101 Park Ave Architectural History

New York, NY 1996

18 bronze plaques - 32" x 36" embedded in the sidewalk celebrating the “Architect’s Building” that once stood at 101 Park Ave, and housed the designers of some of NYC’s most famous early skyscrapers. Created on behalf of the Grand Central Partnership.

My inspiration for the 18 bronze plaques set in the sidewalks of 101 Park Ave was to celebrate the Architects Building that formerly occupied the site before 101 Park was built. The older building was home to many of the architectural firms that designed numerous  early Manhattan skyscrapers: The Chrysler Building, the Chanin Building, The Lincoln Building, etc.  

I liked the irony of celebrating the crowns of these buildings in the sidewalks beneath them. The brone reliefs themselves were created from casting patterns (hard positive originals) made from different materials including hand carved details. One amusing story: after one of the installed pieces had been stolen, the building’s owner commissioned me to create a duplicate casting. When I delivered the work, the owner asked me, “How do I know that this isn’t the piece that was stolen?” My response, “You don’t!”