689 Fifth Avenue

{{Confused|text=the Elizabeth Arden Building in Washington, D.C., or the Aeolian Hall (Manhattan) on 42nd Street}}

{{Infobox building

| name = 689 Fifth Avenue

| alternate_name = Aeolian Building, Elizabeth Arden Building

| image = 5th_Av_Nov_2020_49.jpg

| image_caption = Viewed from the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street

| image_alt = The rounded corner of the building as viewed from across the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street

| image_size =

| completion_date = 1927

| opening = February 23, 1927

| location = Manhattan, New York, U.S.

| mapframe-wikidata = yes

| coordinates = {{Coord|40|45|39.8|N|73|58|29.6|W|display=inline,title}}

| roof = {{cvt|224|ft|m}}

| floor_count = 15

| floor_area =

| start_date = 1925

| architect = Warren and Wetmore

| main_contractor = James Baird Construction Company

| embedded = {{Designation list

| embed = yes

| designation1 = NYCL

| designation1_number = 2125

| designation1_date = December 10, 2002

}}

689 Fifth Avenue (originally the Aeolian Building and later the Elizabeth Arden Building) is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. The building was designed by Warren and Wetmore and constructed from 1925 to 1927.

The fifteen-story building was designed in the neoclassical style with French Renaissance Revival details. The primary portions of the facade are made of Indiana Limestone, interspersed with Italian marble spandrels, while the upper stories are made of decorative buff-colored terracotta. The first nine stories occupy nearly the whole lot, with a rounded corner facing Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. On the 10th, 12th, and 14th floors, the building has setbacks as mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution, and the building contains several angled sections. The decorative details include urns at the ninth-story setback, garlands, and a mechanical penthouse with a pyramidal roof and a lantern.

689 Fifth Avenue was commissioned by iron and steel magnate Charles A. Gould, who died before the building's completion. His daughter Celia Gould Milne bought the structure at an auction in 1927 and kept it until 1944. The building was the headquarters of the Aeolian Company, an instrument manufacturer, until 1938. Afterward, the storefront was renovated and the building's upper stories were used by a variety of office tenants. During the mid-20th century and late 20th century, the building was also named for Elizabeth Arden, Inc., which occupied the northern storefront and some office space for eight decades. The southern storefront has been used by numerous tenants including Gucci, Zara, and Massimo Dutti. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated 689 Fifth Avenue as an official landmark in 2002.

Site

The Aeolian Building is at 689 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue to the west and 54th Street to the south. The land lot is L-shaped and covers {{cvt|6,925|ft2}}, with a frontage of {{cvt|50.42|ft}} on Fifth Avenue and {{cvt|125|ft}} on 54th Street.{{cite news|date=February 24, 1927|title=New Aeolian Hall Dedicated As Music Home: Building at Fifth Ave. and 54th Street Is Opened With Exercises Conferring Its Use on People of City|page=15|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1130368359}}}}{{Cite news|date=February 24, 1927|title=Aeolian Co. Gives Golden Key to City; but Hilly, for Mayor Walker, Returns It at Dedication of New 5th Avenue Building.|language=en-US|page=11|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/02/24/118639759.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Nearby sites include the residences at 5 and 7 West 54th Street and the University Club of New York to the west; The Peninsula New York hotel to the northwest; the St. Regis New York hotel to the north; 19 East 54th Street to the east; the William H. Moore House to the south; and Saint Thomas Church to the southwest.{{Cite web|title=689 5 Avenue, 10022|url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1290/1#18.09/40.761027/-73.974266|url-status=live|access-date=March 20, 2020|publisher=New York City Department of City Planning|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515230514/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1290/1 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 }}

Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century, when brownstone rowhouses were built on the avenue.{{cite web|date=January 29, 1985|title=714 Fifth Avenue|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1534.pdf|access-date=June 9, 2020|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|page=5|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225120819/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1534.pdf|url-status=live}} The surrounding area was once part of the common lands of the city of New York.{{cite web |last=Stokes |first=Isaac Newton Phelps |year=1915 |title=The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498–1909 |url=https://archive.org/details/iconographyofman06stok |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415060518/http://archive.org:80/details/iconographyofman06stok |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |volume=6 |publisher=Robert H. Dodd |page=67 |via=Internet Archive}} The lots along Fifth Avenue were laid out in the late 18th century following the American Revolutionary War.{{cite web|date=June 23, 2009|title=John Peirce Residence|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610192640/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2327.pdf|archive-date=June 10, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|page=2|url-status=live}} Upscale residences were constructed around Fifth Avenue following the American Civil War.{{cite NY1880|page=578}} By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area.{{cite magazine|date=April 6, 1907|title=Mr. Edward Harriman...|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_039_15.pdf|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=79|pages=296|via=columbia.edu|number=2038|access-date=May 18, 2021|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116152948/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_039_15.pdf|url-status=live}}{{cite enc-nyc2|pages=617–618}} The Aeolian Building's site is also near West 57th Street, where an artistic hub developed around the two blocks from Sixth Avenue west to Broadway during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|pp=4–5}}{{Harvnb|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=232|ps=.}} The northeastern corner of 54th Street and Fifth Avenue had contained the house of William Rockefeller Jr. through the early 20th century.{{Cite news|date=June 3, 1912|title=Wm. Rockefeller Again Buys to Halt Business|pages=7|work=The Courier-Journal|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77818070/wm-rockefeller-again-buys-to-halt/|access-date=May 16, 2021|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516234516/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77818070/wm-rockefeller-again-buys-to-halt/|url-status=live}} After Rockefeller died in 1922, his house was sold to the Mandel-Ehrich Corporation in 1923, along with other nearby buildings he had owned.{{Cite news|date=September 4, 1923|title=Wm. Rockefeller's City Realty Sold; Mandel-Ehrich Corporation Buys Entire Property in One Deal From Estate.|language=en-US|page=30|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/09/04/106005395.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news|date=September 9, 1923|title=Rockefeller Realty Sale Recalls Feud With Col. Astor: Blocked Latter's Efforts to Enlarge St. Regis by Buying Adjacent Realty; Operators Now Own Corner|page=C1|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1114579507}}}}

Architecture

689 Fifth Avenue was designed in the neoclassical style by Warren and Wetmore{{cite aia5|page=333}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|pp=3–4}} and constructed by the James Baird Construction Company. It is 15 stories tall,{{Cite web|title=Aeolian Building|url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115897/aeolian-building-new-york-city-ny-usa|access-date=January 1, 2021|publisher=Emporis|archive-date=March 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304115852/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115897/aeolian-building-new-york-city-ny-usa|url-status=usurped}} or 14 stories excluding its penthouse.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=7}} The roof of the building is {{cvt|224|ft}} above ground. The building has a curved corner facing the intersection of 54th Street and Fifth Avenue, and it has setbacks at its 10th, 12th, and 14th floors. The setbacks were included to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution. According to Whitney Warren of Warren and Wetmore, "our inspiration [for the design] lay everywhere, difficult to fix". Warren sought to soften the edges of the exterior with the curved corner, bronze ribbon sashes, and slightly pitched roof.{{cite news|last=Horsley|first=Carter B.|date=January 14, 1979|title=Places: The Aeolian Building: A Bit of Paris on 5th Ave.|page=R4|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|121016489}}}}

= Facade =

File:5th Av Nov 2020 38.jpg

The ground story originally contained a storefront made of black and white marble, which was designed by Mott B. Schmidt in 1929.{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|ps=.|pp=297–298}} The Arden storefront was at the northern portion of the west facade on Fifth Avenue. The original ground-story storefront had bronze-framed storefront windows, limestone pilasters, and a pink granite water table. The southern storefront was renovated in 1939 with yellow marble cladding in place of the limestone pilasters, as well as a large curved-glass window designed by Robert Carson.{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=March 23, 2003|title=Streetscapes/The Aeolian Building, Fifth Avenue and 54th Street; The Neo-Classic 1927 Home of the Player Piano|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/realestate/streetscapes-aeolian-building-fifth-avenue-54th-street-neo-classic-1927-home.html|access-date=May 15, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516000038/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/realestate/streetscapes-aeolian-building-fifth-avenue-54th-street-neo-classic-1927-home.html|url-status=live}} After the 1970s, the building was renovated with doorways on the northern portion of the Fifth Avenue facade, the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street, the eastern portion of the 54th Street facade. The rest of the ground story had travertine pilasters and glass-and-metal storefronts. In the early 2010s, a replacement storefront with bronze-framed windows, limestone pilasters, and a granite water table was designed.{{Cite web|date=January 2012|title=The Aeolian Building, 689–691 Fifth Avenue (a/k/a 1 East 54th Street), Application for Removal and Replacement of Ground Floor Storefront|url=https://www.cb5.org/cb5m/resolutions/2012-january/the_aeolian_building_689-691_fifth/|access-date=January 1, 2021|publisher=Manhattan Community Board 5|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516000041/https://www.cb5.org/cb5m/resolutions/2012-january/the_aeolian_building_689-691_fifth/|url-status=live}}

The second story initially had cusped windows with marble surrounds. In 1939, the second-story windows on the southern part of the Fifth Avenue facade, and on the whole 54th Street facade, were replaced with yellow marble. A limestone band, as well as a cornice with modillions, runs above the second story. Metal letters spelling {{Smallcaps|elizabeth arden}} had been mounted on the Fifth Avenue side through the 2000s. As part of a renovation in the 2010s, these were redesigned with letters with the building's address. Above the second story, the pilasters are topped by plaques made of carved disks, and there are urns above half of these disks.

