group-to-promote-wool-growers-and-manufacturers-map-drive.html |url-status=live }} the Institute of Boiler and Radiator Manufacturers,{{Cite news |last=Bradley |first=John A. |date=1956-02-26 |title=Business Sought by Boiler Trade; Heating-Cooling Council Is Formed by More Than Thirty Manufacturers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/02/26/archives/business-sought-by-boiler-trade-heatingcooling-council-is-formed-by.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316014232/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/02/26/archives/business-sought-by-boiler-trade-heatingcooling-council-is-formed-by.html |url-status=live }} and airline Avianca.{{Cite news |date=1958-06-04 |title=15th Airline Gets Space on Fifth Ave.; Avianca Is Latest, Taking 2 Stores at No. 608 -Other Rental Deals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/04/archives/15th-airline-gets-space-on-5th-ave-avianca-is-latest-taking-2.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315174142/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/04/archives/15th-airline-gets-space-on-5th-ave-avianca-is-latest-taking-2.html |url-status=live }} Diamond dealers Eichberg Co.{{Cite news |date=1960-05-05 |title=Space Is Leased at 608 Fifth Ave.; Diamond Dealers to Take Quarters July 1 -- Other Rental Deals Closed |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/05/05/archives/space-is-leased-at-608-fifth-ave-diamond-dealers-to-take-quarters.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315180850/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/05/05/archives/space-is-leased-at-608-fifth-ave-diamond-dealers-to-take-quarters.html |url-status=live }} and the Colombian Tourist Board also leased offices in the early 1960s.{{Cite news |date=1961-03-31 |title=Floor Is Leased at 235 E. 42d St.; Pfizer Building Space Is Taken by Law Firm -- Other Rental Deals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/03/31/archives/floor-is-leased-at-235-e-42d-st-pfizer-building-space-is-taken-by.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163806/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/03/31/archives/floor-is-leased-at-235-e-42d-st-pfizer-building-space-is-taken-by.html |url-status=live }} The Space Design Group redesigned one of the building's offices for Pakistan International Airlines in 1962, decorating the offices with green-and-blue wall tiles sprayed with cork, as well as green-and-white onyx chips embedded in the concrete floor.{{Cite news |date=1962-04-15 |title=Airline to Occupy Exotic Quarters; Pakistan Carrier to Employ Native Motifs in Office |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/15/archives/airline-to-occupy-exotic-quarters-pakistan-carrier-to-employ-native.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163740/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/15/archives/airline-to-occupy-exotic-quarters-pakistan-carrier-to-employ-native.html |url-status=live }} The Fifth Avenue Association, a local civic group, recognized the Pakistan International Airlines office as the area's "best storefront alteration" during 1962–1963.{{cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=19 Apr 1964 |title=Bankers Trust, Regency Hotel ' Win Top Honors in Competition |page=R1 |work=The New York Times |id={{ProQuest|115785366}}}} The Korein family acquired the building and its underlying land during the 1960s.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-01 |title=Vornado Hands Over 608 Fifth Avenue to Korein Family |url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/06/01/vornado-walks-away-from-fifth-avenue-property/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205114738/https://therealdeal.com/2020/06/01/vornado-walks-away-from-fifth-avenue-property/ |url-status=live }}

