Building Name
800 Fifth Avenue
Architect
Ulrich Franzen & Assoc.
Year(s) Built
1978
Designation
Upper East Side Historic District
Project Information:
A postmodern style apartment building designed by Ulrich Franzen & Associates and built in 1978. Application is to demolish the existing building and landscape features and construct a new building, install new landscape features, and relocate a curb cut.
CB8 Hearing: 11/18/25 (Approved)
LPC Hearing: 11/25/25 (Approved)
FRIENDS' Testimony:
FRIENDS’ Preservation Committee agrees that the proposal is an improvement over the existing boxy building, both volumetrically and aesthetically, and that it fits more appropriately within the context of Fifth Avenue. While we acknowledge that the current structure may not be considered as formally contributing to the historic district, it is nevertheless one of the few Postmodern buildings on the Upper East Side and a design by Ulrich Franzen, even if it is not among the architect’s most celebrated works.
However, FRIENDS remains concerned about the environmental implications of demolishing a 1978 building rather than retrofitting it—a concern we also raised in our testimony last week for 985 Fifth Avenue. Total demolition is simply indefensible when recladding or renovation is feasible and represents a far more sustainable alternative.
LPC Hearing: November 25, 2025