[52], During the early 19th century, apartment developments in the city were generally associated with the working class, but by the 1870s, apartments were also becoming desirable among the middle and upper classes. [18][20] The Osborne also contains some Romanesque Revival design features such as round-arched entrance and window openings, a rough-cut stone cladding, and recessed windows. [35][50] Other units were configured as "apartments within apartments", where the only access was through another tenant's residence. [Top and fourth photos: Michaelminn.net; second photo: 1940s NYC Municipal archives photo via the Wall Street Journal; third photo: 1940 tax photo via New York Landmarks Conservatory], Tags:Beautiful Old Apartment Buildings NYC, French Flats NYC, New York in 1881, New York's oldest apartment buildings, Windermere 57th Street, Windermere apartments Posted in Cool building names, Hell's Kitchen, Sketchy hotels, Upper West Side/Morningside Hts | 5 Comments ». By the 1960s, drug users and prostitutes moved in . [22], The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) first considered city-landmark status for the Osborne in 1966 and 1967. [59] However, the sale never happened. and a not-yet-famous Steve McQueen. Ephemeral New York was interviewed in a July 25 piece in The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's blog, Off the Grid. 57th street and 8th ave at 8th Avenue & West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA apartments for rent. [60] The critic particularly regarded the 6th- and 9th-story cornices as haphazard. [20][29] There was also a moat running around the building, traversed only by a moat. This apartment building has the following floorplans: 1 Bedroom. A distinctive, jagged building on 57th St., which looks like a cruise ship and a ski slope, will change the face of the west side. For a short time, 111 West 57th Street was slated to become the slimmest building in the world, but the project was quickly knocked from that position … The Osborne is cater-corner from Carnegie Hall. The Windermere offered single women “a congenial home where she can live at moderate cost,” reported the Times. [103] The St. Petersburg Times reported in 1988 that the "opulent interior" counterbalanced the "undistinguished exterior". [23], The Taylor family could not maintain the Osborne Apartments in the mid-20th century, and the interior had degraded by the 1950s. The lavish decorations contributed to the massive costs, which turned out to be excessive for Osborne. Ephemeral New York was featured in a wonderful NY Post story on July 20 on the Gilded Age city. [71] By the early 21st century, the Osborne had become part of Billionaires' Row, an area with several residential skyscrapers marketed for the ultra-wealthy. Fire safety inspectors forced the remaining tenants out in 2007. That often meant renting a room in one of the larger apartments. Creating a new landmark building for the Manhattan skyline brings modern design to the history of the 1920’s. The rent? Architecture An Exclusive First Look at the Glamorous Interiors of 111 W 57th Street—NYC's Tallest Residential Building The supertall skyscraper at 111 W 57th Street clocks in at over 1,400 feet tall, offering residents of unparalleled views of Central Park and northern Manhattan. The distinguished building features an attractive two-story masonry base and a red brick facade. Between $600 and $1,000 yearly, according to Landmarks Preservation Commission report from 2005. The Hearst Tower is a building at the southwest corner of 57th Street and Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. “The Gilded Age in New York”. 111 West 57th Street marks the arrival of a remarkable condominium tower to the Manhattan skyline. Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group have designed a residential building for Manhattan, New York, with a rectangular plan pulled up at one corner to form a triangular tower. 520 Park Avenue. Designed by Warren and Westmore in 1925, the Steinway Hall building has been re-imagined by Studio Sofield. “For the convenience of tenants who do not wish to cook in their own apartments, large kitchens are situated in the basement.”