The midsection, consisting of the third through ninth stories, has an Indiana limestone facade, as well as spandrel panels of Italian marble between the windows on each story. On the third story, there are balusters across the bottoms of each window, as well as entablatures above each window. There are also flagpoles on the third story facing Fifth Avenue. On both facades, pilasters separate the vertical bays of windows from the third story to the setbacks above either the ninth or eleventh floors. On each of the third through ninth floors, there are louvers across the easternmost windows on 54th Street and plain windows in the other bays.

The upper section of the building is clad with buff-colored architectural terracotta, which was manufactured by the Federal Terra Cotta Company. Above the ninth story, the corners of the building are set back and contain a limestone balustrade with decorative details, as well as large urns atop the balustrade on each of the corners. These setback sections contain angled and curved walls. The center sections of either facade continue through the 11th story and have a decorative balcony in front of the ninth floor. The central section of the Fifth Avenue facade has one double-height round-arched window, and that on 54th Street has three such windows. Both of these central sections have garlands and keystones above the windows as well as scroll brackets on either side.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|pp=7–8}} A cornice with modillions, as well as a parapet, runs above the 11th story on all sides. The 12th and 13th stories are set back from all sides and have double-height round-arched windows, with a bay angled toward 54th Street. There is a balustrade above the 13th story. The 14th story is set back from all sides and has a parapet above it.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=8}}

The roof of the building contains a short tower with a terracotta facade. The sides of the tower contain round-arched window openings with oculi, keystones, and garlands atop the windows. The corners of the tower are chamfered and contain shells above them. There is a pyramidal copper-clad roof and a copper lantern above the tower; the lantern was originally covered with gold leaf. East of the tower is a two-story mechanical penthouse.

= Interior =

According to the New York City Department of City Planning, the building has a gross floor area of {{cvt|91,210|ft2}}. According to Vornado Realty Trust, the building's owner {{As of|2021|lc=y}}, the building has about {{cvt|99000|ft2}}, with each floor containing between {{cvt|2500|and|8000|ft2}}. The ceiling heights are typically {{cvt|12|ft}} high and the floors can accommodate loads of {{cvt|120|lb/ft2}}.{{cite web|title=689 Fifth Avenue|url=https://www.vno.com/office/property/689-fifth-avenue/3311679/landing|access-date=May 15, 2021|website=Vornado Realty Trust|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516000039/https://www.vno.com/office/property/689-fifth-avenue/3311679/landing|url-status=live}}

When the building had opened in 1927, it had five showroom floors, a second-floor rotunda with a fountain, and a 150-seat recital hall for the Aeolian Company.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=5}} The main entrance on the first floor was positioned at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. The space, leading to the main showroom, was a circular vestibule with a black marble floor and a coffered ceiling supported by pilasters. Elevators from the reception hall led to the second-floor rotunda and the showrooms on upper floors. The third and fourth floors contained piano showrooms, which were elaborately decorated, while the fifth floor was used as a radio, music roll, and phonograph room. The 14th floor contained organ salesrooms, large and small organ rooms, and a musical library. In addition, the basement had a shipping department, which was accessed from the ground story via a truck lift. After the Aeolian Company moved out during 1938, cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, Inc. occupied the north storefront and shoe company I. Miller & Sons occupied the south storefront.{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Mellins|1987|ps=.|p=312}}

