Central Park West Historic District
The Majestic, Dakota, Langham and San Remo from Bow Bridge in Central Park, 2009
Central Park West Historic District is located in New York City
Central Park West Historic District
Central Park West Historic District is located in New York
Central Park West Historic District
Central Park West Historic District is located in the United States
Central Park West Historic District
LocationCentral Park West between 61st and 97th Sts., New York City
Coordinates40°47′4″N 73°58′10″W / 40.78444°N 73.96944°W / 40.78444; -73.96944
Area40 acres (16 ha)
BuiltVarious
ArchitectVarious
NRHP reference No.82001189[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 9, 1982

The Central Park West Historic District is located along Central Park West, between 61st and 97th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1982. The district encompasses a portion of the Upper West Side-Central Park West Historic District as designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and contains a number of prominent New York City designated landmarks, including the Dakota, a National Historic Landmark. The buildings date from the late 19th century to the early 1940s and exhibit a variety of architectural styles. The majority of the district's buildings are of neo-Italian Renaissance style, but Art Deco is a popular theme as well.

History

The buildings that are part of the historic district were mostly developed in the 1880s through 1930s, following the construction of Central Park. This was further spurred by the construction of the Ninth Avenue Elevated, which provided easy access to Lower Manhattan.[2]: 10 (PDF p. 24)  Tenements and row houses lined Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues (formerly Tenth and Ninth Avenues, respectively), while more upscale luxury buildings were built on Central Park West (formerly Eighth Avenue).[2]: 11 (PDF p. 25)  Generally, the further away a lot was from Columbus Avenue and its elevated railway, the more upscale the house was likely to become.[2]: 14–15 (PDF pp. 28–29)  By the early 20th century, the row houses were destroyed to make way for apartment buildings. The construction of the New York City Subway's Eighth Avenue Line in the 1920s accelerated this process of redevelopment.[2]: 18–19 (PDF pp. 32–33) 

The Central Park West Historic District was federally recognized on November 9, 1982, when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It had been designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in 1973. The LPC designation covered a T-shaped area, which included one block of West 76th Street, two adjacent blocks of Central Park West and a short stretch of West 77th Street, as the Central Park West–76th Street Historic District. The local designation and boundaries persisted well past the 1982 National Register listing.[3]

In 1990 the LPC formally extended the local boundaries of the Central Park West–76th Street Historic District to include almost all of the area included in the boundaries of the federal historic district. The much larger Upper West Side-Central Park West Historic District includes the area from 96th Street to 62nd Street and Central Park West to Amsterdam Avenue.[3]

Boundaries

The Central Park West Historic District is a linear historic district including the stretch of Central Park West from 61st to 97th Streets.[1] When the Upper West Side–Central Park West Historic District was designated in 1990 as a local historic district its boundaries closely mirrored those of the 1982 Central Park West Historic District, except the local historic district encompasses land stretching to Amsterdam Avenue.[3] The federal historic district is considerably smaller than the local district.[4][5][2]: PDF pp. 3, 5 

Architecture

The expanse of Central Park West between 61st and 97th Streets is a mixture of late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural styles. By far the district's most dominant style is Neo-Renaissance, mostly neo-Italian Renaissance though there are German and Flemish Renaissance influences found in some of the structures. Art Deco, Second Empire, Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical architecture are all found in multiple buildings. Gothic and Romanesque Revival influences can be found combined with other styles in some of the buildings as well as on their own. A few Queen Anne, Art Moderne and Italianate buildings dot the streetscape of Central Park West.[4]

Structures

Of the buildings within the boundaries of the historic district only one was considered a non-contributing property to the historic character of the district when it was nominated to the National Register: the building located at 80 Central Park West, a 1965 modern building. The area within the district is home to nearly 40 high-quality, luxury apartment highrises. Sprinkled within the residential buildings are four Christian churches, one synagogue, several smaller-scale, multi-family houses, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, the New York Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History.[4][note 1]

Contributing properties

These properties are contributing properties to the Central Park West Historic District. In general this means that they add to the character of the historic district.

