The Prasada at 50 Central Park West - Then and Now

I recently came across a wonderful panoramic photo taken in 1907 of Columbus Circle looking uptown to the Upper West Side. In comparison to today, the entire neighborhood looks almost completely unrecognizable, with the exception of the Columbus Monument (1892) and The Ansonia Hotel in the distance (completed in 1904). I decided to enlarge the photo to get a closer look at the buildings on Central Park West that run up to the mid 60’s. I was amazed to find one building that still stands today; the Ethical Culture School, built in 1902. Under closer inspection, I realized there was a second building, the Prasada, on West 65th. I almost missed it since over the years the façade of the building has been altered quite a bit.

Ethical Culture School with the Prasada in the background

Developer, Samuel B. Haines, commissioned architect Charles Crowning to design the 12-story luxury apartment building. To meet the high expectations of the wealthy clientele and help lure them to the neighborhood, it was necessary to offer state-of-the-art apartment amenities, spacious floor plans and exceptional views of Central Park. Residents were greeted by an impressive portico entrance with four distinctive two-story banded columns and a beautiful lobby leading to a central open court enclosed by a stained glass paneled skylight. The exterior of the building, a combination of brick, limestone and terra cotta with embellishments of Beaux-Art ornamentation was crowned with a distinctive two-story-high mansard roof. The Prasada was completed in 1907. 

Images of The Prasada in 1907 and The Prasada Today

Shortly after completion, the building traded ownership several times. In 1919, two investors by the names of Penrhyn Stanlaws and Walter Russell purchased with the plan to reconstruct and transform the building “into a new type of apartment house which is practically a combination of club, hotel, and apartment evolved to meet modern conditions, such as the servant problem and high cost of rents.” Their ambitious plans were somewhat curtailed, but unfortunately they did succeed in removing the mansard roof and upper floor details, replacing it with plain brick. Furthermore, sometime in the 40’s, the stone balustrades on the fourth and tenth floors were removed and the iron railings outside each apartment window were stripped away.

The Prasada Today from Above

The building was converted to a cooperative in 1988. In 1999, the co-op undertook an extensive renovation project.  The firm of Ehrenkrantz Eckstut and Kuhn was hired to redesign the lobby; a new Beaux-Arts-style mix of columns and cornices illuminated by the original stain-glass skylight panels. Despite the changes over the years, The Prasada, located at 50 Central Park West is still considered one of the most preeminent addresses on the Upper West Side.

The Lobby Today and (below) the Front Entrance and Elevators Today

To read more about the Prasada, read these articles:
NY Times
Daytonian in Manhattan

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Pamela Ajhar

Same View as Top Image From Columbus Circle in 1932

Revson Fountain at Lincoln Center

The windows of our Brown Harris Stevens office, located directly across the street from Lincoln Center, offer a front row seat to the Josie Robertson Plaza. The Plaza, which is surrounded by the Metropolitan Opera House, David Geffen Hall (formerly known as Avery Fisher Hall) and the David Koch Theater (formerly the New York State Theater), is often referred to as the gateway to Lincoln Center. In the center of it all is the crown jewel, the Revson Fountain, completed and dedicated on April 6, 1964.

The view of Revson Fountain from Brown Harris Stevens West Side office

Lincoln Center, constructed in the 1960’s, was part of the “Lincoln Square Renewal Project” during Robert Moses’ program of urban renewal. The construction of the original Revson Fountain, designed by Philip Johnson, was made possible by a gift from the Revson Foundation in honor of Revlon’s founder, Charles H. Revson. When first built, it was the most technologically advanced fountain in New York. Over the years, the fountain has been immortalized in the scenes of countless films and television productions, including: The Producers (1968), Godspell (1973), Manhattan (1979), Ghostbusters (1984),  Moonstruck (1987),  Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Black Swan (2010).

In 2006, Diller Scofidio + Renfro took on the role of lead designers of a $1.3-billion Lincoln Center redevelopment project. The plan was to include improvements to the arts complex, the addition of two new restaurants, a roof garden, two groves, as well as work to several of the plaza’s entrances. The Charles H. Revson Foundation contributed to the project by awarding a $4 million multi-year grant in support of the redesign of the Fountain.

Dubai Fountain

Completed in 2009, Diller Scofidio’s design replaced Johnson’s bulkier granite base with a thin Cambrian black granite ring that rests on slender steel supports, opening up the view across the Plaza in all directions.  The water level of the fountain’s basin, lowered to match the pavement level, contributes to the illusion that spectators are standing on top of the water. WET Design (Water Entertainment Technologies), a Los Angeles based water features firm best known for designing some of the most famous modern fountains in the world including, the Dubai Fountain and the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, was brought on to completely redo the fountain’s innards. WET, led by co-founder Mark Fuller, designed water features controlled by 353 nozzles encompassing 36 mIcroshooters, 149 smooth bore analog nozzles and 168 aerating analog nozzles, all working together to create a show of choreographed alternating, pulsing and continuously flowing streams of water that can shoot more than 40 feet high. The water shows are on a set schedule that vary from season to season. Visit: http://www.lincolncenter.org/visit for a current schedule.

Bellagio Fountain

For more information about the renovation and the fountain’s architect, read the article “Water Music” by John Seabrook in the January 11, 2010 issue of the New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/01/11/water-music-2

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Pamela Ajhar

Linda's Lawn in Riverside Park South

This weekend marks the 123rd year Labor Day will be celebrated in the United States. It became an official federal holiday in 1894, honoring the social and economic contributions of American workers. One such public servant who worked tirelessly for the people of New York City was urban planner and activist, Linda Stone Davidoff (1941-2003). During her 40 years of advocacy, she headed several non-profit organizations, including The Parks Council, The New York League of Conservation Voters, Citizen Action of New York and Citizens Union and Citizens Union Foundation. She was also instrumental in the development of Riverside Park South. In recognition of those efforts, Linda’s Lawn, which runs along Riverside Park South from 65th to 68th Street was named in her honor in 2004.

Beginning in 1991, she led a coalition that worked to create a plan for the utilization of 27 acres of Hudson River waterfront property which was formerly used by several Railroad Companies. Running from 72nd Street down to 57th Street, and connecting to the northern portion of Riverside Park, this multi-phase project came to be known as Riverside Park South. In November 1998, the first phase began with a 7 acre section from 72nd to 68th Street. The fourth phase and most recent was completed in 2007, linking 62nd to 57th Street. Riverside Park South is a beautiful urban landscape with winding trails, river piers, lush plantings, weeping willow trees, remnants from the days of the railroad and a really interesting Arts Students League installation that is up until May 2017.

New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge
National Register of Historic Places 2003

If you are celebrating Labor Day weekend this year in the city, stop by Linda’s Lawn and remember to pay tribute to a woman who loved this city and worked hard to help make it a great place to live. 

Inscription on Sculpture: Our Lives Begin to End The Day We Become Silent About the Things That Matter. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

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Pamela Ajhar