What if these limestone walls could talk? The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building whispers tales of literary giants and landmark decisions.
The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building stands proudly at 597 Fifth Avenue. It occupies a prime spot between 48th and 49th Streets. This Beaux-Arts beauty was designed by Ernest Flagg. It was built from 1912 to 1913. It became the home for Scribner’s Bookstore.
The Fifth Avenue facade is striking. The lowest two stories boast a glass-and-iron storefront. Black and gold decorations add to its elegance. Above, the third through ninth stories are divided into five limestone bays. A mansard roof tops the tenth story. Look closely at the vertical piers. You will spot medallions with busts of printers. They are Benjamin Franklin, William Caxton, Johann Gutenberg, and Aldus Manutius.
Initially, the first two stories housed the Scribner’s Bookstore. The upper stories contained offices. Some were used by the Scribner’s publishing company. The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building replaced a previous bookstore at 155 Fifth Avenue.
Scribner’s owned the building until 1984. Later, the Cohen family bought it. They then sold it to the Benetton Group. The bookstore closed in 1989. After that, numerous retail shops occupied the space. In 2006, A&A Investment Co. acquired 597 Fifth Avenue. Thor Equities purchased it in 2011.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission recognized its significance. They designated 597 Fifth Avenue as an official landmark in 1982. The ground-floor interior received landmark status in 1989.
Ernest Flagg considered this building his best work. The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building is ten stories tall. It features a non-load-bearing construction. The design echoes the earlier Scribner’s bookstore. Both share symmetrical limestone facades. These facades are divided into horizontal sections.
Inside the Charles Scribner’s Sons Building, the retail space was special. Henry-Russell Hitchcock called it the grandest interior space in New York. He likened it to Grand Central Terminal. The retail area features a long nave-like room. It has a 30-foot-tall vaulted ceiling. Seven white rectangular pillars support the ceiling. The floors are made of herringbone and oak wood.
The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building has a rich history. In 1846, Charles Scribner I and Isaac D. Baker started Baker & Scribner. Charles Scribner renamed it the Charles Scribner Company after Baker’s death in 1857. The company changed its name to Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1878. They moved to 155 Fifth Avenue in 1894.
The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building officially opened on May 18, 1913. It became the seventh headquarters for Charles Scribner’s Sons. The bookstore contained shelves of books. They lined the ground floor and balconies.
Famous authors frequented the Charles Scribner’s Sons Building. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe met their editors here. Theodore Roosevelt was an early shopper. Maxwell Perkins’s fifth-floor office saw a fight between Hemingway and Max Eastman. The Charles Scribner’s Sons bookstore housed a rare book vault. It stored treasures like a Mozart manuscript.
The Charles Scribner’s Sons Building stands as a testament to architectural elegance. It is a landmark designation that protects its legacy. Today, the Charles Scribner’s Sons Building continues to stand. It reflects the enduring power of books and design.