Fifth avenue

Fifth Avenue street sign

The Fifth Avenue (English Fifth = Fifth-s / r) is a street in Manhattan , New York City and is considered one of the most famous streets in the world. It is 10.86 km long and begins at Washington Square Park at 6th Street, then runs through all of Midtown Manhattan , forms the eastern boundary of Central Park and ends in Harlem at 142nd Street. In terms of rental prices, Fifth Avenue is considered the most expensive street in the world.

The average shop rent in 2010 was the equivalent of more than 30,000 euros per square meter annually, making Fifth Avenue the first in the world. Accordingly, you will mainly find the flagship stores of big brands and long-time residents here who negotiated long-term contracts decades ago. The cross streets are divided into east and west by Fifth Avenue, with each side having its own house numbering. For example, 10 East 42nd Street and 10 West 42nd Street are two different buildings. The count runs from Fifth Avenue in ascending order to the east and west.

history

1811 Parliament decided the implementation of, among other York by then-New Mayor DeWitt Clinton worked Commissioners' plan , which the further development of Manhattan based on a rectangular street grid with then 155 blocks in east-west direction and 12 roads (the Avenues) in Northern -South direction provided. DeWitt Clinton's urban planning followed the ideals of the then still young American democracy: There should be no grand boulevards, large squares or a hierarchical order. Therefore, the streets do not have names, but have only been numbered consecutively.

Fifth Avenue in 1900

At the time, New York had just over 100,000 residents. It was not until 1825, with the opening of the Erie Canal between the Hudson River and the Great Lakes , which made New York an important trading center, that the population also rose rapidly, so that by 1840 there were already more than 300,000 people in New York. Nevertheless, hardly anyone lived north of 50th Street in the 1950s, so Central Park could be built between 59th and 110th Street and 5th and 8th Avenue without one to have to relocate large numbers of residents of this area or demolish houses.

In 1862, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor , one of the most respected women in New York society at the time, had a house built on Fifth Avenue (350 Fifth Avenue and 34th Street). Over the next few decades, other upper-class families followed their example: Carnegie, Frick, Mellon, Vanderbilt, Kahn and Rockefeller - all of them were inspired by the most famous New York architects, such as Richard Morris Hunt or McKim, Mead & White ( Penn Station ) to build magnificent villas in styles between French Renaissance, Neo-Gothic and Greek Revival. Fifth Avenue was nicknamed "Millionaire's Row" at that time.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Manhattan now had over 2 million inhabitants and Fifth Avenue was in the center of the city, more and more hotels and commercial buildings were drawn to Fifth Avenue, many of the mansions that were not even 40 years old were being demolished to make new ones to make way for larger hotels and apartment buildings. In 1893, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor's villa was demolished to build the Astoria Hotel, which in turn was demolished in the late 1920s to build the Empire State Building . It was during this time that many of the buildings that still characterize Fifth Avenue today were built, e.g. B. the Flatiron Building or the Plaza Hotel .

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Steuben Parade

Since January 14, 1966, Fifth Avenue has been a one-way street from Washington Square Park to 135th Street and is only accessible to the south. Madison Avenue , which lies parallel to the east , was also declared a one-way street at that time and is only accessible to the north. North of 135th Street, Fifth Avenue is still passable in two directions.

Fifth Avenue is also the route of many parades, such as the German-American Steuben Parade or the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The famous confetti parades do not take place on Fifth Avenue, but on the lowest part of Broadway , which is also known there as the Canyon of Heroes . South of 23rd Street, there is also a bike path along Fifth Avenue.

The Flatiron Building and Fifth Avenue (right)

The Empire State Building

The New York Public Library

The Rockefeller Center

Fifth Avenue in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art . The building on the right in the photo with the green copper roof is the Goethe-Institut.

