Fuller Building

History and architecture

The Fuller Building, designed by the prolific architectural firm of Walker & Gillette, and built in 1928-29 as the home office for one of the largest and most important construction firms in America, is a particularly fine example of the Art Deco skyscraper. One of the large group of tall office buildings constructed in midtown Manhattan during the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Fuller Building, at 57th Street and Madison Avenue, was one of the first located so far north in Manhattan.

This unique arrangement responding to the character of its neighborhood, the building's first six floors were designed to house high quality shops and art galleries which could accommodate multi-level shopping. The mixed use nature of the building is reflected in its design: the black granite cladding of the lower floors surrounds large display windows for retail sales, while above this the office floors are finished in light stone with smaller window openings.

In a modernistic interpretation of classical forms, bold, geometric patterns at the setbacks and at the top of the building take the place of cornices and are complemented by a large sculpture over the front doors by the noted modern sculptor Elie Nadelman. Today the building continues its role as distinguished home to numerous art galleries and offices on Manhattan's exclusive East 57th Street.