Tag Archives: upper west side

Septuagesimo Uno

Manhattan, Parks & Monuments, , , ,

It may not qualify as New York City’s smallest park, but I’ll bet it’s the only park with a Latin name (which means 71).

Septuagesimo Uno is among the “vest pocket parks” created during the Mayor John V. “Fun City” Lindsay administration. (The mayor is, unfortunately, better known for poor handling of a snowstorm cleanup.) A sign on the park’s front (and only) gate tells all.

Google Map

Riverside Park

Manhattan, Parks & Monuments, , , , , , ,

Riverside Park is another creation of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux – the powerhouse team who also designed Central Park and Prospect Park.

Riverside Park extends from 72nd Street to 158th Street along the Hudson River. It was built in 1875-1910; Robert Moses expanded and enhanced the park during the 1930s – adding the Henry Hudson parkway and covering up the former New York Central tracks, which had cut off access to much of the park. In the 1990s, Riverside Park South was created over the former Penn Central rail yards, in a Donald Trump-led development. (This photo gallery covers Riverside park’s main section, 72nd-125th Street.)

More information is available at the Parks Department and Riverside Park Fund sites: www.nycgovparks.org and www.riversideparkfund.org/.

Google Map

Riverside Drive

Collections, Manhattan, , , , ,

Riverside Drive was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted – part of the package with Riverside Park. As part of the park’s scheme, the route is scenic – full of curves, dips and rises – not straight as the city’s grid pattern would dictate. The buildings along Riverside Drive try to live up to the scenic expectation; most were built in the era when lavish decoration and detailing were fashionable.

Riverside Drive extends from West 72nd Street to 153rd Street; this photo gallery covers the area up to 123rd Street.

Google Map

Ansonia Hotel

Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Ansonia Hotel was built as a luxury residential hotel in 1904; today it’s a condominium with a quirky history and a commanding presence on Broadway at 73rd Street (just north of the Amsterdam Avenue crossover).

The developer, William Earle Dodge Stokes, filled the Ansonia Hotel with architectural innovations: it was steel framed, the first air-conditioned hotel, and had a lobby fountain – with live seals. What’s more, there was a short-lived roof-top “farm” that provided fresh eggs and milk! The architect, Paul E. M. Duboy, also designed sculptures for the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument (90th Street/Riverside Drive).

Architecturally, the Ansonia is classed as Beaux Arts style, with huge terra cotta decorations, Parisian-style Mansard roof and corner turret-towers. The building has New York City landmark status and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Of historical note, the building was once home to Continental Baths (gay baths where Bette Midler and Barry Manilow performed) and later (in the same space), swingers’ club Plato’s Retreat. Babe Ruth, Arturo Toscanini, Igor Stravinksy, and Enrico Caruso were among the Ansonia’s celebrated residents. And, while it’s of absolutely no architectural content, don’t miss “Movies, books, scandals, and stars” in the Wikipedia entry!

The building was converted to condominium in 1992.

Ansonia Hotel Vital Statistics
  • Location: 2101 Broadway between W 73rd and W 74th Streets
  • Year completed: 1904
  • Architect: Paul E. M. Duboy
  • Floors: 17
  • Style: Beaux Arts
  • New York City Landmark: 1972
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1980
Ansonia Hotel Suggested Reading

Google Map

Apthorp Apartments

Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Apthorp Apartments takes up the entire block from 78th to 79th Streets, Broadway to West End Avenue. It is divided into four sub-buildings around a central courtyard. Built in 1906-1908 by Viscount William Waldorf Astor, who later moved to a castle in England (“America is not a fit place for a gentleman to live”).

The building went condo in 2008 with apartments averaging $6.5 million. (A number of legal issues cropped up, but that’s another story.) The conversion modernized the building to include techy touches like Cat5E (computer network) and FiOS wiring.

Apthorp has New York City landmark status and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Apthorp Apartments Vital Statistics
  • Location: 2209 Broadway (whole block from Broadway to West End Avenue, W 78th to W 79th Streets)
  • Year completed: 1908
  • Architect: Clinton & Russell
  • Floors: 12
  • Style: Renaissance Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 1969
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1978
Apthorp Apartments Suggested Reading

Google Map

The Pythian

Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Pythian is historic, and eye candy – but “hidden” in its mid-block location. It’s definitely worth the detour if you’re in the neighborhood of Broadway at W 70th Street.

The Pythian (condominiums), originally Pythian Temple, was built for the Knights of Pythias on West 70th Street between Columbus Avenue and Broadway, in 1927.