The Trump Tower

Facilities and attractions along Fifth Avenue

From Washington Square Park to 42nd Street

photo	description
	Church of the Ascension (36-38 Fifth Avenue, 10th Street) The Episcopal Church on the corner of Tenth Avenue was built in neo-Gothic style in 1841 by architect Richard Upjohn, who a few years later also built Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan. Noteworthy is the painting above the altar "The Ascension of Our Lord" by the artist John LaFarge, who also designed four of the church's leaded glass windows.
	Sohmer Piano Building (170 Fifth Avenue, 22nd Street)
	Flatiron Building (175 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Street) The Fuller Building by architect Daniel Burnham , completed in 1902 with a height of 87 m, is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the city. Due to its location at the acute-angled intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, it has its characteristic shape, which is reminiscent of an iron. It is therefore better known under the name Flatiron Building (in English: Iron Building).
	Marble Collegiate Church (3 West 29th Street) The Dutch Reformed Church, built by Samuel A. Warner between 1851 and 1854, uses neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic elements. As its name suggests, marble was used as the material.
	Empire State Building (350 Fifth Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets) Opened in 1931, the Art Deco skyscraper was completed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon after just 18 months of construction. With a height of 381 meters (443 meters including antenna) it was the tallest building in the world until the World Trade Center was built in 1972. From September 11, 2001 to 2012, it was again the tallest building in the city before it was replaced by the One World Trade Center , which reached a final height of 541 meters in 2013. Visitor platforms are located on the 86th and 102nd floors of the Empire State Building.
	New York Public Library (Fifth Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets) The main building of the NYPL, one of the leading libraries in the United States, was built by Carrère and Hastings between 1897 and 1911 in the Beaux-Arts style. Before that, the Croton Reservoir , part of New York's water supply , stood at this location . Bryant Park is behind the library building .

Between 42nd and 59th streets

photo	description
	500 Fifth Avenue This Art Deco skyscraper was built in 1931 by the architects of the Empire State Building .
	Fred F. French Building (551 Fifth Avenue, 45th Street) The 38-story Art Deco high-rise from 1927 is on the National Register of Historic Places .
	Rockefeller Center (Fifth Avenue, between 48th and 51st Streets) The building complex, built between 1931 and 1940 in the Art Deco style, extends over 3 blocks. The Comcast Building with a height of 259 m, the highest of the 21 high-rise buildings and has a viewing platform. In the center of the site is the Lower Plaza, a square that is best known in winter for its ice rink and the largest Christmas tree in the USA. There is also access to the Concourse, an underground shopping arcade.
	St. Thomas' Church (Fifth Avenue, 53rd Street) The Episcopal Church was built between 1911 and 1913 by Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Goodhue in a neo-Gothic style. The richly decorated altar wall is the work of artist Lee Lawrie and was modeled on the altar wall of Winchester Cathedral .
	St. Patrick's Cathedral (Fifth Avenue, 50th Street) The church is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York. Completed in 1878, the cathedral by architect James Renwick, Jr. is the largest neo-Gothic Catholic church building in the United States.
	The Olympic Tower , once designed for Aristotle Onassis by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill , now also houses the Alexander-Onassis Cultural Center
	Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (7 West 55th Street) The church of the parish founded in 1808 has been at this location since 1875. The neo-Gothic church building is from the same year.
	The Peninsula New York (700 Fifth Avenue, 55th Street) Luxury hotel built in 1905 as "The Gotham" in Beaux Arts style, which is listed on the Conde Nast Traveler's 2006 Gold List as one of the three best hotels in New York.
	St. Regis Hotel (Fifth Avenue, 55th Street) Built in 1904 by the architects Trowbridge and Livingston in Beaux Arts style on behalf of John Jacob Astor IV, the 20-storey building was the tallest hotel in the city at the time and is now one of the most exclusive hotels in the world.
	Trump Tower (Fifth Avenue, 56th Street) Donald Trump had this over 200 m high residential and office building built by the architect Der Scutt in 1983. It has a six story high lobby with shops and cafes.
	Tiffany & Co. (Fifth Avenue, 57th Street) This Tiffany & Co. branch is the jewelery company's flagship and has been a tourist attraction since the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn .
	The Crown Building (730 Fifth Avenue, between 56th and 57th Streets) Built in 1921 by Warren & Wetmore , the skyscraper was one of the first mixed-use buildings in the city. Sales and showrooms on the lower floors and offices on the upper floors. From its founding in 1929 until it moved to its current location, the Crown Building housed the Museum of Modern Art .
	The Plaza (Fifth Avenue, 59th Street) Today's Plaza Hotel is the second hotel building on this site and was completed in 1907 by Henry J. Hardenbergh in the neo-renaissance style. The specialty of the hotel is its exclusive location at the southeast end of Central Park and Fifth Avenue. It has also served as a film set several times.
	General Motors Building (767 Fifth Avenue, 59th Street) The 215 m high General Motors Building was completed in 1968 on the site of the Savoy Plaza Hotel , which was demolished in 1964 . The FAO Schwarz toy store is on the ground floor and an Apple Store in the basement , which can be entered through a glass cube with an edge length of almost 10 m.

