Robert A.M. Stern Architects has elevated the paradigm of New York City living, drawing upon the best of the past while honoring the needs and tastes of today’s residents. For Sixteen Fifth Avenue, RAMSA has crafted a building whose quality and vision matches the rarity of new construction in Greenwich Village. Thanks to RAMSA’s exhaustive research and genuine fascination with the neighborhood, the 18-story condominium extends Lower Fifth Avenue’s historic streetscape into the twenty-first century. Sixteen Fifth Avenue is a deeply felt celebration of Greenwich Village style from the firm that has defined contemporary classicism.
"We are always trying to interpret and reinterpret the past, as artists so often do."
—Robert A.M. Stern
Robert A.M. Stern Architects has redefined elegance at Sixteen Fifth Avenue. With profound understanding of the coveted Gold Coast of Lower Fifth Avenue, RAMSA has created a boutique condominium that honors the architecture of Greenwich Village while revealing the creative flourishes within its urban fabric.
"CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE HOLDS TOGETHER THE MANY SCALES OF GREENWICH VILLAGE. IT PROVIDES THIS COMMUNITY WITH A BEAUTIFUL BACKDROP FOR THE THEATER OF THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES."
—RAMSA Partner Paul L. Whalen
TRADITIONAL BRICK MASONRY
Sixteen Fifth Avenue is wrapped in a tapestry of brick masonry. A lively Flemish bond pattern is accented by sturdy jack arches and mosaic-like inset panels.
LIMESTONE
The base is anchored by courses of limestone, which then dances up the tower’s brickwork as quoins, stringcourses, and cornices.
JULIET BALCONIES
Juliet balconies provide a lacy counterpoint to the brick-and-limestone composition and encourage residents to take part in the streetscape.
Robert A.M. Stern: My interest is not in being an autobiographical architect, but a portraitist of places.
Paul L. Whalen, RAMSA Partner: Sixteen Fifth Avenue will grow out of the block, because we wanted to add something graceful to a street we love so much. But we’re also doing something here that’s unusual, even among prewar buildings. This is a design that was given so much thought and detail that people will fall in love with the building the first time they see it, and they’ll notice something else about it every time they walk by.
Michael D. Jones, RAMSA Partner: Very simply, the building has a clearly defined base, middle, and top, like a column, and then there are double readings in the facade, such as the variations in each of the base’s three stories. You see these elements in many places in Greenwich Village, and in RAMSA buildings. Yet Sixteen Fifth Avenue is also different from those buildings. It is intimate and picturesque, thanks to the classical ideas that we’re playing with and reinventing.
Hernán R. Chebar, RAMSA Associate Partner: One example of that playfulness are the references to Art Deco–style classicism, which are overlaid on the Regency architecture. What I love about the resulting design is that you can stand on the street and very clearly identify your home. Every space is represented in the intricate facade differently.