Central Park West Historic District

The Central Park West Historic District is located in Manhattan, New York City, United States along historic Central Park West, between 61st and 97th Streets. 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 landmarks, including The Dakota Apartments, 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.

Central Park West Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
The Majestic, Dakota, Langham and San Remo from Bow Bridge in Central Park, 2009
Location	Central Park West between 61st and 97th Sts., New York City
Coordinates	40°47′4″N 73°58′10″W
Area	40 acres (16 ha)
Built	Various
Architect	Various
NRHP reference No.	82001189[1]
Added to NRHP	November 9, 1982

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.[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] The building that houses the Congregation Shearith Israel,
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 Eldorado[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. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Pearson, Marjorie; Urbanelli, Elisa, eds. (1990). Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District Designation Report (PDF). I: Essays, Architects' Appendix. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
3. Answers to Questions About the Project – Addendum Archived May 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, New York Historical Society. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
4. 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 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. Brockmann, pp. 342-343., p. 342, at Google Books
14. 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. Brockmann, pp. 344-345., p. 344, at Google Books
17. Brockmann, pp. 346-347., p. 344, at Google Books
18. Brockmann, p. 354., p. 354, at Google Books

Sources

• Brockmann, Jorg and Bill Harris. (2002). One Thousand New York Buildings. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal. ISBN 9781579122379; OCLC 48619292
• "Historic Resources (Appendix 1)", Second Avenue Subway Final Environmental Impact Study, April 2004, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
• Biographies of American Architects: Who Died Between 1897 and 1947, Society of Architectural Historians. Retrieved April 3, 2007
• Central Park West Historic District, (Java), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, New York's State and National Registers of Historic Places Document Imaging Project , New York State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
• Congregation Shearith Israel, Building Report, International Survey of Jewish Monuments. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
• Dolkart, Andrew S. (1998). Morningside Heights: A History of its Architecture and Development. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-07850-4. OCLC 37843816.
• Meacham, Scott B (April 1998). "'The Shaping Hand Was at All Points the Same': Charles Alonzo Rich Builds the New Dartmouth". Dartmouth College Library Bulletin. XXXVIII(NS) (2). ISSN 0011-6750. Retrieved April 3, 2007.