Building name   Address   Architecture    Built   Architect(s)    Remarks  
Mayflower Hotel 15 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1926 Emery Roth Demolished in 2004 to make way for what is now 15 Central Park West.[6]
The Century[7] 25 Central Park West Art Deco 1931 Irwin S. Chanin At 30 floors, one of three buildings tied for the title of the district's tallest.[4] It was constructed at a cost of $6.5 million and designed by the firm owned by Irwin S. Chanin.[8] The Century apartment building is located on the former site of the Century Theatre, which was demolished in 1930 and 1931 to make way for the apartments.[9] The building is one of three within the boundaries of the historic district that stretch upwards 30 floors, thus tying it for the title of the district's tallest building.[4]
Ethical Culture School 33 Central Park West Classical Revival 1902 John Mervin Carrère and Thomas Hastings
Ethical Culture Meeting House[10] 2 West 64th Street Art Nouveau 1910 Robert D. Kohn
Harperly Hall 41 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1910 Henry W. Wilkinson
The Prasada 50 Central Park West Second Empire 1907 Charles W. Romeyn and Henry R. Wynne
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 1 West 65th Street Gothic Revival 1903
Ghostbusters Building 55 Central Park West Art Deco 1929 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross Informally known as "Ghostbusters Building" since 1984 film was filmed there.[11] In the film, the building (referred to as "Spook Central") was said to have been designed by mad architect Ivo Shandor, in reality, the Art Deco building was constructed in 1929 and designed by Schwartz & Gross. The 19-floor building was portrayed as taller in the film.[4][12]
65 Central Park West 65 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1926 Emery Roth
70 Central Park West 70 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1916 Charles A. Rich & Frederick Mathesius
75 Central Park West 75 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Rosario Candela
Second Church of Christ, Scientist 10 West 68th Street Classical Revival 1898 Frederick R. Comstock The building itself is seen in the Mafia II game.
The Brentmore 88 Central Park West Beaux-Arts 1909 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
91 Central Park West 91 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
Congregation Shearith Israel Parsonage 99 Central Park West Classical Revival 1897 Arnold William Brunner and Thomas Tryon
Congregation Shearith Israel[13] 8 West 70th Street Classical Revival 1897 Arnold William Brunner and Thomas Tryon Also known as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. It is the oldest American Jewish congregation[14] is the fifth in a line of structures dating back to 1730, though only the current building was located near Central Park West.[14]
101 Central Park West 101 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1929 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
The Majestic[13] 115 Central Park West Art Deco 1930 Irwin S. Chanin At 30 floors, one of three buildings tied for the title of the district's tallest.[4]
The Dakota[13] 1 West 72nd Street German Renaissance 1884 Henry J. Hardenbergh Some sources indicate this was the first luxury apartment building in New York City.[4] National Historic Landmark.[15]
The Langham 135 Central Park West Second Empire 1905 Charles W. Clinton & William Hamilton Russell
The San Remo[16] 145-146 Central Park West Classical Revival 1930 Emery Roth Prominent, two-towered, 27-story building.[4]
The Kenilworth 151 Central Park West Second Empire 1908 Townsend, Steinle and Haskell
Fourth Universalist Society of New York 4 West 76th Street Gothic Revival 1898 William A. Potter Originally known as the Church of Divine Paternity.[4]
New-York Historical Society[16] 170 Central Park West Classical Revival 1908 and 1938 Edward York & Philip Sawyer, and Walker & Gillette
American Museum of Natural History[17] 79th Street at Central Park West Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival 1877 and 1900 Calvert Vaux & J. Wrey Mould and J.C. Cady and Co. The building was constructed from 1874 to 1877 and designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould.[4]
The Beresford[18] 211 Central Park West Classical Revival 1929 Emery Roth
The Alden 225 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1926 Emery Roth
227 Central Park West 227 Central Park West Queen Anne 1888 Thomas & Wilson
The Bolivar 230 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1926 Nathan Korn
239 Central Park West 239 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1925 Henry M. Sugarman & Berger
241 Central Park West 241 Central Park West Art Deco 1930 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
Flemish Renaissance Revival townhouses 247, 248 and 249 Central Park West at W85 Neo-Renaissance 1887 Edward Angell Three townhouses.
Rossleigh Court 251 Central Park West at W85 Beaux-Arts 1906 Mulliken and Moeller
Orwell House 257 Central Park West at W86 Beaux-Arts 1905 Mulliken and Moeller Originally known as the Central Park View, and then as The Hotel Peter Stuyvesant.
The White House 262 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Henry M. Sugarman & Berger
271 Central Park West 271 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1912 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
275 Central Park West 275 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1930 Emery Roth
Walden School 1 West 88th Street Classical Revival 1904 Louis Korn Demolished c. 1988; replaced by 280 Central Park West
The St. Urban 285 Central Park West Second Empire 1904 Robert T. Lyons
1 West 89th Street 1 West 89th Street Queen Anne 1899 Clarence True
293 Central Park West 293 Central Park West Italianate 1899 Neville & Bagge
295 Central Park West 295 Central Park West Art Moderne 1940 Emery Roth
The El Dorado[18] 300 Central Park West Art Deco 1931 Margon & Holder At 30 floors, one of three buildings tied for the title of the district's tallest.[4]
The Brookford 315 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1911 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross
The Ardsley 320 Central Park West Art Deco 1931 Emery Roth
322 Central Park West 322 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival 1925 George Blum and Edward Blum
325 Central Park West 325 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1899 George F. Pelham
327 Central Park West 327 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Nathan Korn
The Turin 333 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1909 Robert J. Bodker
336 Central Park West 336 Central Park West Art Deco and Egyptian Revival[4] 1929 Simon Schwartz & Arthur Gross Undulating terra-cotta cornices at the top of the building and the water tower suggest Egyptian influences.[4]
350 Central Park West 350 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Jacob M. Felson
Romanesque Revival townhouses 352, 353, 354, and 355 Central Park West, and 1 West 95th Street Romanesque Revival 1892 G.A. Schellenger Five townhouses; 3 (352 and 353 Central Park West and 1 West 95th Street) were demolished c.1992 and replaced by 353 Central Park West, a 19-story building
360 Central Park West 360 Central Park West Neo-Renaissance 1928 Rosario Candela
First Church of Christ, Scientist 1 West 96th Street Beaux-Arts 1903 John Mervin Carrère and Thomas Hastings

