Contrast Avenue by Eduardo Ramirez

YOU MUST

REMEMBER THIS... Fifth Avenue is a major road in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, USA. It serves as the dividing line for house numbering in Manhattan. From this point numbers increase in both directions as one moves away from Fifth Avenue. The world renown stretch of Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 59th streets makes it one of the premier shopping streets in the world. Since the mid-1990s this shopping district was ranked as having the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most expensive retail spaces on a cost per square foot basis. Coexisting with the consumerist dream most of the buildings in this segment of Fifth Avenue don Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture, reminiscent of old times. Standing between skyscrapers and modern towers, three of Manhattanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most notable churches eerily stand. The following visual survey explains how

...FIFTH IS A CONTRASTING AVENUE.

In 1869 a plot between Madison and Fifth avenues was sold four times in sixty days.

The

Fundamental

things apply AS TIME GOES BY

Luxury in Fifth Avenue began when in 1859 John J. Astor III and his brother William built two houses occupying the frontage now containing the Empire State Building.

Around 1827 Fifth Avenue was barely accessible for transportation, yet it was more than acceptable enough for organizations that subsisted on charity. As the then common lands were esteemed of little value, they were granted by the government to non lucrative establishments of little resources. The 1827 grant of an acre between present Park and Fifth avenues and Fortyninth and Fiftieth streets went to the Deaf and Dumb Insti-

tute for the sum of one dollar. In 1840 the city deeded for one dollar to the AngloAmerican Free Church of St. George the Martyr, the 200 feet on the west side of Fifth Avenue, Fifty-fourth to Fiftyfifth Street. In 1846 the city deeded to the Roman Catholic Asylum for one dollar, the block on the east side of Fifth Avenue, running through to Madison, between Fifty-first and Fifty-second streets. At about the same period the city deeded to the Society

for Colored Orphans, for as long as it should be used for an orphan asylum, the Fifth Avenue block between Fortythird and Forty-fourth streets. The Orphanage being burned in the draft riots of 1863, the city rescinded the restriction on sale in 1865, where-upon the Society sold for $250,000. These latter two gifts were made not long after the disastrous panic of 1837, at a time when real estate was in a disastrous slump.

A CASE OF DO OR DIE The land on St. Patrick’s cathedral sits was purchased for $11,000 on March 6, 1810, as a site for a school for young Roman Catholic men to be conducted by the Jesuits. The school closed and was sold to the diocese. In 1814, the diocese gave use of the property to Dom Augustin LeStrange, abbot of a community of Trappists. With the downfall of The cathedral wa Napoleon in that year, the Trappists returned s declared a Natio nal Historic Landma to France, abandoning the property which rk in 1976. was then designated for a future cemetery. The neighboring orphanage was mainWar and resumed in 1865. tained by the diocese into the late 1800s. In 1853, Archbishop John Joseph Hughes The cathedral was completannounced his intention to erect a new ca- ed in 1878 and dedicated thedral to replace the Old Saint Patrick’s on May 25, 1879, its huge proportions dominating the Cathedral in downtown Manhattan. The new cathedral was designed by midtown of that time. James Renwick, Jr. in the Gothic Re- The cathedral was renovated vival style. On August 15, 1858, the between the years of 1927 cornerstone was laid, just south of the and 1931 when the new great diocese’s orphanage. Work was begun organ was installed and the in 1858 but was halted during the Civil sanctuary thus enlarged.

Designed in the Gothic style in 1873, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is the largest Presbyterian sanctuary in Manhattan. The church cornerstone was laid on June 9, 1873. At 286 feet in height, the steeple, completed in 1876, was then the tallest in New York City

On October 12, 1823, members

of three Episcopal parishes in Lower Manhattan, combined forces to organize a new episcopal church in New York. Saint Thomas Church was incorporated on 9 January 1824 with its corn erstone laid in July 1824 at the corner of Broadway and Houston Street. Though enla rged and remodeled in 1844 to accommodate a grow ing congregation, the structur e was destroyed by fire on 2 March 1851. The church immediately rebuilt at this loca tion, opening in 1852. The character of the neighbo rhood at the corner of Broadw ay and Houston led to the congregation seeking to relocate to its current location . Another structure was built on the corner of 53rd stre et and Fifth Avenue from 186 5 to 1870. This structure was destroyed by fire in 1905, leaving only its tradema rk tower remaining. The fourth and current chu rch, designed in 1906, was buil t from 1911 to 1913.

It was consecrated in 1916.

This elaborate, asymmetrical, limestone pile is one of the most distinctive churches in the city and its congregation has long been one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious. -Carter B. Horsley

YET THERE IS OF FIFTH AVENUE...

