I had lunch with some Dopers yesterday at the Timnes Square HoJo’s (soon to close), and walked them past the I. Miller Building at B’way and 46th, one of my favorite sites: on the second floor in niches are statues of Marilyn Miller, Ethel Barrymore, Mary Pickford and Rosa Ponselle. Thought I’d post this link for the fellows I showed it to yesterday (we were wondering if it was landmarked), and for any other interested parties.
What a great old building. It’s a shame that Sbarro is so prominant on the facade.
What adds to the interest is that it was around the time that the building was redesigned and reclad that Calder invented the mobile. Imagine a kinetic scupture with representations of Pickford, Barrymore, Miller, and Ponselle dangling from the ceiling!
That photo is out of date.
The good news is the Sbarro logo is no longer plastered all over the facade.
The bad news is that it’s been replaced by even more of the TGIF logo.
" . . . And that was our most glamorous lynching ever!"
NYT: Printed 7/4/99 - "In Times Square, a New Landmark: I. Miller Building With 4 Calder Sculptures; There’s No Business Like Shoe Business"
According to the NYC landmark site, it ws designated on 6/29/99.