From back in the day when builders had respect for those who have to look at their products, the building at Park Ave. South and 22nd St.
A geometric fade is built into the skeletal surface of the building, with columns that mimic roped bunches of bamboo, stepping back into and filling space at the same time. The building face is a great example of implied and actual volume working together, bridging the fat parts of our brains that deal with the concept and reality of depth.
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The building has a Disney cake-castle air to it, but it's saved by its good bone structure and good skin.
Originally named the Church Missions House, it now houses the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; it was designed by Robert W. Gibson and built in 1893. Here's the New York Times article about it from 1893.
