The Century at 25 Central Park West

Can you name the four twin-towers of Central Park West?  Beginning from the North, they are the Eldorado at 90th-91st Street, the San Remo at 74th-75th, the Majestic at 71st-72nd and the Century at 62nd-63rd.. These hi-rise towers, built between 1929 and 1931, transformed the skyline of the Upper West Side by more than doubling the height of all the existing buildings. They came about as a result of the Multiple Dwelling Law passed by the New York State Legislature in 1929. This law mandated an increase in yard and court area, but allowed residential buildings to rise higher than before, legalizing setbacks and towers that could span up to three times the width of the street on plots over 25,000 square feet. The last of these four buildings to be erected was the Century, constructed by the Chanin Construction Company, one of NYC’s leading builders and pioneers in the design of Art Deco buildings in America.

25 Central Park West Entrance

Irwin S. Chanin graduated from Cooper Union in 1915 with a degree in Civil Engineering and began his career as a builder and developer with his brother, Henry. Some of their early notable buildings include: the Fur Center Building (1924), the Chanin Building (1927) and the Lincoln Plaza Hotel (1928 - now Row NYC Hotel), all located in midtown Manhattan. They were also very prolific in the development of theatres. Beginning in 1925, they hired architect, Herbert Krapp, to design six Broadway locations, the 46th Street (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), the Biltmore (now the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre), the Mansfield (now the Brooks Atkinson), the Masque (now the John Golden Theatre), the Royale (now the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) and the Majestic Theatre. They also built several movie theaters including the Beacon Theater on Broadway and 74th Street which was restored in 2009 and is now one of New York’s leading live music venues currently under the management of Madison Square Garden.

In 1929, the Chanin Construction Company purchased the entire city block bounded by Broadway, Central Park West, West 62nd and West 63rd Street. The site included the Century Theatre (1909) on Central Park West, Daly’s Theatre on 63rd Street and an apartment house and two garages on Broadway. As part of the agreement to acquire the Century Theater, which was then owned by the Schubert Organization, the Chanins were forced to sell them their interests in the Royale, the Masque and the Majestic Theatres.

The Century Theater

The Century Theater being demolished

The original plan to build a 65-story skyscraper quickly fell apart and it was decided that a second Art Deco inspired twin-tower building would join the Chanin’s Majestic, already being constructing several blocks to the north. By this time, Irwin Chanin had become a registered architect and worked on the design of both of these buildings. Although at first glance, the exteriors are fairly similar, he considered the Century to be a finer work, with the addition of more complex ornamental crowns on the towers and improvements to the design of the façade and windows. One of the other notable differences was the Century’s heavy concentration of smaller apartments, as larger units were becoming difficult to rent due to the Depression. Over the years, the building had its fair share of famous tenants including Ethel Merman, Jack Dempsey, Robert Goulet, Joey Heatherton and Nanette Fabray.

The Century Towers

The Majestic Towers

After a long and contentious battle, the Century successfully converted to a condominium in 1989. To this day, it is one of only three condos on Central Park West south of 88th Street, the others are 15 Central Park West and Trump International at 1 CPW. Some of the apartments have spectacular views of Central Park and many retain their original pre-war details and special features like sunken drawing rooms with fireplaces, duplex suites, creak-proof walnut and select hardwood floors and luxurious bathrooms with stand-alone showers. Irwin Chanin lived in the Century until his death in 1988 at the age of 96.
The Century was designated a landmark by the Landmark Preservation Commission in 1985.

View of Central Park West Looking North

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Former Horn & Hardart Automat - Broadway and 104th St

If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting an Automat, you will appreciate this little slice of Horn and Hardart history. In 1902, Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened their first Horn and Hardart in Philadelphia, but it was not until 1912 that they got around to opening one in New York City. The first location, known as the centerpiece, was located at 1557 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Street, in the heart of Times Square. The idea quickly took hold and by 1922, they had added another 20 locations. The automats were known for their sleek art deco décor and reliable quality. The food was reasonably priced and was available for purchase from a glass and chrome coin operated dispenser. The chain appealed to a wide variety of clientele and remained profitable, even during the depression. Competition came and went, from businesses such as Chock Full O’Nuts, Nedicks, Longchamps, Schrafft’s, Child’s, Strewart’s and Bickford’s, but the Horn and Hardart’s chain kept on growing, reaching top earnings in 1958.

Art Deco Detail

The business  no longer exists as the last remaining location at 200 East 42nd Street on the corner of Third Avenue closed in 1991, But one former Upper West Side location, a 3 story, limestone clad art deco building designed by F.P. Platt Bros in 1930 can still be found on Broadway and 104th Street. It was known as the Horn & Hardart Automat-Cafeteria building until the restaurant closed in 1953.  Many businesses have since operated there, currently a City MD is leasing the ground floor. But look up to the third floor and you will still find some original notable details, such as the glazed polychrome Art Deco style terra-cotta panels that feature stylized floral motifs and zig zag patterns in hues of green, blue, tan and gold. The building was designated a city landmark in 2007.

The Building now as a City MD location

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The Sun Always Shines on 55 Central Park West

Bathed in sunlight, even on a dark and dreary day, that’s the illusion created by the color graded brick work of 55 Central Park West. Color was a tool increasingly used in the new modern designs of the 1920’s and the rich shades of purple brick which gradually change over to yellow-white give this building’s façade this unique distinction.  This era brought the Art Deco movement and architects were already beginning to adopt the style in the design of office buildings, but several were also embracing it in their residential buildings as well. Schwartz and Gross filed their plans for 55 Central Park West in 1929. They were already working on another Art Deco beauty on the Avenue, located at 336 CPW and 93rd Street. In the coming years, Central Park West would become a display case for the movement. The IND subway line, which would soon open on Central Park West would help to bring a new surge of construction to the neighborhood.

Standing 19 stories high with bold fluted decorative features and multiple upper floor setbacks, apartment sizes range from three to nine rooms, all containing the innovation of a sunken living room. 55 Central Park West was included in the Central Park West Historic District in 1990. It earned the nickname of “The Ghostbusters Building” after the exteriors were used in the filming of movie in 1984.

http://www.scoutingny.com/new-york-youve-changed-ghostbusters-part-1/

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Pamela Ajhar