C. G. Gunthers Sons Bldg., 184 5th Ave.
1896
C. G. Gunthers Sons Bldg., 184 5th Ave.
186 Fifth Avenue (at right), 1896.
Designed by Henry J. Hardenburgh, architect of the Plaza Hotel and the Dakota Apartments, this vibrant red brick Queen Anne style building with the peaked roof stands out among its lighter colored cast iron neighbors. Hardenburgh completed the structure in 1883 as a branch office of the Western Union Telegraph Company. There are still company logos carved in stone on the building. This "uptown" branch was connected to the Western Union downtown headquarters at Broadway and Dey Street by a pneumatic tube system.
While the building remained offices for much of its history, today the upper floors have been converted into condos while the lower two floors are commercial.