Tiffany's Reopens Following OMA Renovation and Addition

John Hill

5. June 2023

Photo: floto+warner

The famous jeweler's flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street reopened at the end of April following the building's first comprehensive renovation since it opened in 1940.

World-Architects first spied the design by OMA New York partner Shohei Shigematsu in the summer 2020, when the studio's design was unveiled and a spring 2022 opening was anticipated. Most likely due to the outsized impact of the pandemic, the opening came a year later: on April 28, 2023. From the outside, the changes implemented are limited primarily to the four-story rooftop volume, which was completely rebuilt and now provides a dramatic, custom-glass cap to the six-story limestone building. Inside, the changes were guided by programming and realized with the help of a new vertical core, which allows improved flow from Tiffany's iconic double-height storefront to its reorganized upper floors. The infrastructure and rooftop were carried out by OMA New York (Shigematsu with associate Jake Forster), while the interiors were led by Peter Marino.

Photo: floto+warner

“The Landmark is a ten-story building dedicated entirely to a single brand, which challenged us to rethink the experience of the Tiffany & Co.’s wide range of precious jewelry as well as its diverse programs. The first floor is a beloved, timeless destination and iconic cornerstone of New York’s Fifth Avenue, and we provided an improved infrastructure to extend that identity and cosmopolitan energy up the building. Anchoring the rich vertical experience is a new gathering space that mirrors the dynamism of the ground level, recessed from the building edge to offer a wraparound terrace. An additional volume floats above the event space, wrapped in a glass ‘curtain’ that adds a touch of softness to the harsh curtain walls of neighboring towers. The result is a translucent vitrine to signal new flagship activities—a contemporary bookend to the historic building and symbolic launch of a renewed brand.”
Shohei Shigematsu

Photo: floto+warner

The rooftop addition is comprised of two parts, clearly seen in the photographs here: a two-story event space set back from the upper floor devoted to VIPs and private sales. The event space continues to the L-shaped roof terrace that follows the corner site and is given partial shelter by the upper floor. The most innovative part of the design is the enclosure of the VIP space; what Shigematsu describes as a “glass ‘curtain’” is made with slumped glass that “simultaneously provides high transparency and privacy, structural integrity and softness, urban presence and human-scale texture,” per a press release from OMA. Subtly, the curved profile of the glass facade echoes the limestone parapet of the 1940 building that was designed by Cross & Cross.