Installation of the wavy glass curtain wall has begun on the steel-framed addition atop Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store at 727 Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by OMA partners Shohei Shigematsu and Jake Forster, the project involves a three-story addition over the original roof line of the 71-year-old Art Moderne building, which is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. CallisonRTKL is the architect of record and Peter Marino Architects is handling the interior renovations for the iconic jewelry store. Tiffany & Co. temporarily relocated its flagship to an adjacent storefront at 6 East 57th Street during construction.
Rendering of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue Flagship Expansion (727 Fifth Avenue) – Courtesy of OMA New York; Bloomimages.de
A lot of progress has occurred since our last update in March, when construction had recently topped out. Most notably, the northern and western elevations have been covered in a dense assembly of scaffolding, the top of the steel assembly has been framed out with cinderblock walls, and the tall glass curtain wall has begun to enclose the northern side of the extension.
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Below are two photographs taken in mid-July as the first set of glass was installed.
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Installation of the tall glass panels began on the northern corner and is steadily progressing toward the eastern side. Photographs show the blue-tinted façade producing an eye-catching display of reflected light from its textured surface. From afar, the rectangular volume will soon give the visual impression of a jewel box placed above the sidewalks of the city.
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
Tiffany & Co. Photo by Michael Young
The addition will also feature a wraparound outdoor terrace that will serve as an exhibition, event, and clienteling space. This level will have a more transparent and flat glass curtain wall, with a perimeter of shrubbery outlining the setback.
Completion on the new Tiffany & Co. interiors and vertical addition is expected by next spring.
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Michael, I’m beginning to think you were dumped by a GC/CM and you harbor a ton of resentment towards them. Seriously, why don’t you ever mention who is building these projects? Especially a project like this one that is on the more complicated end of the spectrum. I think Structure Tone deserves some recognition that they can pull off a project like this. I hope you’ll start mentioning these GCs/CMs in future articles.
It’s less complicated than you think. Owners and architects (or engineers in the case of civils works) produce projects. Contractors who actually make projects a reality are part of an underclass, the necessary evil over which the “money” and professionals metaphorically hold their noses and barely tolerate their presence. Ironically, architects were in the same class when the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages were being built and similarly, their identities were not recorded for posterity.
Suggestion for you… Start your own publication and do the work yourself to collect all the content that you feel is interesting and see if you gain a larger audience than YIMBY.
I highly approve of this lot line project, which entails blocking about 3 floors of that NASTY “neighbor” next door! ?
Looking forward to checking out the “wavy” glass addition on next visit.
Love it. ?
This is how you sustainably keep an older building still useful. There’s nothing sustainable about demolishing and rebuilding new. I’m looking at you Rolex…
The new addition to the top of the building is quite nice and many times better than the one that was tacked on back in the 1980s or so.
I just hope that they don’t redo the interior in a way that makes it unrecognizable as Tiffany & Co. The interior was as iconic as the exterior.
The old Tiffany’s suffered from circulation problems, especially in the retail high season. Additional elevators or alternatives would be an improvement. The original interior reminded me of an old Woolworth’s except with diamonds in the counters instead of hairpins.
Good to see that Tiffany’s is investing in and improving their flagship.
More proof that the rumors of NYC’s death are highly exaggerated!