200 Central Park South is a Modern-style building on the south side of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

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, at the corner of 7th Avenue and

Central Park South 59th Street is a crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from York Avenue and Sutton Place on the East Side of Manhattan to the West Side Highway on the West Side. The three-block portion between Columbus Circle an ...

( 59th Street). It is most notable for its curving facade, banded by balconies. Its exterior is beige brick and glass. It is across from a major pedestrian and vehicle entrance into Central Park, known as the "Merchant's Gate". This full service building was completed in 1963 by Bernard Spitzer and Melvin Lipman. It was designed by Wechsler & Schimenti.

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. 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

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feel. The base rises 21 stories, while its tower is set back, and brings it up 14 more floors. 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.
with photo showing Central Park-facing facade In 2016, it is rated as the #2 co-op building in Midtown, and #13 in Manhattan, according to CityRealty., with photo centered on the curve, showing both flanks The building’s design was explained by

Robert A. M. Stern Robert Arthur Morton Stern, usually credited as Robert A. M. Stern (born May 23, 1939), is a New York City–based architect, educator, and author. He is the founding partner of the architecture firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, also known a ...

, Thomas Mellins and David Fishman in their book, ''New York 1960'' as "a kind of aggressive, self-referential

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

that had hitherto been largely absent from Manhattan." Horsley asserts it resembles the

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(1954), in Miami, designed by

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. The building sits across Seventh Avenue from the

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, to the east. It is also near

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to the southeast, the

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to the south, and 220 Central Park South to the west.

Residents

Residents have included: *

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* Bernard Spitzer * Bill Bradley *

Elizabeth Ray Elizabeth Ray (born Betty Lou Ray on May 14, 1943, in Marshall, North Carolina) was the central figure in a much-publicized sex scandal in 1976 that ended the career of U.S. Rep. Wayne Hays (D-Ohio). ''The Washington Post'' reported that Ray had ...

References

Notes

Citations

{{Coord, 40.766736, -73.979887, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Apartment buildings in New York City Residential buildings completed in 1965 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan) Midtown Manhattan Residential buildings in Manhattan 59th Street (Manhattan)