. The original structure contains a light well located halfway along the northern elevation. For its towering height, 111 West 57th is the slimmest building in the world and its base is only 60 feet wide. The Village Voice gave Ephemeral New York's new book a nice thumbs up. [20][48] When completed, the building had four elevators and a heating and power plant. The second, third, sixth, and seventh bays of this facade each contain two windows per story. These included the Osborne Building on Fifth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Street, which is unrelated to the current apartment structure. The decorative details were designed by architect Stanford White, muralist John La Farge, and designer Jacob Adolphus Holzer. [20], By early 1896, the Osborne was fully occupied, and the Taylor estate was looking to sell the Osborne, so the estate could be closed out. A decade ago, you would have to go to the New York Public Library in person to view its Milstein Division, which contains a collection of some 54,000 gripping images of New York City … [60] The first tenants moved into the building in November 1885. It is connected to the lobby proper by a short flight of marble and copper steps. The scaffolding and netting began wrapping the building at least a decade ago. [30] A modillioned cornice runs above the 2nd story along 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, except in the fourth and fifth bays along 57th Street. The annex was designed by family member Alfred S. G. Taylor, in conjunction with J. C. Thanks to Sam Roberts for featuring New York City in 3D in the Gilded Age in his Bookshelf column on Sunday, August 24. [51] As a result of these subdivisions, the modern layouts of the apartments are more complex. [42] Carved-plaster cap friezes and mosaic tiles run along the walls. [38][b], The lobby extends north of the foyer and measures 92 by 14 feet (28.0 by 4.3 m), with a ceiling 15 feet (4.6 m) high. [26] During that time, Rambusch Studios restored the lobby. [23], Each of the 2nd through 10th stories originally contained four apartments. [47] The westernmost apartments of each floor, as expanded in 1906, were generally larger than the other units, with seven bedrooms and enlarged reception and dining rooms. [33], The 57th Street annex only rises to the 10th story. [30], On the 7th through 9th stories of the original 57th Street facade, the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth bays each contain three windows per story. [30], On the 3rd through 6th stories, the original section of the 57th Street facade contains triple-sided, stone-clad oriel windows on the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth bays from east. [5] By the 1960s, the Osborne was known as "the residential Carnegie Hall". [77] By the mid-1980s, prices for apartments in the Osborne were as high as in comparable apartments on the traditionally wealthy Upper East Side. [29], The two westernmost bays along 57th Street comprise the 1906 annex and contain three shorter stories within the same double-height base: the ground floor, followed by two mezzanine floors. [64][65] The next year, Ware expanded the attic to a full size; this provided additional room for servants' quarters while placing the roof at a uniform height. The Osborne's facade is clad in rusticated blocks of brownstone, with a main entrance on 57th Street and a variety of window configurations. The main living spaces contained 15-foot (4.6 m) ceilings. Mental Floss magazine named ENY's new book "New York City in 3D in the Gilded Age" one of their 5 favorite reads for August 2014! The Osborne Apartments is on the northwest corner of 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, two blocks south of Central Park, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 10 oldest surviving apartment buildings in NYC Long before housing options ran the gamut from ground floor studio apartments to and skyrise penthouses, there were only two type of NYC. [76], Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch, an architectural historian who lived in the building, started holding bazaars in 1976 to fund the restoration of the lobby, ultimately raising nearly $100,000 (equivalent to $449,298 in 2019). Carter Horsley wrote for City Realty that "Perhaps more than any other building [...] this is a presence, a pile of architecture that manifests great power. The building's namesake was the stone contractor Thomas Osborne, who had acquired the land in 1883 from restaurateur John Taylor, constructing the building as a speculative investment. The western and eastern walls of the lobby contain marble wainscoting, interspersed with plaster plaques of nude figures and garlands, designed to resemble bronze. [45][46] The space is lit by four copper chandeliers and sixteen bronze double sconces. [5][6][7] The Osborne was extended by 25 feet (7.6 m) to the west in 1906, giving the Osborne a frontage of 175 feet (53 m) on 57th Street and 100 feet on Seventh Avenue. The UK Daily Mail COPIES an Ephemeral NY story, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVjisjCjY8k, Patell and Waterman's History of New York. [40][71] In 1961, the Osborne was sold to the Linland Corporation,[27] operated by real-estate investor Sarah Korein, in a deal that valued the building at $2.5 million (equivalent to $21,389,198 in 2019). 