Between 59th and 82nd streets

photo	description
	Temple Emanu El (Fifth Avenue, 65th Street) The synagogue of a reform Jewish community was built between 1927 and 1929 in a style with Romanesque and Byzantine elements. It is also home to a Jewish museum.
	Frick Collection (Fifth Avenue, 70th Street) In 1913, Henry Clay Frick commissioned the architects Carrère and Hastings (New York Public Library) to build a city villa, which after his death in 1919, along with his art collection, went to a foundation that converted the house into an art museum to exhibit Frick's collection. Frick Collection shows more than 1100 works of art from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century.
	Ukrainian Institute of America (Fifth Avenue, 79th Street) This facility for the promotion of Ukrainian art and culture is housed in a neo-Gothic townhouse that the banker Isaac D. Fletcher had CPH Gilbert build for himself in 1897. After his death, it was bought by oil millionaire Harry F. Sinclair and is therefore also known as the Harry F. Sinclair House. The building has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1978 .

Between 82nd and 104th streets (Museum Mile)

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	The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue, 82nd Street) The museum, founded in 1870, is one of the largest museums in the world with a collection of over 3 million works. The exhibits cover all epochs of art between ancient and modern. The neoclassical building was designed by Richard Morris Hunt
	Goethe House of the Goethe-Institut New York (1014 Fifth Avenue, 83rd Street) The house was built in 1906/1907 as a residence for an American ambassador from Berlin, according to the plans of the architects Welch, Smith & Provot. Inside, it contains wood paneling typical of the time, elaborate, historical ceiling stucco, parquet and oak doors. It is a listed building. Due to renovation, the Goethe-Institut is currently located on 72nd Spring Street.
	New Gallery (1048 Fifth Avenue, 86th Street) The museum, founded by Serge Sabarsky and Ronald Lauder , shows German and Austrian paintings from the early 20th century. The neoclassical townhouse in which the gallery is located was designed by Carrère and Hastings and was previously inhabited by Grace Wilson Vanderbilt .
	Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1071 Fifth Avenue, 88th Street) The Museum of Modern Painting was founded in 1939 and is the first of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which now operates 5 museums around the world. In 1943 Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to build the museum building on Fifth Avenue . The building was not completed until the end of 1959, six months after Wright's death.
	National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts (1083 Fifth Avenue, 89th Street) Museum of American Art for the Last Two Centuries.
	Church of the Heavenly Rest (1083 Fifth Avenue, 90th Street) Episcopal church completed in 1929 in the style of Art Deco and Neo-Gothic .
	Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (Fifth Avenue, 91st Street) The museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, exhibits objects from the design and applied arts. The museum is located in the former Andrew Carnegie Mansion, an English country house built in 1903, where Andrew Carnegie lived until his death in 1919.
	The Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Avenue, 92nd Street) Museum of Jewish Art. In addition to paintings, photographs and manuscripts are also exhibited.
	International Center of Photography (Fifth Avenue, 94th Street) Museum and research center for photography founded in 1974. Another showroom was opened in 1985 at 1133 Avenue of the Americas on 43rd Street.
	Museum of the City of New York (Fifth Avenue, 103rd Street) The museum deals with the history of the city of New York, starting with the Dutch colony of Nieuw Amsterdam . In addition to maps, paintings and clothing, the exhibits also include rooms that are furnished in the style of the respective time.
	El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Avenue, 104th Street) The collection of the museum, founded in 1969, includes more than 6,500 exhibits by artists from South and Central America.
	Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) Founded in 1852 as "The Jews Hospital", it is one of the best in the United States.

Between 104th and 142nd streets

photo	description
	Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center (1249 Fifth Avenue, between 105th and 106th Streets)
	Church of the Lord Jesus Christ (1421 5th Avenue, between 116th and 117th Streets)
	Marcus Garvey Park (interrupts Fifth Avenue between 120th and 124th streets) The park, laid out as Mount Morris Park, is one of the oldest in the city. In 1973 it was named after Marcus Garvey, the founder of the "Back to Africa" movement, who lived in Harlem from 1916 to 1927. In addition to an open-air theater, there is also an outdoor swimming pool in the park.
	Mount Moriah Baptist Church (2050 Fifth Avenue, 126th Street)
	Greater Central Baptist Church (2152 Fifth Avenue, between 131st and 132nd Streets)

literature

Stephan Wackwitz : Fifth Avenue , S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2010, ISBN 978-3-10-091059-2 .

items

Wolf D. Rogosky: Fifth Avenue: New York's best piece. In: Geo-Magazin. Hamburg 1980, 6, pp. 8-34. Of all the dream streets in the world, this one is probably the richest: in dollars, as well as in contrasts. Photos: René Burri . ISSN 0342-8311