Pythian Temple was designed by Thomas W. Lamb in the Egyptian Revival style with bright, colorful glazed terra cotta at street level; even grander decoration graced the building’s top floors.

As the Knights of Pythias declined in popularity, its building found other uses. Decca Records had a studio here in the ’40s and ’50s; the New York Institute of Technology bought the building for its main campus in 1958.

In 1983 the structure was converted to condominium apartments. In the process, the formerly windowless floors of the middle section (all but the topmost setback) were glazed over. (See the Times’ slideshow to view the original facade.) Also see architect David Gura’s portfolio page for the project, with before/after and cutaway views.

The Pythian’s most famous (former) resident was Stefani Germanotta – aka Lady Gaga.

The Pythian Vital Statistics
  • Location: 135 W 70th Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue
  • Year completed: 1927
  • Architect: Thomas W. Lamb (original); David Gura (1986 conversion)
  • Floors: 8
  • Style: Egyptian Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 1990 (part of Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District)
The Pythian Suggested Reading

Google Map

The Dorilton

Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Although the Dorilton apartments (co-op) doesn’t take up the entire block, it certainly seems that way, towering over the intersection of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue and 71st Street. Designed by the firm of Janes & Leo in the Beaux Arts style, the structure was completed in 1902 and remains an impressive piece of New York architecture.

The Dorilton’s ornate facade is best seen from Broadway/Amsterdam Avenue, though the nine-story arched entrance is on 71st Street.

The Dorilton is a New York City landmark and listed in the National register of Historic Places. The building has attracted many architectural critiques – see the sample below.

The Dorilton Vital Statistics
  • Location: 171 W 71st Street at Broadway
  • Year completed: 1902
  • Architect: Janes & Leo
  • Floors: 12
  • Style: Beaux Arts
  • New York City Landmark: 1974
  • National Register of Historic Places: 1983
The Dorilton Suggested Reading

Google map

The Evelyn Apartments

Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Evelyn Apartments, West 78th Street at Columbus Avenue, was designed by Emile Gruwe and built in 1886. Described in the “AIA Guide to New York City” as “A big, bold symphony in reds….”, there was a brief battle over preservation of the building’s terra cotta angels. No doubt about it: This is architecture that makes even New Yorkers pause.

On the Columbus Avenue side, a couple of nightclubs have had illustrious runs here: P & G Bar, and Evelyn Lounge. Across the street, a more famous landmark: The American Museum of Natural History.

Evelyn Apartments Vital Statistics
  • Location: 380 Columbus Avenue at W78th Street
  • Year completed: 1886
  • Architect: Emile Gruwe
  • Floors: 6
  • Style: Renaissance Revival
  • New York City Landmark: 1990 (Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District)
Evelyn Apartments Suggested Reading
  • The New York Times article
  • NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report (page 93) (This is part of the 4-volume report for the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District)

Google Map

Upper West Side – Broadway and Vicinity

Collections, Manhattan, , , , ,

Broadway from 71st Street (where it crosses Amsterdam Avenue) north to the low 90s is rich in architectural landmarks, from block-size giants to mere townhouses. West End Avenue, Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue have their share of New York classics, as well.

Here are 96 images taken from a rambling walk through the Upper West Side, from 96th Street down to 71st Street.

This section includes some notable landmarks that each have their own photo galleries: The Ansonia, Apthorp Apartments, The Dorilton, The Evelyn, and The Pythian.

Google Map

Lincoln Center

Collections, Manhattan, , , ,

The Lincoln Square neighborhood got its name in May 1906, but it took the Lincoln Center Redevelopment project to really put the area on the map. The 1955 public/private urban renewal project turned a slum into a cultural complex. Some fifty years later, the center was renovated and extended with the addition of less formal features, such as the Illumination Lawn and the plaza, grandstand and cafe on Broadway between West 65th and West 66th Streets.

The project’s enduring flaw is the lack of mass transit: A single subway stop – and a local stop at that – serves Lincoln Center.

Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus occupies two square blocks south of Lincoln Center; Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and Martin Luther King, Jr. High School occupy two blocks west of Lincoln Center. Capital Cities/ABC has a cluster of four buildings at Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street. Retail culture – in the form of Tower Records and Barnes and Noble – used to be Lincoln Center’s neighbors on opposite sides of Broadway at West 66th; they’ve been succeeded by Raymour & Flanigan furniture and Century 21 discount department store.

The slide show begins with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, then continues with the Lincoln Square neighborhood outside Lincoln Center.

Lincoln Square and Lincoln Center Suggested Reading

Google Map