= Swiss Center Building =

608 Fifth Avenue became the Swiss Center Building in 1964 when fourteen Swiss-owned enterprises formed a coalition to "foster commercial, cultural, travel and financial activities identified with Switzerland".{{Cite news |date=May 3, 1964 |title=Building on 5th Ave. to Be Swiss Center |language=en-US |page=123 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/building-on-5th-ave-to-be-swiss-center.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102204705/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/building-on-5th-ave-to-be-swiss-center.html |url-status=live }} The companies signed a 17-year lease for the structure with options for a 45-year extension. Following that announcement, Robert Goelet signed a lease for space in another building, relocating from 608 Fifth Avenue.{{Cite news |date=1964-07-28 |title=2 Tenants Signed at 777 Third Ave.; Robert Goelet and a New Ad Agency Lease Quarters |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/28/archives/2-tenants-signed-at-777-third-ave-robert-goelet-and-a-new-ad-agency.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163802/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/28/archives/2-tenants-signed-at-777-third-ave-robert-goelet-and-a-new-ad-agency.html |url-status=live }} Lester Tichy was hired to redesign both the interior and exterior of the first and second floors. Former Swiss president Friedrich Wahlen dedicated the new Swiss Center on June 23, 1966,{{Cite news |date=1966-06-23 |title=Swiss Center Will Open On Fifth Avenue Today |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/23/archives/swiss-center-will-open-on-fifth-avenue-today.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103034931/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/23/archives/swiss-center-will-open-on-fifth-avenue-today.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=1966-06-24 |title=Swiss Offers to Aid Peace |pages=71 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97733907/swiss-offers-to-aid-peace/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163807/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97733907/swiss-offers-to-aid-peace/ |url-status=live }} during a citywide "Swiss Week".{{Cite news |date=1966-06-20 |title=City to Mark Swiss Week |pages=511 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97733896/city-to-mark-swiss-week/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163804/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97733896/city-to-mark-swiss-week/ |url-status=live }} The ground-floor tenants were replaced by offices for the Swiss National Tourist Office, Swiss Bank Corporation, and Swissair. By 1970, the Swiss Center Restaurant had opened within the building at 4 West 49th Street;{{Cite news |last=Claiborne |first=Craig |date=1970-09-04 |title=Superb Swiss Restaurants |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/04/archives/3-superb-swiss-restaurants.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163803/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/04/archives/3-superb-swiss-restaurants.html |url-status=live }} the eatery was sponsored by the Swiss government.{{Cite news |last=Brock |first=Carol |date=1976-01-14 |title=Trio of treats with foreign flavor |pages=366 |work=New York Daily News |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97734377/trio-of-treats-with-foreign/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163748/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97734377/trio-of-treats-with-foreign/ |url-status=live }}

File:5th Av Jul 2021 59.jpgIn the early 1980s, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and the American Society of Interior Designers examined the Swiss Center Building's lobby as part of a citywide survey of historic interiors. A volunteer for the survey described the lobby as "one of the richest Art Deco spaces anywhere".{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Bryan |date=1982-02-18 |title=Volunteers Tracking Down New York's Significant Interiors |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/18/garden/volunteers-tracking-down-new-york-s-significant-interiors.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524110954/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/18/garden/volunteers-tracking-down-new-york-s-significant-interiors.html |url-status=live }} The LPC first considered the building and its lobby for New York City landmark status in 1983.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992|ps=.|p=5}} The building's then-owner Sarah Korein objected, as she wanted to expand the building by several stories once the Swiss Center's lease expired in 1996. Despite this, 608 Fifth Avenue and its interior were designated as official city landmarks in 1992; the LPC noted in its reports that "the owner and long-term lessee are not opposed to the designation".{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992|ps=.|p=1}} Jewelry retailer Mikimoto occupied a large retail space on the ground floor until 1995.{{cite news |last=Meadus |first=Amanda |date=1 May 1995 |title=Mikimoto Moves Up on Fifth Avenue |volume=169 |page=22 |work=Women's Wear Daily |issue=83 |id={{ProQuest|1498771092}}}} Two years later, Garrison & Siegel renovated the lower floors to their original design.{{Cite nycland |page=117}}

