55 Park Avenue

Murray Hill | built 1923

Open on the map2 entries

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1. 1923

   A 1923 apartment house is carved with images of its own workers

   The 16-story apartment building at 55 Park Avenue South, completed in 1923, has an entrance carved with figures of the tradespeople who kept such buildings running: a man reading, another resting on a broom, an iceman gripping his tongs, and a coalman hauling a hod of coal. No record explains why the building's designer chose ordinary workers rather than more typical decorative figures for the entrance.

   Source: Ephemeral New York

2. 1923

   Twin stone squirrels flank the building's entrance

   Above the entrance of 55 Park Avenue South, two carved squirrels mirror each other in an ornate stone medallion. Squirrel motifs appeared on other New York buildings of the era, a nod to the animal's habit of saving nuts for winter that came to symbolize thrift and plenty.

   Source: Ephemeral New York

Further reading

• The curious figures on a Park Avenue facadeEphemeral New York
• The men at work and rest on Park Avenue SouthEphemeral New York
• The squirrels that decorate New York buildingsEphemeral New York

Nearby

• Adelaide L. T. Douglas House57 Park Avenue | 4 entries
• Union League Club48 Park Avenue | 4 entries
• Henry Randel House38 East 38th Street | 3 entries
• Morgans Hotel237 Madison Avenue | 7 entries
• Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club283 Lexington Avenue | 12 entries
• De Lamar Mansion233 Madison Avenue | 12 entries

All 26 buildings with stories in Murray Hill