Madison Avenue, New York-Manhattan
Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
Madison Avenue is considered “the” fashion street. It has also been nicknamed the “Italian mile” for its high concentration of Italian shops and designers, in particular between 57th and 79th streets, where brands like Armani, Valentino, Prada, Moschino, Etro, Ferré, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace occupy prestigious shop spaces.
What once used to be a quietly elegant street has now become a meeting point of designers from all over the world, who use masters of interior decor to present and exalt their image. One of these is Peter Marino, who has worked on important projects on Madison Avenue, from the nine-storied Barney’s on 61st Street, which cost 267 million dollars in 1993, to the minimalist temple on four floors dedicated to Armani, which dominates the whole of 65th Street. Nothing is left to chance when designing a new store on Madison Avenue: the shop windows and furniture are studied in minute detail by professionals in order to transmit opulence and luxury. The race for shop space is still underway.
Shops in Madison Avenue
As the space between 57th and 72nd is entirely occupied, it continues to the north, where it is still possible to acquire something from the last fruit-seller in the area. However, it has only been during the last decade that Madison Avenue has become synonymous with wealth and luxury. For years it lived in the shadow of the nearby Fifth Avenue, where Tiffany and Saks has always represented American glamour. At Madison it is now possible to breathe a sense of “European flavor.” Old, low-rise buildings with boutiques, bistros and small restaurants copy their European counterparts. This is most evident beyond 86th Street, by Carnegie Hill, currently the most sought-after residential area. This is tranquil and elegant, like a European neighborhood with shops run by their owners, which is nowadays a rarity. As well as fashion, Madison Avenue also has a separate business side.
For years, the midtown area of Madison, between 30th and 40th Streets, was the center of the publishing world (now partly relocated to the Flatiron district). Later on, with the construction of the Sony (previously the AT&T) and IBM (1993-94) skyscrapers, Madison Avenue’s business center has moved to 55th Street. Neighborhood life revolves around bars, galleries and the internal courtyards of the two buildings. The cultural aspects of Madison Avenue are not to be overlooked, with real treasures — such as the Pierpont Morgan Library on 36th Street, once the residence of J. Pierpont Morgan, with its rich collection of drawings and manuscripts — and the imposing Whitney Museum on 74th Street, the symbol of contemporary American art, as well as the very elegant uptown galleries.
Read also:
DIXIE
