200 Central Park South

200 Central Park South is a Modern-style building on the south side of Central Park in New York City, at the corner of 7th Avenue and Central Park South (59th Street). It is most notable for its curving facade, banded by balconies. Its exterior is beige brick and glass.^[1] It is across from a major pedestrian and vehicle entrance into Central Park, known as the "Merchant's Gate".^[1] This full service building was completed in 1963 by Bernard Spitzer and Melvin Lipman.^[a] It was designed by Wechsler & Schimenti.^[1]

Architecture

The building contains a curved facade and is lined with terraces that taper in, then curve, and taper out as they wrap around the two faces of the building. The curved base gives views of Central Park to more apartments.^[4] Spitzer reportedly got the idea for the curve from the curve drawn by a pencil thrown in frustration. Its tapered balconies have been said to give it a Barcelona feel.^[5] The base rises 21 stories, while its tower is set back, and brings it up 14 more floors.^[1]

As of 2016 it is a full-service residential co-op apartment building. This Midtown West building currently has 309 apartments spanning 34 floors. Amenities for its residents include a roof deck, elevator operators, maid service, valet, garage, and concierge.^[2] In 2016, it is rated as the #2 co-op building in Midtown, and #13 in Manhattan, according to CityRealty.^[3]

The building’s design was explained by Robert A. M. Stern, Thomas Mellins and David Fishman in their book, New York 1960 as "a kind of aggressive, self-referential Modernism that had hitherto been largely absent from Manhattan."^[1]^[6] Horsley asserts it resembles the Fontainebleau Hotel (1954), in Miami, designed by Morris Lapidus.^[1]

The building sits across Seventh Avenue from the New York Athletic Club, to the east.^[1] It is also near Alwyn Court to the southeast, the Saint Thomas Choir School to the south, and 220 Central Park South to the west.

Residents

Residents have included:

References

Notes

^ Some sources give a conflicting construction date of 1965.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[1]

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Carter B. Horsley. "200 Central Park South, Building Review". www.cityrealty.com. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
^ ^a ^b [1], with photo showing Central Park-facing facade
^ ^a ^b "200 Central Park South"., with photo centered on the curve, showing both flanks
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "59th Street: A New York Songline".
^ Christopher Gray (August 15, 2013). "Central Park South, the view that sneaked up on the city". The New York Times.
^ Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1995). New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press. p. 505. ISBN 1-885254-02-4. OCLC 32159240. OL 1130718M.

Midtown (42nd–59th Streets)

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

West of
5th Av

Rockefeller Center	1 Rockefeller Plz 10 Rockefeller Plz 30 Rockefeller Plz 50 Rockefeller Plz 75 Rockefeller Plz 1211 6th Av 1221 6th Av 1251 6th Av 1271 6th Av British Empire Building International Building La Maison Francaise
Times Square	1 Astor Plz 1 Times Sq 3 Times Sq 4 Times Sq 11 Times Sq 20 Times Sq 229 W 43rd St 255 W 43rd St 1500 Broadway 1501 Broadway 1540 Broadway 1552 Broadway 1585 Broadway TSX Broadway

East of
5th Av

Former

Theaters

Broadway theaters	Ambassador August Wilson Belasco Bernard B. Jacobs Booth Broadhurst Broadway Circle in the Square Ethel Barrymore Eugene O'Neill Gerald Schoenfeld Gershwin Hayes Hudson Imperial James Earl Jones John Golden Lena Horne Longacre Lunt-Fontanne Lyceum Lyric Majestic Marquis Minskoff Music Box Neil Simon Palace Richard Rodgers St. James Samuel J. Friedman Shubert Stephen Sondheim Studio 54 Todd Haimes Walter Kerr Winter Garden
Other venues	55th Street Playhouse Carnegie Hall Ed Sullivan Theater The ImaginAsian New Victory Theater New York City Center Paris Theater Radio City Music Hall Sony Hall The Theater Center The Town Hall York Theatre
Closed/demolished	44th Street 48th Street Apollo Center Capitol Earl Carroll Edison Embassy Fulton George M. Cohan's Loew's State Lyric New Century Olympia Roxy Strand Times Square Victoria Ziegfeld (1927) Ziegfeld (1969)

Hotels

Current

Former

Other points of interest

Restaurants/ nightlife	21 Club 54 Below Alto Anthos Aureole Burger Heaven Le Bernardin Cafe Chambord Campbell Apartment La Caravelle Caviar Russe Del Pezzo Restaurant Ellen's Stardust Diner Four Twenty Five Gabriel Kreuther Gallagher's Steakhouse Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant La Grenouille Iridium Jazz Club Le Jardinier King Cole Bar Kurumazushi Latin Quarter Lespinasse Marea Naro The Pool and the Grill Oceana The Original Soupman P. J. Clarke's Patsy's Le Pavillon Prime Burger The Quilted Giraffe Rainbow Room Restaurant Aquavit Rumpelmayer's Russian Tea Room Sardi's Satsuki Shun Lee Palace Stage Deli The Campbell
Museums/ cultural centers	Austrian Cultural Forum New York Girl Scout Museum and Archives John M. Mossman Lock Museum Korean Cultural Center New York Madame Tussauds New York Museum of Arts and Design Museum of Broadway Museum of Modern Art New York Transit Museum Paley Center for Media Rose Museum Spyscape
Stores	Argosy Book Store Gotham Book Mart
Clubhouses	American Fine Arts Society The Brook Century Association Cornell Club of New York Harvard Club of New York City New York Athletic Club New York City Bar Association New York Friars Club New York Yacht Club Penn Club of New York Racquet and Tennis Club University Club of New York Women's National Republican Club Yale Club of New York City
Clubhouses (former)	Princeton Club of New York
Green spaces	Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden Central Park Grand Army Plaza Greenacre Park Paley Park
Educational institutions	53rd Street Library Circle in the Square Theatre School CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies High School of Performing Arts Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers Saint Thomas Choir School SUNY College of Optometry
Art galleries	Galerie St. Etienne Rehs Galleries

Transportation

Subway stations	Fifth Avenue/53rd Street Fifth Avenue–59th Street Seventh Avenue 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 49th Street 50th Street 50th Street 57th Street–Seventh Avenue 57th Street 59th Street–Columbus Circle Grand Central–42nd Street Lexington Avenue/51st Street Lexington Avenue/59th Street Times Square–42nd Street
Railroad stations	Grand Central Madison Grand Central Terminal
Streets and intersections	Third Avenue Fifth Avenue Sixth Avenue Six and a Half Avenue Seventh Avenue Eighth Avenue 42nd 47th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 57th 59th Broadway Columbus Circle Duffy Square Grand Army Plaza George Abbott Way Lexington Avenue Madison Avenue Park Avenue Park Avenue Viaduct Pershing Square Shubert Alley Times Square Vanderbilt Avenue

Related topics
Billionaires' Row Little Brazil Midtown South Minnesota Strip

See also: Manhattan Community Board 5

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