Construction is steadily progressing on 5 East 59th Street, an eight-story retail and office redevelopment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Developed by Ripco Real Estate with marketing by SERHANT., the project will see an exterior and interior overhaul to the building, updated retail space, column-free office space above, and two full-service amenity floors including a private lounge and rooftop terrace. The commercial property spans 45,350 square feet and is situated on an interior lot by the corner of East 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The main rendering above looks at the contemporary facade of light-colored paneling symmetrically arranged in a latticework of diamond-shaped cutouts, while directly behind the outer framework is an expansive set of floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A small rectangular volume on the first two levels is the only portion that deviates from the design of the fenestration and uses a straightforward set of glass panels. On top is the rooftop terrace lined with clear glass railings.
An additional rendering below looks directly head on at the front elevation.
5 East 59th Street. Developed by Ripco Real Estate.
Recent photographs show the building still covered in metal scaffolding, the sidewalk shed, wooden boards obscuring the ground level, and a large banner advertising the upcoming arrival and headquarters of Avi & Co., a high-end watch and jewelry firm, the future retail tenant.
5 East 59th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
5 East 59th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
5 East 59th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
Below is an outdated rendering from 2015 showing the former design proposal for the structure.
5 East 59th Street, rendering via Commercial Observer
5 East 59th Street was sold to Avi Hiaeve, the founder of Avi & Co., through a foreclosure auction in January 2024 for $26 million and was once home to the former Playboy Club between 1962 and 1986.
The nearest subway station from the building is the 5th Avenue – 59th Street stop to the west, servicing the N, R and W trains.
An anticipated completion date for 5 East 59th Street has yet to be announced.
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Cool
Ah, the old Playboy Club building. I was invited there once and was not so impressed. The novelty of women in one-piece bathing suits with ears on their heads and tails on their rumps wore off quickly.
The new facade makes this small building much more prominent. It is an interesting design.
The entire street is filled with scaffolding.
Scaffolding is everywhere all the time. It should be included in renderings. Totally spoils any good architecture and ruins the street line.
On my first visit in 2017, I noticed the scaffolding too, but from all the recent photos and videos I’ve seen online, it looks like half the city is covered up?!
And what’s with all the multi-store blacking netting covering the buildings?
I would love to time travel back to the 30’s or 40’s and see NYC WITHOUT all the scaffolding… to actually see the architecture!
After a woman was killed by a falling masonry ornament, NYC passed Local Law 11. This has been expanded over the years, but requires facade inspections and repairs every 5 years. The sidewalk sheds usually have to be erected this. Pedestrians have to be protected if dangerous conditions persist.
Yes, the old Playboy club. Good idea, badly executed. But gorgeous, bright women.
I didn’t mind the old facade. Will any postwar modern be left?
With the new facade, I hope that isn’t bands of LED lights criss crossing. The JPMorgan behemoth now covered in LED is a very bad trend that needs to be regulated right now. Not only does it waste energy and kill birds, we could end up with all of Midtown looking like Times Square. This must be addressed and limited immediately.
wrong site wokester of Bushwick. LOVE the LEDs. especial on JPM. Also yes more in Times Square please.
energy efficient and adds to the skyline. oh you dont like skyline cause energy and birds? maybe move to Nebraska.
no evidence of bird deaths. inflammatory language designed to invoke emotion not based on facts. Zohran voter !!!! completely devoid from reality
I like the new design, but this article would be 10x better if it included more historical images. What did this building look like in the Playboy era, and what about the 1940s?