History

= Construction =

File:AeolianCorner.jpg

In February 1925, the site of the William Rockefeller house at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street was sold to Commodore Charles A. Gould,{{cite news|date=February 7, 1925|title=Real Estate News: $12,000,000 Involved in Fifth Av. Deal Former Wm. Rockefeller Home at 54th St. Corner Bought by Commodore Gould. Who Leases It|page=21|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1113108285}}}} a developer who had made his fortune in the steel and iron industry.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=2}} It was leased back by Henry Mandel, the previous owner, for $112,000 a year.{{cite news|date=February 12, 1925|title=$112,000 Animal Rental for Former Rockefeller Realty: Lessee Will Pay $307 a Day for Use of Ground at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street; New Midtown Tenants|page=26|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112792640}}}}{{cite news|date=February 12, 1925|title=$307 a Day Ground Rent For Fifth Avenue Corner|page=34|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|103620699}}}} Gould proposed to erect an office building on the site. In April 1925, the media reported that instrument manufacturer Aeolian Company had signed a 63-year lease for much of the space in the building.{{cite news|date=April 1, 1925|title=Aeolian Co. Back on 5th Av. After 12 Years: William Rockefeller's Old Home at 54th St. to Be Replaced by Twelve-story Structure for Music Firm|page=20|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112993398}}}}{{Cite news|date=April 1, 1925|title=Aeolian Co. To Have Fifth Avenue Home; Will Occupy New 12-story Building on Fifty-fourth Street Corner in 1926.|language=en-US|page=48|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1925/04/01/98820987.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The company had previously been at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street until 1912, when it had relocated to the Aeolian Hall on 42nd Street. The company's vice president William H. Alfring said that Aeolian officials had felt "a sentimental urge to return to Fifth Avenue".

According to initial plans, the building was to be 12 stories tall, with a design in the "Francis I" style, and it was to contain a corner entrance and large show windows. The interior was to have instrument-display areas, recital hall, artists' room, music recording library, and offices for the Aeolian Company.{{cite news|date=April 5, 1925|title=High Labor Efficiency By the Bricklayer|page=RE1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|103567167}}}} The Rockefeller estate sold a $1.1 million mortgage loan for the building that June.{{cite news|date=June 5, 1925|title=Wm. Rockefeller Estate Sells Million Mortgage: Loan Is on Property at Fifth Ave. and 34th St. Leased to Aeolian Co.|page=25|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112917631}}}}{{Cite news|date=June 5, 1925|title=Stephen K. Watts Sells West Side Residence; Four-story Dwelling at 23 West Seventy-third Street Has Been Held at $65,000.|language=en-US|page=29|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1925/06/05/98830662.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Warren and Wetmore, who had designed both the previous Aeolian Hall on 42nd Street as well as the nearby Steinway Hall on 57th Street, were hired to design the structure. Warren and Wetmore officially submitted plans for the building in July 1925, with an expected cost of $1 million. At that point, the building's height was finalized at 14 stories.{{cite news|date=July 12, 1925|title=Fourteen Floors For Music Will Be Built on 5th Ave.: Aeolian Company Has Decided Upon Height and Type of Building It Will Erect on Old Rockefeller Property|page=B2|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112930880}}}} The James Baird Construction Company started erecting the structure that October.

Gould died in January 1926, shortly after construction commenced.{{cite news|date=January 6, 1926|title=Charles A. Gould Rail Device Maker, Dies of Pneumonia|page=17|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112695613}}}}{{Cite news|date=January 6, 1926|title=Commodore C. A. Gould|language=en-US|page=21|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/01/06/100037661.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} While the building was under construction, the limestone facade was severely damaged in a fire in April 1926.{{cite news|date=April 23, 1926|title=New Aeolian Building Scorched, 5th Ave. Traffic Tied Up by Fire|page=1|work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112991304}}}} The conflagration had been caused by an acetylene torch, which a worker had failed to turn off before leaving for the day. Several thousand people were rumored to have watched the fire, which scorched the facade up until the third floor.{{Cite news|date=April 23, 1926|title=Aeolian Building Severely Damaged As Throngs Watch|pages=2|work=Yonkers Statesman|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77759544/aeolian-building-severely-damaged-as/|access-date=May 15, 2021|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516000038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77759544/aeolian-building-severely-damaged-as/|url-status=live}} According to the New York Herald Tribune, hundreds of spectators gathered at the nearby University Club and Saint Thomas Church. Gould's estate scheduled an auction for twelve of his buildings, including the new Aeolian Building, in late 1926.{{Cite news|date=November 22, 1926|title=$6,000,000 Realty of Gould to Be Sold; Properties of Late Commodore Will Be Offered at Auction in January|language=en-US|page=1|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/11/22/98523644.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news|date=November 22, 1926|title=Auctioneer to Sell $6,000,000 Could Realty: Sale of Commodore's Business Properly by Joseph P. Day Largest Since Astor and Sage Transfers|page=1|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112654053}}}} The building was purchased for $3 million in January 1927.{{cite news|date=January 25, 1927|title=$6,714,000 Buildings Sell In Two Hours: Charles A. Gould Estate, Including New Aeolian Structure and 11 Others, Goes in Record Auction Auctioneer Makes $300 Minute Fees Detectives Guard Bidders, Who Have Purchasing Power of $300,000,000|page=1|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1113509137}}}}{{Cite news|date=January 25, 1927|title=12 Gould Buildings Go for $6,714,000: Auction Sets New High Realty Values at Speedy Sale of Properties Here.|language=en-US|page=1|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/01/25/118498665.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The buyer was Gould's daughter, Cecilia Gould Milne, who paid the then-record price of {{cvt|432|$/ft2}}. Early the next month, the Franklin Savings Bank placed a first mortgage loan of $1.8 million on the building.{{cite news|date=February 6, 1927|title=Bank Lends $1,800,000 On New Aeolian Building|page=C2|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1113520047}}}}{{Cite news|date=February 6, 1927|title=$1,800,000 Mortgage Placed On the New Aeolian Building|language=en-US|page=E21|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/02/06/96633916.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}

