969 Fifth Ave.

This co-op building, built in 1924, has 16 floors and only 13 apartments due in part to the couple of duplexes that it contains. Some of the apartments have views of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the museum is only four blocks away. Joseph L. Raimist designed this co-op in a fairly typical style and without much fuss, which is why architectural books typically skip it due to its lack of any special character.

Not being particularly distinctive, this building nonetheless has had its share of a little glamour, especially when Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ little sister, once owned a duplex apartment here during the time she was married to Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill, a Polish prince.  This is the same Lee Radziwill who would go skinny dipping in St. Bart’s as my husband played with her Golden Retrievers with his mouth wide open. She was known to be much less demure than Jackie and enjoyed getting away with it.

I on the other hand have found a little character and charm in a not-so-simple and relatively dangerous process of window cleaning that this particular co-op employs. As I was taking a little stroll I couldn’t help but take out my camera and snap this. The residents of 969 Fifth Ave. really get to enjoy sparkly windows.