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Morgan Court

Morgan Court is the New York sliver building, by virtue of being the set of the Sharon Stone movie “Sliver” as well as by its 33-foot-wide architecture.

Sliver buildings are the tall thin buildings that tower over their neighbors to become visual sore thumbs. This particular sliver building was thin in a second dimension: The foundation was finished one day before a zoning law that would have prohibited the structure went into effect. Morgan Court is a good 20 stories higher than its neighbors, which include the landmarks Church of the Incarnation and the Morgan Library and Museum.

To their credit, Liebman & Liebman Architects did make the building visually interesting, not just tall and skinny. The ribbon windows, curved southern corners, interlocking balconies on the front (Madison Avenue), and comb-like balconies at the northeast corner are more pleasing than some possible alternatives. The ribbon windows and balconies also have the effect of de-emphasizing Morgan Court’s height.

(Morgan Court takes its name from its proximity to the Morgan Library and Museum, a half block to the north on Madison Avenue.)

Morgan Court Vital Statistics
Morgan Court Recommended Reading

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