Non-contributing properties

Building name   Address   Architecture    Built   Architect(s)    Remarks  
80 Central Park West 80 Central Park West 1965

Significance

The Central Park West Historic District is significant, in regards to the National Register, for its architecture and its character as a cohesive residential area. The district is located along one of the city's finest residential streets and consists mostly of apartment buildings which are among some of the earliest in New York.[4]

With the 1990 local boundary increase the NYLPC developed the theme that the strength of the historic district lay in its diversity. The Commission called the buildings in the district brashly "commercial" and "stylistically diverse." The Commission went on to stress the importance of the district's special skyline that challenged the whole of the New York skyline. "The stylistically diverse buildings of Central Park West create a streetscape and a skyline which is exuberant and varied as to scale, height and form", the Commission stated.[3]

References

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ The list contains information on each structure including, its common name. If the building doesn't have a general common name that can be attributed to a reliable source then the address is substituted. The address is listed for each structure because it provides a general reference point to navigate the structures of the historic district. The list's default sort orders the properties as they are on the street, from low numbered blocks (e.g. 15 Central Park West) to high numbered blocks (e.g. 336 Central Park West). Properties with addresses on streets other than Central Park West also follow this order and are in place on the list as they would appear if the historic district were walked through. Linked information on each building's major architectural themes is also listed. Following the date of construction the architect or architects names are listed. Any pertinent remarks are listed in the last column.

Citations

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e Pearson, Marjorie; Urbanelli, Elisa, eds. (1990). Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District Designation Report (PDF). Vol. I: Essays, Architects' Appendix. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
  3. ^ a b c d Answers to Questions About the Project – Addendum Archived May 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, New York Historical Society. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Central Park West Historic District Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, (Java), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, New York's State and National Registers of Historic Places Document Imaging Project [1] Archived November 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, New York State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  5. ^ Map of Upper West Side-Central Park Historic District Archived October 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  6. ^ Pristin, Terry (October 19, 2005). "Fewer rooms at the inn". New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  7. ^ Brockmann, Jorg et al. (2002). One Thousand New York Buildings, p. 337, at Google Books
  8. ^ "West Side Block in $6,000,000 Deal". The New York Times. October 30, 1930. p. 48. ProQuest 98804490.
  9. ^ "$1,250,000 Chanin Bond Executed". The New York Times. October 26, 1930. p. N20. ProQuest 98567335.
  10. ^ Brockmann, p. 339., p. 339, at Google Books
  11. ^ Gaines, Steven. "One Apartment, 75 Years", New York Magazine, November 7, 2005. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  12. ^ Aykroyd, Dan and Ramis, Harold. Reitman, Ivan, Director. Ghostbusters (Film). New York City: Columbia Pictures., June 8, 1984.
  13. ^ a b c Brockmann, pp. 342-343., p. 342, at Google Books
  14. ^ a b Congregation Shearith Israel Archived February 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Building Report, International Survey of Jewish Monuments. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  15. ^ "The Dakota Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, NHL Database, National Historic Landmarks Program. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Brockmann, pp. 344-345., p. 344, at Google Books
  17. ^ Brockmann, pp. 346-347., p. 344, at Google Books
  18. ^ a b Brockmann, p. 354., p. 354, at Google Books

Sources

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