= Aeolian use =

File:5th Av Nov 2020 40.jpg

On February 23, 1927, the building was formally dedicated with the building's architect Whitney Warren, city government official Arthur J. W. Hilly, and Aeolian vice president E. L. Votey in attendance. The company's old building on 42nd Street closed in April 1927.{{cite news|date=April 24, 1927|title=New Architecture on Fifth Avenue; Wall of Apartment Houses Makes Startling Change in Upper AreaLocal Concerts Fill a Busy Week: April's End in the Recital Halls – Last Music in Old Aeolian Building – an Active New York Season Closing|page=X8|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|104189900}}}} In July 1929, Elizabeth Arden leased the 11th floor for 15 years on behalf of her company Elizabeth Arden Inc.{{cite news|date=July 20, 1929|title=Woman Pays $200,000 for 5th Ave. Space: Elizabeth Arden Rents Floor at Fifty-fourth Street for Fifteen-Year Term|page=24|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1111647487}}}} The following month, Elizabeth Arden Inc. expanded the lease to the north storefront and five stories.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=6}} The north storefront was redesigned by Mott B. Schmidt and retrofitted with a bright red door. The salon opened in January 1930 and was known as the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. It contained glass walls with jade green surrounds, as well as rooms for salon treatments, exercise, and tap dancing on each of the upper floors.{{Cite news|date=January 26, 1930|title=Salon for Beauty; Elizabeth Arden Opens New Rooms at 691 Fifth Avenue.|language=en-US|page=154|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1930/01/26/96041960.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The salon interior was designed by Mrs. John Alden Carpenter and the ground-level shop was designed by Nicholas Remisoff.

In the 1920s, the new Aeolian Building hosted art exhibits such as a collection of works created by Albert, 4th duc de Broglie.{{Cite news|date=February 6, 1928|title=De Broglie Exhibition Opens Today.|language=en-US|page=2|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/02/06/91470082.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} During the 1930s, the building hosted events such as an exhibit of composers' manuscripts in the Aeolian offices,{{cite news|date=August 12, 1931|title=Music Notes|page=34|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1114193854}}}} as well as musical benefit performances at the Elizabeth Arden offices.{{cite news|date=November 4, 1933|title=Motion Picture Preview Will Aid Infirmary Fund: 3 Performances Announced for Tomorrow's Benefit|page=11|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1221377718}}}} The Aeolian Company signed a lease for half the space at the Chickering Hall on 57th Street in early 1938. The new lease was signed because the existing lease at 689 Fifth Avenue was scheduled to expire that May.{{cite news|date=January 24, 1938|title=Real Estate News in City and Suburbs: Aeolian Joins Music Center on 57th Street|page=30|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1256331831}}}}{{Cite news|date=January 24, 1938|title=Real Estate: Aeolian to Move to West 57th St. Piano Concern Leases Half of the Old Chickering Building|language=en-US|page=34|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/01/24/101019624.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Accordingly, the Aeolian Company moved out that year.

= Mid-20th century =

In December 1938, I. Miller & Sons Inc. rented the southern storefront for $750,000; the storefront had then been recently vacated by the Aeolian Company. Robert Carson was hired to remodel the exterior, including the installation of a window at the ground-floor corner, while Louis Freedland was hired to redesign the interior. O'Brien & Fortin Inc. was hired as the general contractor.{{Cite news|date=December 13, 1938|title=Shoe Firm Leases Fifth Ave. Space; I. Miller Is Planning a New Store at the Corner of Fifty-fourth Street|language=en-US|page=47|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/12/13/98219325.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The I. Miller & Sons store opened in June 1939. Elizabeth Arden Inc. ultimately acquired outright ownership of the building in 1944, and it became known as the Elizabeth Arden Building. The I. Miller & Sons storefront was damaged in 1949 when a motorist, experiencing a heart attack, crashed into the store and subsequently died.{{cite news|date=June 21, 1949|title=Dying Motorist Smashes Into 5th Av. Window: Nobody Hurt by Runaway Car at 54th St.; Owner Dead of a Heart Attack|page=21|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1327157112}}}}