= RFR and Vornado operation =

The leasehold was sold to RFR Holding, a company held by German investors, in 1998 for about $22 million, though Korein retained ownership of the land.{{Cite news |last=Ravo |first=Nick |date=August 12, 1998 |title=Metro Business – Swiss Center Lease Is Sold |page=B9 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/12/nyregion/metro-business-swiss-center-lease-is-sold.html |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102204706/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/12/nyregion/metro-business-swiss-center-lease-is-sold.html |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Croghan |first=Lore |date=13 Jul 1998 |title=A new watchdog takes over the Swiss Center building |volume=14 |issue=28 |page=22 |id={{ProQuest|219185124}} |magazine=Crain's New York Business}} Aby Rosen of RFR planned to renovate the building for $1.5 million. Although the building was fully occupied, Rosen wished to seek higher rents; at the time, average rents at 608 Fifth Avenue were around {{convert|45|$/ft2}}, compared with {{convert|55|$/ft2}} for similar Midtown buildings. Switzerland Tourism continued to operate an office in the building,{{Cite news |date=2001-05-27 |title=Travel Advisory; The Swiss Celebrate A Heidi Centennial |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/travel/travel-advisory-the-swiss-celebrate-a-heidi-centennial.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527175622/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/travel/travel-advisory-the-swiss-celebrate-a-heidi-centennial.html |url-status=live }} as did confectionery Minamoto Kitchoan.{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=2000-07-26 |title=Food Stuff; Fruity Japanese Treats |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/26/dining/food-stuff-fruity-japanese-treats.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527140750/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/26/dining/food-stuff-fruity-japanese-treats.html |url-status=live }} Clothing company Lacoste opened a store at 608 Fifth Avenue in 2003,{{cite news |last=Moin |first=David |date=8 Aug 2003 |title=Lacoste Corners Fifth Avenue |volume=186 |page=11 |work=Women's Wear Daily |issue=28 |id={{ProQuest|1434259359}}}} and Japanese jeweler Niwaka opened a store in 2006.{{Cite news |last=Tarquinio |first=J. Alex |date=2008-01-30 |title=Foreign Retailers Follow Their Shoppers to New York |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/realestate/commercial/30retail.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=January 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105190122/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/realestate/commercial/30retail.html |url-status=live }} Lacoste expanded its store into the Niwaka space in 2011.{{cite web |date=March 21, 2011 |title=LACOSTE expands retail presence at 608 Fifth Ave. to 9,955 s/f; RFR is property owner |url=https://nyrej.com/lacoste-expands-retail-presence-at-608-fifth-ave-to-9-955-s-f-rfr-is-property-owner |access-date=March 16, 2022 |website=NYREJ |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163802/https://nyrej.com/lacoste-expands-retail-presence-at-608-fifth-ave-to-9-955-s-f-rfr-is-property-owner |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=Mar 2, 2011 |title=Lacoste building flagship at RFR's 608 Fifth Ave. |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Lacoste+building+flagship+at+RFR%27s+608+Fifth+Ave.-a0251631445 |access-date=March 16, 2022 |website=Real Estate Weekly |via=Free Online Library |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316163803/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Lacoste+building+flagship+at+RFR%27s+608+Fifth+Ave.-a0251631445 |url-status=live }} This was part of a southward expansion of retail on Fifth Avenue in the early 2010s.{{Cite news |last=Levere |first=Jane L. |date=2012-09-04 |title=The Heart of Fifth Avenue Shopping Is Edging to the South |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/realestate/commercial/the-heart-of-fifth-avenue-shopping-edges-to-the-south.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011104218/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/realestate/commercial/the-heart-of-fifth-avenue-shopping-edges-to-the-south.html |url-status=live }}