...ONE DESCRIBED AS

BEAUTIFUL

DIRTY

& RICH

YET THERE IS OF FIFTH AVENUE...

...ONE DESCRIBED AS

BEAUTIFUL

DIRTY

& RICH

When the Bergdorf Goodman building on 5th Avenue was originally built, it included a 9th floor residence for the Goodman family. This was converted into a day spa and salon in 1997. The site was originally the Cornelius Vanderbilt II Mansion. In 1999, the Beauty Level opened below the main floor, offering a luxury spa and Goodman’s Café. In 2002, Bergdorf Goodman underwent a major renovation. In 2003, the store introduced new boutiques for Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent. The Bergdorf Goodman Men’s store features exclusive brands such as Loro Piana, Kiton, Bontoni, John Lobb and Charvet. Bergdorf’s competition includes other high-end retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, and owner Neiman Marcus.

MONEY HONEY

Founded in 1826 Lord & Taylor was the first major store on 5th Avenue. It was the first to present Christmas windows filled with holiday displays rather than merchandise.

The section of Fifth Avenue between 34th Street and 59th Street is one of the premier shopping streets in the world. Fifth Avenue serves as a symbol of wealthy New York and is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive streets in the world. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Fifth Avenue as being the most expensive street in the world. Originally a narrower thoroughfare, much of Fifth Avenue south of Central Park was widened in 1908, sacrificing its wide sidewalks to accommodate the increasing traffic. The midtown blocks, now famously commercial, were largely a residential district until the turn of the twentieth century. The first commercial building on Fifth Avenue was erected by Benjamin Altman who bought the corner lot on the northeast corner of Thirty-fourth Street in 1896, and demolished the “Marble Palace” of his arch-rival,A. T. Stewart. In 1906 his department store, B. Altman and Company, occupied the whole of its block front. The result was the creation of a high-end shopping district that attracted fashionable women and the upscale stores that wished to serve them. Lord & Taylor’s flagship store is still located on Fifth Avenue. Today the rooster of storefronts includes Bulgari, Cartier, Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci,

During the mid-1980’s Dynasty and Dallas, prime-time television shows about millionaires, were hugely popular. Later in the evening millions watched Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, a series that took viewers into the sumptuous living rooms of the kings and queens of American enterprise. Millionaire Malcolm Forbes declared, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”According to a study of American attitudes about shopping commissioned by Nieman Marcus and American Express, Americans “enjoy shopping as much or more than watching TV or going to the movies. Seventeen percent of Americans, and four times as many women as men, said they prefer shopping to sex.” In another study by a psychologist, nearly one-fourth of all the women questioned—single, married, and divorced—said they use shopping as a “quick fix” for problems. The variety of goods available is staggering; right after a women clothing store a NBA superstore can be found for the joy of sport lovers; for childern there’s American Girl Dolls and Build-a-Bear. Fifth Avenue tends to the needs of all ages.

ADDICTED MATERIALS

TO A LIFE OF

“Fifty-nine million women use shopping as a way of dealing with psychological problems or anxieties.” -Carol Wesson.

According to Bloomberg, the Apple store on Fifth Ave in New York City generates about $35,000 of sales per square foot annually.

De Beers’ Autumn Bouquet Ring sells for US$ 55,000.00 dollars. Many other of their items, as well as Tiffany & Co.’s have undisclosed prices.

IT’S STILL THE SAME

OLD STORY...

The cypher on the left represents the United States’ total National Debt as of March 3rd, 2010.

A fight for love and glory, indeed. Fifth Avenue although containing a selection of the highest end franchises in the world, a strong proponent of modernism, still respects its inheritance of Gothic Architecture. Ironically for the price that jewelry might be bought today, many lots or even blocks could have been purchased when the avenue was still being constructed. Amidst the stores of the high thousand price points, three cathedrals still hint at a different kind of lifestyle. Whereas the brands scream for consumption, the churches “humbly” ask for donations. Donations which remind of a time ages past when they were still the highest structures and the world’s rich and luxurious had not walked by. Although the contrast may be strong, as these cathedrals have become tourist attractions, it is not obvious and seldom observed. It is highlighted for perhaps a few seconds when the shoppers pass by a homeless person who, even amongst the world’s wealthiest, doesn’t find a charitable hand. Alas, all we care about is

...runway models, Cadillacs and liquor bottles.

COLOPHON TYPEFACES

Eduardo Ramirez Holguin Parsons, The New School for Design Topics Studio Spring 2010