From the February issue: As everyone who has followed the illustrious career of architect Richard Meier knows, the Pritzker Prize winner favors a white, or at least a pale, palette for the buildings he designs. And as everyone who has followed the career of developer Sheldon Solow knows, he prefers a black, or at least a dark, palette for his buildings. Solow is best known for commissioning 9 West 57th Street, an inky skyscraper designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. What, one wonders, would happen if you brought these two men together in a single project?
The answer, it turns out, is 685 First Avenue, a decidedly dark building but one that is conspicuous in the attention to detail that has been the hallmark of Meier’s career for the past half century. [more]