110 East 59th Street
Two small plaza spaces flank the East 58th and 59th Street sides of this through-block office building. Interest is provided by a Tony Rosenthal sculpture, entitled Rondo (1969), in the East 58th Street plaza. Jauntily angled to the street, this oversized, polished bronze wheel stands upright, its surface carved into various geometric forms that distort the viewer’s reflection. Commissioned by the building architect, the modernist William Lescaze, the sculpture at first was installed in the slightly below-grade East 59th Street plaza space, but a store owner’s concern that it blocked retail visibility resulted in the one block move to its current slot, in front of a profit-disinterested branch of the New York City public library system. Arcade space is also located on both sides of the building.