Vornado Realty Trust assumed RFR's mortgage in 2013 and paid $8.5 million that RFR owed on the mortgage. At that point, the Korein family still owned the land under 608 Fifth Avenue.{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Katherine |date=2017-06-09 |title=Meet the family that's got Aby Rosen over a barrel at Lever House |url=https://therealdeal.com/2017/06/09/meet-the-family-thats-got-aby-rosen-over-a-barrel-at-lever-house/ |access-date=2020-01-03 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103220546/https://therealdeal.com/2017/06/09/meet-the-family-thats-got-aby-rosen-over-a-barrel-at-lever-house/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Barbarino |first=Al |date=2013-02-11 |title=Vornado Scoops Ground Lease at Art Deco Gem Swiss Center |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2013/02/vornado-scoops-ground-lease-at-art-deco-gem-swiss-center/ |access-date=2020-01-03 |website=Commercial Observer |language=en |archive-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103221633/https://commercialobserver.com/2013/02/vornado-scoops-ground-lease-at-art-deco-gem-swiss-center/ |url-status=live }} The next year, clothing retailer Topshop announced that it would lease the retail space{{cite web |last=Gurfein |first=Laura |date=February 5, 2014 |title=Topshop to Open Its Largest Stateside Store on Fifth Avenue |url=https://ny.racked.com/2014/2/5/7620415/topshop-to-open-secondlargest-store-on-fifth-avenue |access-date=March 16, 2022 |website=Racked NY |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005123004/https://ny.racked.com/2014/2/5/7620415/topshop-to-open-secondlargest-store-on-fifth-avenue |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Conti |first=Samantha |date=February 5, 2014 |title=Topshop Signs Lease for Fifth Ave. Flagship |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/topshop-sets-fifth-avenue-unit-in-manhattan-7409282/ |access-date=March 16, 2022 |website=WWD |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416171342/https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/topshop-sets-fifth-avenue-unit-in-manhattan-7409282/ |url-status=live }} for $15 million, replacing the Lacoste store. Topshop sought to sublease its space by 2018,{{cite web |last=Geiger |first=Daniel |date=September 13, 2018 |title=Topshop seeks exit from pricey Fifth Avenue store |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/topshop-seeks-exit-pricey-fifth-avenue-store |access-date=November 14, 2024 |website=Crain's New York Business}} and the store there closed in 2020 because Topshop went bankrupt. In June 2020, Vornado gave up its lease on the building.{{cite web |date=June 2, 2020 |title=Vornado Walks Away from Manhattan's 608 Fifth Ave. |url=https://crenews.com/2020/06/02/vornado-walks-away-from-manhattans-608-fifth-ave/ |access-date=March 16, 2022 |website=Commercial Real Estate Direct |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923103350/https://crenews.com/2020/06/02/vornado-walks-away-from-manhattans-608-fifth-ave/ |url-status=live }} The deal generated $70 million for Vornado, which at the time was experiencing financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Kevin |date=2020-07-21 |title=Vornado Sees $306M Loss on Fifth Ave & Times Square Retail JV |url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/07/21/vornado-coronavirus-responsible-for-306m-loss-on-value-of-prized-retail-jv/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=February 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217195207/https://therealdeal.com/2020/07/21/vornado-coronavirus-responsible-for-306m-loss-on-value-of-prized-retail-jv/ |url-status=live }} By 2021, the empty storefront was being used to advertise HBO Max's release of the film No Sudden Move;{{cite magazine |last=Sachmechi |first=Natalie |date=22 Jul 2021 |title=Owners redeploy empty storefronts as ad space |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/empty-storefronts-being-re-employed-ad-space |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=37 |issue=28 |page=14 |id={{ProQuest|2560348860}} |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008193602/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/commercial-real-estate/empty-storefronts-being-re-employed-ad-space |url-status=live }} it also hosted New York Fashion Week the same year.{{cite web | last=Davenport | first=Emily | title=New York Fashion Week to come to Fifth Avenue this year | website=amNewYork | date=July 15, 2021 | url=https://www.amny.com/news/new-york-fashion-week-to-come-to-fifth-avenue-this-year/ | access-date=October 18, 2023}} Fashion retailer Aritzia leased a {{convert|33000|ft2|adj=on}} storefront at the building in mid-2022,{{cite web | title=Aritzia Signs 15K SF Lease in Flatiron | website=The Real Deal | date=July 20, 2022 | url=https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2022/07/20/aritzia-signs-15k-sf-lease-in-flatiron/ | access-date=April 18, 2023}}{{cite web | last=Baird-Remba | first=Rebecca | title=Aritzia Relocates Fifth Avenue Flagship on the Same Block | website=Commercial Observer | date=June 16, 2022 | url=https://commercialobserver.com/2022/06/aritzia-relocates-fifth-avenue-flagship-for-bigger-digs-on-the-same-block/ | access-date=April 18, 2023}} opening a store there in December 2024.{{cite web | last=Moin | first=David | title=EXCLUSIVE: Aritzia Triples Its Fifth Avenue Footprint | website=WWD | date=December 13, 2024 | url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/aritzia-grows-its-footprint-on-fifth-avenue-1236763510/ | access-date=February 13, 2025}}{{cite web | title=Aritzia Opens Flagship Boutique | website=Retail & Leisure International | date=December 16, 2024 | url=https://www.rli.uk.com/aritzia-opens-flagship-boutique/ | access-date=February 13, 2025}}

Reception

Robert Goelet felt that "the building had to be one of beauty and of durability in addition to being modern". Christopher Gray, writing for The New York Times in 1990, referred to 608 Fifth Avenue as "one giant Art Moderne cigarette case of marble". Joseph Giovannini, another Times writer, listed 608 Fifth Avenue's lobby in 1984 as part of a walking tour of the "city's best lobbies".{{Cite news |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/09/arts/the-great-indoors-a-stroll-around-city-s-best-lobbies.html |title=The Great Indoors – A Stroll Around City's Best Lobbies |last=Giovannini |first=Joseph |date=March 9, 1984 |work=The New York Times |page=C1 |access-date=January 3, 2020 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313221557/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/09/arts/the-great-indoors-a-stroll-around-city-s-best-lobbies.html |url-status=live }} The New Yorker architectural critic Lewis Mumford sarcastically described 608 Fifth Avenue as "an excellent period reproduction—Modernique, 1925", regarding it as little more than a parody of the earlier Childs Restaurant building. Robert A. M. Stern, in his book New York 1930, called the building "a luxuriously detailed but bastardized interpretation of the International Style". In 2017, architectural historian Anthony W. Robins wrote that the Goelet Building's lobby was "one of New York's best-kept Deco secrets".

References

=Citations=

=Sources=

{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1810.pdf |title=Goelet Building |date=January 14, 1992 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1992}}}}
{{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1811.pdf |title=Goelet Building Interior |date=January 14, 1992 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior|1992}}}}