450 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-260-1332 We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Chronicling an ever-changing city through faded and forgotten artifacts, Kara Thornton, Publicist, Black Dog & Leventhal 212-364-0537 kara.thornton@hbgusa.com, Ephemeral New York's new book was described as "beguiling, lavishly illustrated" by Sam Roberts in his Bookshelf column December 2, 2016, Thanks to EW for the kudos in their December 9 issue. Residences feature unparalleled views of Central Park. In 1926 the building was sold and a number of businesses took its place. The Osborne was originally built with 38 apartments, although many of these units were gradually subdivided starting in the early 1920s. The windows on the 10th and 11th stories do not necessarily align with those on the other floors. The Dakota, the Ansonia, the Chelsea, the Apthorp: most city residents recognize these as some of New York’s earliest and most magnificent apartment houses. [8][23] The other light well is between the annex and the western side of the original building. [31] A similar window arrangement appears on the seven southernmost bays facing Seventh Avenue, except that each bay has a single window. . [105] A second landmark hearing was held in 1980,[104] followed by a third such hearing in 1985. Make Your Move. [104][106] During the 1985 hearing, the LPC also considered the lobby and foyer as an interior landmark, but ultimately decided against it because the agency's rules mandated that interior landmarks had to be public spaces. [2], Residential building in Manhattan, New York, Seen from the southeast in September 2015, Critical reception and landmark designations. The arch is flanked by two pairs of pilasters supporting a short entablature; a pair of glass-and-metal lanterns are mounted on the inner pair of pilasters. [31] A similar window arrangement appears on the seven southernmost bays facing Seventh Avenue, where the fourth and fifth bays from south are grouped into a single oriel structure. The front of the building is setback from the street to provide a planted garden and the building also boasts a landscaped rear garden as well as a roof top “Roman Garden”. [9][4], The Osborne Apartments shares the city block with the American Fine Arts Society (also known as the Art Students League of New York building) and the Central Park Tower to the west, and with the Saint Thomas Choir School to the north. The Osborne Apartments, also known as The Osborne or 205 West 57th Street, is an apartment building at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. FOR most of the 24 years Norma Rosenberg lived in a modern Brooklyn Heights building, she dreamed of a home in an old Manhattan apartment, preferably around West 57th … [61][62] The buyer was subsequently revealed to be John Taylor's son John H. Taylor; by then, the senior John Taylor had died. [50], An unnamed critic for the New York Evening Post reviewed the design negatively, writing in 1884, "An attempt has been made by Mr. Jas. Ephemeral New York in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS! Owners came and went. [39] Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was also involved in the foyer and lobby's design. "[68] A glass and metal sidewalk canopy was erected circa 1900. [31], The 3rd through 6th stories of the northernmost Seventh Avenue bay contain six offset duplex levels, each with a triple-sided, stone-clad oriel window. [77] After a fourth set of hearings in 1989, the LPC ultimately designated the Osborne's exterior as a city landmark in 1991. In addition, the area contained the headquarters of organizations such as the American Fine Arts Society, the Lotos Club, and the American Society of Civil Engineers at 220 West 57th Street. [8][9] The site covers 17,572 square feet (1,632.5 m2). 