Tag Archives: Manhattan

444 Central Park West

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444 Central Park West is a distinctive Manhattan Valley apartment building that easily dominates the block. The 19-story Romanesque structure towers over its six- and seven-story neighbors, and its inventive facade of brick and terra cotta over a limestone base stands out from the crowd.*

The design is the work of Emery Roth alumni Russell Boak and Hyman Paris. The duo were active 1927-1942, with their most noteworthy work designed in the late 1930s.

The building was converted to a co-op in 1976.

* Not that Manhattan Valley is dull. A block north, the landmarked former New York Cancer Hospital is a stunning condo conversion.

444 Central Park West Vital Statistics
  • Location: 444 Central Park West at W 104th Street
  • Year completed: 1930
  • Architect: Russell Boak and Hyman Paris
  • Floors: 19
  • Style: Romanesque
444 Central Park West Recommended Reading

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256 Fifth Avenue

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256 Fifth Avenue is among the few examples of Moorish Revival architecture in New York City. As the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission noted, it’s “remarkably intact” for a building that went up in 1893.

The windows steal the show: Their size, shape, number and decoration changes from floor to ornate floor.

Alas, the building is not without alterations. The ground floor storefront is now standard commercial granite; the sixth-floor terra cotta balcony was removed – probably because it was in danger of falling after a century of use. The gaps in the terra cotta were never filled in.

256 Fifth Avenue Vital Statistics
  • Location: 256 Fifth Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets
  • Year completed: 1893
  • Architect: Alfred Zucker and John Edelman
  • Floors: 6
  • Style: Moorish Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 2001 (Madison Square North Historic District)
256 Fifth Avenue Recommended Reading

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203 E 45th Street

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203 E 45th Street, home of “The Perfect Pint,” is a bit of a mystery to me. My usual sources have no real information on the building – but then, why would they? The three-story-plus-roof-garden building is a modest structure with no special architectural features.

But it appears to belong in “Holdouts!: The Buildings That Got In The Way” (or the earlier paperback version “New York’s Architectural Holdouts” ), a fascinating book by Andrew Alpern and Seymour Durst. The neighboring 32-story Wyndham Hotel is cantilevered over The Perfect Pint, similar to 160 E 22nd Street.

The Wyndham was originally the Alex Hotel, completed in 2006 on the site of the famed Pen and Pencil restaurant. While there are numerous online articles about the Alex’s early financial troubles, I found none that mention dealings with the owners of the property’s diminutive neighbor.

203 E 45th Street Vital Statistics
  • Location: 203 E 45th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
  • Floors: 3
203 E 45th Street Recommended Reading

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166 Fifth Avenue

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166 Fifth Avenue, a seven-story store and loft building, replaced a mansion in 1899-1900. The storefront (like those of its neighbors) has been modernized.

The building is part of the Ladies Mile Historic District, designated in 1989. At the time, Andrews Coffee Shop occupied the ground floor.

166 Fifth Avenue Vital Statistics
  • Location: 166 Fifth Avenue between E 21st and E22nd Streets
  • Year completed: 1900
  • Architect: Parfitt Brothers
  • Floors: 7
  • Style: Renaissance Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 1989 (Ladies Mile Historic District)
166 Fifth Avenue Recommended Reading

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The Dakota – A History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building

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The Dakota – and indeed NYC apartment life – is beautifully illuminated by Andrew Alpern’s new “History of the World’s Best-Known Apartment Building.” The noted architectural historian presents the most comprehensive history of The Dakota imaginable! Mr. Alpern documents the building, its builder (and family!), the architect, the neighborhood, the architectural and historical context, and even the Dakota’s residents. Fascinating reading that illuminates not only The Dakota, but also the world of apartment living in New York City.

I’m deeply honored by Mr. Alpern’s use of my photography (from the Dakota Apartments gallery) in this volume.

Audubon Ballroom

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Audubon Ballroom, built as a theater, played many roles during its century-long career. The colorful Broadway facade is all that is left of the original Audubon Theatre and Ballroom, aka Beverly Hills Theater, aka San Juan Theater.