During the mid-20th century, 689 Fifth Avenue contained office space for a wide range of office tenants. Some of the occupants specialized in clothing, fashion, and design, while others were in media, marketing, advertising, and public relations.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|pp=6–7}} The office tenants included public relations firm Leslie E. Roberts and carpet firm Lack Trading Company which, in 1943, simultaneously signed leases for space in the building.{{Cite news|date=May 25, 1943|title=Costume Art Moves; Rents Floor in 18 East 50th St. – Other Business Leases|language=en-US|page=36|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/05/25/87418877.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507164433/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/05/25/87418877.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} Media tenants included the Transamerican Broadcasting and Television Corporation, which took three floors;{{Cite news|date=March 6, 1939|title=Broadcasters Lease New 5th Ave. Studios; Transamerican to Locate in Old Aeolian Building|language=en-US|page=29|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1939/03/06/91554511.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Olmsted Sound Studios, which leased a sound recording studio;{{cite news|date=July 22, 1954|title=Recording Studios Leased on 54th St.|page=27|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1322538475}}}} and Robert Saudek, which leased the penthouse in 1966.{{Cite news|last=Whitehouse|first=Franklin|date=December 14, 1966|title=News of Realty: Leasing Spurts; November Deals Help Make '66 a Record Year Here|language=en-US|page=65|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/12/14/82542424.pdf|access-date=May 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{efn|Transamerican Broadcasting and Television occupied 689 Fifth Avenue from 1939 to the 1950s; Olmsted Sound Studios, from 1954 to 1965; and Robert Saudek, from 1966 to the 1970s.}} Organizations also took space in the building. These included the Institute of Pacific Relations, which took two floors;{{cite news|date=October 13, 1943|title=Pacific Affairs Institute Leases Midtown Space: Research Agency Takes Two Floors in 54th Street; Other Business Renting|page=30|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1268031509}}}} the Greater New York chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis;{{Cite news|date=April 28, 1948|title=Polio Group Leases Fifth Avenue Space|language=en-US|page=46|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/04/28/93795752.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} and the Fund for the Republic.{{Cite news|date=July 16, 1953|title=Paper Concern Leases Floor|language=en-US|page=37|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/07/16/84413962.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{efn|The Institute of Pacific Relations occupied 689 Fifth Avenue from 1943 to the 1950s; National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, from 1948 to 1967; and Fund for the Republic, from 1953 to circa 1958.}} Elizabeth Arden Inc. opened a men's boutique in the building in 1956 and, at one point, occupied eleven stories.

= Late 20th century to present =

File:New York City, Nov 29, 2008 (3075867794).jpg

Elizabeth Arden, the businesswoman, died in 1966.{{Cite news|date=October 19, 1966|title=Elizabeth Arden Is Dead at 81; Made Beauty a Global Business|language=en-US|page=1|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/10/19/90230514.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} She had been the only owner of her company, but she had not planned for what would happen to the company's operations after she died. In 1969, the building was purchased by the Arden-Esquire Realty Company,{{cite web|date=December 17, 1969|title=Deed; Grantor: 105 Operating Corp; Grantee: Arden Esquire Realty Co|url=https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/DS/DocumentSearch/DocumentImageView?doc_id=FT_1770008467877|access-date=January 1, 2021|publisher=New York City Department of Finance; Office of the City Register|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518184144/https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/DS/DocumentSearch/DocumentImageView?doc_id=FT_1770008467877|url-status=live}} a partnership headed by Larry Silverstein and Bernard H. Mendik. The next year, the corner space, formerly occupied by I. Miller, was leased by Aldo Gucci for {{cvt|100|$/ft2}} per year. Larry Silverstein arranged for Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Aldo Gucci to share the costs of remodeling the storefronts. The renovation was conducted by Weissberg Castro Associates, which used travertine marble and finely detailed stainless steel to harmonize with the character of the existing facade. The renovation cost $1 million in total and was completed in October 1970. The Gucci store in the building became the company's main store in New York City.{{Cite news|last=Klemesrud|first=Judy|author-link=Judy Lee Klemesrud|date=October 10, 1970|title=A Million Will Buy A Nice New Shop, Dr. Gucci Learns|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/10/archives/a-million-will-buy-a-nice-new-shop-dr-gucci-learns.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518184142/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/10/archives/a-million-will-buy-a-nice-new-shop-dr-gucci-learns.html|url-status=live}} According to Ernest Castro, one of the renovating architects, the building was probably the city's first to use finely detailed stainless steel decoration, as opposed to mechanically stamped panels.