31 East 31st Street features beautiful, loft-like apartments with high ceilings, separate kitchens with stainless steel appliances, renovated bathrooms, and beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline. [6] The northern portion of the building contains two "light wells". [66] John S. Ely, a son-in-law of the late John Taylor, paid $1.01 million for the building and $35,000 for the adjacent lot at an auction in March 1896. [34][a], The entrance foyer and lobby form a connected space. [40] From 1989 to 1994, the Osborne's cooperative board restored the facade at a cost of $4.1 million (equivalent to $7,072,362 in 2019). There are also nine mezzanines: two each above the 1st, 3rd, and 5th stories, and three above the 7th story. Enter your email address to follow Ephemeral New York and receive notifications of new posts by email. The new building, he explains, will fuse two apparently incompatible types: a European-style, low-rise apartment block encircling a courtyard, and … A new owner came in (and was named to another worst landlord list) with plans to turn the Windermere into a boutique hotel. [23] Each of the upper stories was separated into western and eastern halves, with two apartments per side. [55] In 1883, he purchased a lot for $210,000 (equivalent to $5,762,250 in 2019) from restaurant operator John Taylor. [73] Korein had planned to demolish the Osborne, replacing it with a 17-story residential building designed by Robert Bien. [23] The Osborne, including its annex, is 162 feet (49 m) tall. The $2 million construction cost forced Thomas Osborne into foreclosure, leading Taylor's family to acquire the building in 1889. “The interior is separated into five divisions, which comprise 38 suites of apartments, each containing from seven to nine rooms, and each furnished with a buffet, sideboard, and pier glass,” the New York Times described it. In addition, there are stained-glass transom panels near the top of each 7th- and 8th-story window opening. [16][18][19] Ware designed the Osborne similarly to an Italian Renaissance style palazzo. [28] In general, the exterior was intended to reflect the ornate design of the interior. [35][71] Walter J. Salmon took a 21-year lease for the Osborne that year. [102], Other critics were more positive. But the Windermere? The building also provides private and bike storage. [72] The upper floors were subdivided into smaller units starting in 1922, and the 11th-floor attic was converted to apartments in 1941. This entry was posted on May 9, 2016 at 9:02 am and is filed under Cool building names, Hell's Kitchen, Sketchy hotels, Upper West Side/Morningside Hts. Certainly the lobby is spectacular. [8] Projecting oriel windows were also added to provide light to the apartments. Throughout its history, the Osborne has housed many artists, actors, and musicians, as well as upper-middle-class residents such as doctors and lawyers. Print; E-mail; Units 239 Floors 16 Built 1929. [32], On both 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, there are rectangular windows on the 10th and 11th stories, with a horizontal band course between these floors. The 57th Street side has ten vertical bays—eight from the original design and two from the 1906 annex—while the Seventh Avenue side has eight bays. [54] The advent of the passenger elevator enabled the construction of taller apartment buildings such as the Osborne and the Dakota, whereas previously apartment buildings had been limited to six or seven stories. It is the world headquarters of media conglomerate Hearst Communications, housing many of its publications and communications companies. Levi. [58] Ware designed the facade with rusticated brownstone, because of Osborne's expectation that the facade could attract residents of middle-class brownstone row houses. When Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street officially tops out at 1,550 feet on September 17, it will (if you don’t count the 400-foot spire atop One World Trade Center) become New York… [23][50] The parquet floor surfaces contained banded edges. Inside the arch opening is a wooden double door with a leaded-glass transom window above it. The second, third, sixth, and seventh bays contain rectangular windows, with balconettes at the fifth story. [5], The Osborne Apartments' namesake was Thomas Osborne, an Irish immigrant who ran a successful stone contracting business. Active Listings ... Addison Hall at 457 West 57th Street is a charming, 16-story, red brick apartment building with a canopied entrance to its two-story masonry base. [45] The apartment designs were also marked by their elaborate interior features, including mahogany wood decoration, bronze fireplace mantels, and crystal chandeliers. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a city landmark in 1991, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Addison Hall is a sixteen-story apartment building erected in 1930 and designed by Joseph A. Moller Inc. [16][17] It was expanded with an annex to the west in 1906, designed by Alfred S. G. Taylor and Julien Clarence Levi. Still, imagine how lovely the romantically named Windermere must have been in 1881, when it was one of the first apartment houses on the rapidly developing West Side—home to well-off residents, then “bachelor girls,” and a century later, SRO tenants. 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