Originally, the building contained a 2,500-seat theater and, on the second floor, a 200-guest ballroom. It was commissioned by William Fox (20th Century Fox) – which explains the terra cotta fox heads.

Audubon Ballroom was used for vaudeville and for motion pictures; later, union and political groups held meetings there. A congregation of German Jews held its services in the basement – and eventually bought the building in 1950. Malcolm X used the venue for meetings of his Organization of Afro-American Unity starting in 1964. It was here, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm X was assassinated. In the 1960s and ’70s, the then-named San Juan Theater showcased Latino films.

New York City had taken possession of the building in 1967, for non-payment of taxes. After the San Juan Theater closed in 1980 the building began to deteriorate. In 1989 Columbia University made a deal with the city to demolish the building and build a medical research facility. Community activists, preservationists and even Columbia University students fought the plan, eventually winning a compromise that preserved a portion of the Broadway facade and the second-floor ballroom. Meanwhile, the Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building rose six stories on the site of the former theater.

The lobby and second floor now houses the The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. A bank, a restaurant, a cafe, and a book store occupy other street-level spaces.

Audubon Ballroom Vital Statistics
  • Location: 3940 Broadway between W 165th and W 166th Streets
  • Year completed: 1912; alterations: 1996
  • Architect: Thomas W. Lamb; alterations: Davis Brody Bond; preservation: Jan Hird Pokorny
  • Floors: 2
  • Style: neoclassical
Audubon Ballroom Recommended Reading

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Riverside Memorial Chapel

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Riverside Memorial Chapel is suitably somber, suitably monumental for a funeral home. The structure is actually two buildings: The smaller 180 W 76th Street was given a new facade and joined to 331 Amsterdam Avenue in 1946.

The building underwent renovation and restoration in 1994-1998.

Riverside Memorial Chapel Vital Statistics
  • Location: 331 Amsterdam Avenue / 180 W 76th Street
  • Year completed: 1926
  • Architect: Frank J. Furman and Ralph Segal; renovation by Belmont Freeman
  • Floors: 4
  • Style: neo-French Renaissance with Gothic elements
  • New York City Landmark: 1990
Riverside Memorial Chapel Recommended Reading

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235 W 76th Street

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235 W 76th Street, aka The Colorado,* is a pre-war apartment building in Renaissance Revival style, enlivened by colorful terra cotta in the base and crown.

The building’s architect – Robert T. Lyons – is best known for his Beaux Arts masterpiece on Central Park West, the St. Urban.

* Not to be confused with the same-named Upper East Side condo.

235 W 76th Street Vital Statistics
  • Location: 235 W 76th Street at Broadway
  • Year completed: 1925
  • Architect: Robert T. Lyons
  • Floors: 15
  • Style: Renaissance Revival
235 W 76th Street Recommended Reading

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334 Amsterdam Avenue

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334 Amsterdam Avenue, aka Samuel Priest Rose Building, is the home of the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan. The gray brick and blue glass cube is striking; its materials, style and colors stand out on an avenue dominated by earth-tone classic masonry structures.

The building’s recreational facilities – including a gymnasium and tenth-floor swimming pool – created unusual design challenges.

Architectural trivia: The center’s after-school activities include construction classes for budding architects! Dubbed “Crazy Constructions,” the program lets 6- and 7-year-olds “Design and build towers, bridges, houses, rollercoasters, and other superstructures. Join Dazzling Discoveries as you explore and experiment with plastic bricks, wood, paper, and many other materials. Students will learn about engineering, architecture, and physics while inventing and creating their own toys and projects.”

334 Amsterdam Avenue Vital Statistics
  • Location: 334 Amsterdam Avenue at W 76th Street
  • Year completed: 2002
  • Architect: Diamond Schmitt Architects
  • Floors: 13
  • Style: Postmodern
334 Amsterdam Avenue Recommended Reading

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