A newer New York flagship for Gucci opened in 1980 at 685 Fifth Avenue, just across 54th Street, and the Gucci store at the Elizabeth Arden Building became a secondary branch selling shoes and luggage.{{Cite news|last=Nemy|first=Enid|author-link=Enid Nemy|date=June 6, 1980|title=New Gucci Out-Gucci's Itself; Status Is a Specialty|language=en-US|page=32|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1980/06/06/120997596.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The old Gucci space was leased to Façonnable in 1993.{{Cite news|last=Strom|first=Stephanie|date=1993-10-01|title=Company News; French Clothier Opening in New York|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/01/business/company-news-french-clothier-opening-in-new-york.html|access-date=2021-05-18|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518231211/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/01/business/company-news-french-clothier-opening-in-new-york.html|url-status=live}} Three years later, Elizabeth Arden Inc. and Red Door Salons Inc. extended their leases in the northern storefront and planned a renovation of the salon in the Elizabeth Arden Building.{{Cite news|last=Rothstein|first=Mervyn|date=December 11, 1996|title=Real Estate|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/11/business/real-estate.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204702/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/11/business/real-estate.html|url-status=live}} Other tenants during this time included fashion company Kiton, whose offices faced the William H. Moore House to the south; the company ultimately moved to that house in 2002.{{Cite news|date=November 17, 2002|title=Postings: Kiton Buys Landmark 54th St. Mansion; Bespoke Tailor Supplants Bank|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/17/realestate/postings-kiton-buys-landmark-54th-st-mansion-bespoke-tailor-supplants-bank.html|access-date=May 14, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514002626/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/17/realestate/postings-kiton-buys-landmark-54th-st-mansion-bespoke-tailor-supplants-bank.html|url-status=live}} Vornado Realty Trust acquired the building in 1999 and renamed it 689 Fifth Avenue.

Vornado placed the building on sale in April 2002, expecting to earn up to $75 million.{{Cite web|last=Weiss|first=Lois|date=April 12, 2002|title=Elizabeth Arden Building Could Fetch $75m|url=https://nypost.com/2002/04/12/elizabeth-arden-building-could-fetch-75m/|url-status=live|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204703/https://nypost.com/2002/04/12/elizabeth-arden-building-could-fetch-75m/ |archive-date=May 18, 2021 }} Two months later, Façonnable announced plans to terminate its lease at 689 Fifth Avenue and move to Rockefeller Center.{{cite news|last=Born|first=Pete|date=July 23, 2002|title=Sephora to Abandon New York Flagship, Faconnable Jumps in|page=1|work=Women's Wear Daily|id={{ProQuest|231177187}}}}{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Lois|date=July 23, 2002|title=Rock Center Lands Faconnable|url=https://nypost.com/2002/07/23/rock-center-lands-faconnable/|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=New York Post|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518184142/https://nypost.com/2002/07/23/rock-center-lands-faconnable/|url-status=live}} Subsequently, Vornado canceled the sale and sought a new tenant before it planned to place the building for sale again.{{cite magazine|last=Croghan|first=Lore|date=December 23, 2002|title=Prices drop for office buildings|volume=18|issue=51|page=1|id={{ProQuest|219200118}}|journal=Crain's New York Business}} The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated 689 Fifth Avenue as a landmark on December 10, 2002.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002|ps=.|p=1}} Yamaha Artist Services opened a piano salon on the third floor in 2004,{{Cite news|last=Eichler|first=Jeremy|date=June 10, 2005|title=Emotional Pianism, a Welcome Distraction|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/arts/music/emotional-pianism-a-welcome-distraction.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226034403/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/arts/music/10levi.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=May 19, 2004|title=Yamaha Sets Up Company in N.Y. to Support Music Players|page=1|work=Jiji Press English News Service|id={{ProQuest|448489700}}}} and fashion retailer Zara leased the corner storefront in 2005.{{Cite web|title=689 Fifth Avenue|url-access=limited|url=https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/689-fifth-avenue/|url-status=live|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205073908/https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/689-fifth-avenue/ |archive-date=December 5, 2017 }} Vornado proposed a renovation of the building's base in the early 2010s, a move that Manhattan Community Board 5 approved. Clothing retailer Massimo Dutti moved into the former Zara space in 2012,{{cite web|last=Edelson|first=Sharon|date=October 9, 2012|title=Massimo Dutti Launches in U.S.|url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/massimo-dutti-launches-in-us-6397334/|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=WWD|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204702/https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/massimo-dutti-launches-in-us-6397334/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica|date=November 27, 2012|title=Courting the Man in the Middle|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/fashion/massimo-dutti-in-midtown-manhattan.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204704/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/fashion/massimo-dutti-in-midtown-manhattan.html|url-status=live}} and Elizabeth Arden Inc. moved out the same year, being replaced by MAC Cosmetics.{{Cite web|last=Pincus|first=Adam|date=May 1, 2012|title=Who reigns in retail?|url-access=limited|url=https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/who-reigns-in-retail/|url-status=live|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504073930/http://therealdeal.com:80/issues_articles/who-reigns-in-retail/ |archive-date=May 4, 2012 }} The MAC Cosmetics store closed permanently in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.{{Cite web|date=March 17, 2021|title=MAC Cosmetics Closes, Subleases NYC Stores|url-access=limited|url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/03/17/mac-wants-to-sublease-4-nyc-stores/|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204702/https://therealdeal.com/2021/03/17/mac-wants-to-sublease-4-nyc-stores/|url-status=live}} Clothing store Canada Goose opened a store at 689 Fifth Avenue in 2022.{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Leonard A. |date=May 20, 2022 |title=Manhattan's retail demand diversifies, REBNY report says |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2022/05/20/rebny-spring-2022-manhattan-retail-report.html |access-date=December 20, 2022 |website=New York Business Journal}}

Critical reception

In December 1926, the Fifth Avenue Association gave the Gould Realty Company an award for the Aeolian Building, which the association dubbed as the best new building erected around Fifth Avenue during that year.{{cite news|date=December 17, 1926|title=Aeolian Building Wins Medal as Best of Year: One Park Ave. Corporation's Structure Awarded 2d Prize by Fifth Ave. Association|page=40|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1112659027}}}}{{Cite news|date=December 17, 1926|title=Medals Are Awarded for Best Buildings; Fifth Avenue Association Gives First Prize to Gould Realty Co. for Aeolian Structure.|language=en-US|page=21|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/12/17/98528844.pdf|access-date=May 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} The sale of the building shortly afterward was characterized in The New York Times as "the first time on record that a gold medal building on Fifth Avenue has ever been offered at absolute public auction".{{cite news|date=December 26, 1926|title=Gold Medal Auction Arouses Comment: Two Other Fifth Avenue Properties in the Day Gould Estate Sale.|page=RE2|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|103814637}}}} According to the Real Estate Record and Guide, the building was a "graceful addition to the music and art center" around Fifth Avenue near 57th Street. The Elizabeth Arden salon's interior, along with a nearby salon operated by Helena Rubinstein, was described as "among the most luxurious" in the United States in the 1939 WPA Guide to New York City.{{Harvnb|Federal Writers' Project|1939|p=221|ps=.}}

When the storefront was renovated in 1939, architectural critic Lewis Mumford called it "the most satisfactory piece of remodeling" on the upper part of Fifth Avenue.{{Cite magazine|last=Mumford|first=Lewis|date=September 9, 1939|title=The Sky Line: New Faces on the Avenue|url=http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1939-09-09|magazine=The New Yorker|pages=63–64|url-access=subscription|access-date=May 18, 2021|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518204708/https://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1939-09-09|url-status=live}} Similarly, critic Talbot Hamlin regarded the modifications as "harmonious with the old".{{cite magazine|last=Hamlin|first=Talbot F.|date=Aug 1939|title=Some Restaurants and Recent Shops|journal=Pencil Points|pages=496–497}} In the 1980s, the building was further described by architectural writer Paul Goldberger as possibly the "most inventive merging of modern commercial design with French and classical architectural detail" of any New York City building.{{Cite news|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Goldberger|date=December 15, 1984|title=5th Ave., at Its Brightest, Sees Shadows of Change|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/15/nyregion/5th-ave-at-its-brightest-sees-shadows-of-change.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130162330/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/15/nyregion/5th-ave-at-its-brightest-sees-shadows-of-change.html|url-status=live}}

References

= Notes =

=Citations=

=Sources=

{{cite web|date=December 10, 2002|title=Aeolian Building (later Elizabeth Arden Building)|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2125.pdf|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2002}}}}
{{Cite fednyc}}
{{Cite New York 1930}}