The Art Students League of New York Building (also the American Fine Arts Society and 215 West 57th Street) is a building on 57th Street in

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The structure, designed by

Henry Janeway Hardenbergh Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (February 6, 1847 – March 13, 1918) was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper." Life and career Hardenbergh was born in ...

in the

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define th ...

style, was completed in December 1892 and serves as the headquarters of the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

. The building was developed by the American Fine Arts Society (AFAS), formed in 1889 by five organizations including the Art Students League, the

Society of American Artists The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative. The group began meeting in 1874 at the home of ...

, and the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

. The Art Students League Building is five stories tall. Its primary facade along 57th Street is clad with limestone and contains ornate decoration. The rear is clad with brick faces 58th Street and is more simple in design. The building's interior contains meeting, classroom, and gallery space for the Art Students League; the space was previously divided among the AFAS's constituent organizations. The Art Students League Building has been modified several times throughout its history, and it was repaired following major fires in 1901 and 1920. The building was used exclusively by the Art Students League by 1941, with the other organizations having moved out during the early 20th century. The Art Students League Building was designated a

New York City Landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1968 and added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. The building was renovated in 2003 and part of the adjacent

Central Park Tower Central Park Tower is a residential supertall skyscraper at 225 West 57th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, along Billionaires' Row. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the building rises with 9 ...

was constructed above it in the late 2010s.

Site

The Art Students League of New York Building is at 215 West 57th Street in the

neighborhood of

, just south 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 ...

, between Seventh Avenue to the east and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

to the west. The building faces 57th Street to the south and 58th Street to the north. The rectangular site covers , with a

frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...

or lot-line length of on 57th and 58th Streets and a depth of between the two streets. The Art Students League Building shares the

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...

with

the Osborne The Osborne, also known as the Osborne Apartments or 205 West 57th Street, is an apartment building at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The Osborne was originally designed by James Edward Ware and constr ...

apartment building to the east, the

and

5 Columbus Circle 5 Columbus Circle (also known as 1790 Broadway and formerly known as the United States Rubber Company Building) is an office building on the southeast corner of Broadway and 58th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, j ...

to the west, and the

Saint Thomas Choir School Saint Thomas Choir School is a church-affiliated boarding choir school in Manhattan, New York, founded in 1919. The school is supported by the nearby Saint Thomas Church, an Episcopal church, continuing the Anglican tradition of all-male choral ...

to the north. It also faces

224 West 57th Street 224 West 57th Street, also known as the Argonaut Building and formerly as the Demarest and Peerless Company Building, is a commercial building on the southeast corner of Broadway and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, just sout ...

to the southwest;

218 West 57th Street 218 West 57th Street (formerly known as the Society House of the American Society of Civil Engineers or the ASCE Society House) is a building on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz in the ...

(the former Society House of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

) and

888 Seventh Avenue 888 Seventh Avenue is a 628 ft (191m) tall modern-style office skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan which was completed in 1969 and has 46 floors. Emery Roth & Sons designed the building. 888 Seventh Avenue is "L"-shaped in plan, with wings ext ...

to the southeast; the

Rodin Studios The Rodin Studios, also known as 200 West 57th Street, is an office building at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by Cass Gilbert in the French Gothic style and built from 1916 to 1917. Name ...

and

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

to the southeast; and

200 __NOTOC__ Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 '' Ab ur ...

and

220 Central Park South 220 Central Park South is a residential skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, situated along Billionaires' Row on the south side of Central Park South between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. 220 Central Park South was designed by Rob ...

to the north. The Art Students League Building is part of an artistic hub that developed around the two blocks of West 57th Street from

Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue – also known as Avenue of the Americas, although this name is seldom used by New Yorkers, p.24 – is a major thoroughfare in New York City's borough of Manhattan, on which traffic runs northbound, or "uptown". It is commercial ...

west to

during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The hub was developed following the opening of Carnegie Hall in 1891. The area contains several buildings constructed as residences for artists and musicians, such as 130 and

140 West 57th Street 140 West 57th Street, also known as The Beaufort, is an office building on 57th Street between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It was built from 1907 to 1909 and designed by Pollard and Steinam, who al ...

, the Rodin Studios, and the Osborne Apartments. In addition, the area contained the headquarters of organizations such as the American Fine Arts Society, the

Lotos Club The Lotos Club was founded in 1870 as a gentlemen's club in New York City; it has since also admitted women as members. Its founders were primarily a young group of writers and critics. Mark Twain, an early member, called it the "Ace of Clubs". ...

, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Architecture

The Art Students League Building at 215 West 57th Street was designed by

in the

style. The structure was built for the American Fine Arts Society (AFAS), which was composed of the

, the

, and the

. Contemporary sources describe the design as being "of the epoch of

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

". The building is five stories tall, although the 57th Street facade rises four stories and the 58th Street facade is three stories. A light court divides the wings on 57th and 58th Street. The building is topped by a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

made of clay tiles.

Facade

The facade on 57th Street is made of limestone. A small

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

runs above the ground story, while horizontal band courses run above the second and third stories. The main entrance is an ornate archway at the center of the ground story, which is flanked with stone

baluster A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...

s resembling candelabras. Three rectangular windows run along a sill on either side of the main entrance. At the second story, the three center windows are ornately decorated arches flanked by sculpted

colonette A colonnette is a small slender column, usually decorative, which supports a beam or lintel. Colonettes have also been used to refer to a feature of furnishings such as a dressing table and case clock, and even studied by archeologists in Roman ce ...

s, while the two outer windows are small rectangular openings with ornate

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. At the third story, the three center windows contain stone

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

and

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

bars, while the two outer windows are small rectangular windows with gables. There are three plaques in the band course directly above the center window openings, with the words "Painting", "Architecture", and "Sculpture". A large cornice and a balustrade run above the third-story band course. The Art Students League Building is set back from the 58th Street sidewalk. At ground level, there are slanted skylights between the 58th Street facade and the sidewalk, with a wrought-iron fence running along the sidewalk. The ground story of the 58th Street facade is made of

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional ...

-colored brick. There are entrance arches with ornate square porches on the extreme ends of this facade. The second and third stories are constructed in dark brick and contain blind double-height arches filled in with brick. The third story of the 58th Street facade is topped by a buff brick cornice with a

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...

Interior

The entrance foyer has mosaic-tile floors, decorative oak-wood elements,

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can ...

moldings, and transom windows with stained glass. As designed, the ground story was bisected by a hallway wide. There was space for the Society of American Architects to the right of the hallway, while the Art Students League and a staircase and elevator were to the left of the hallway. The Architectural League occupied the second floor, with a 100-seat lecture room, an art library, and a reading and committee room. The Art Students League used the rear of the second and third floor as classrooms, while the front portion of the third floor was used by the Art Students League's library and meeting room. The fourth story contained studios for the Art Students League, which were lit only by skylights. The fourth story was brightly lit by sunlight from the north, for the benefit of the artists working there, a consideration that impacted the selection of the AFAS building's site. The basement contained a supper room and the sculpture department. In the rear of the first floor was the Vanderbilt Gallery, a two-story annex built on a site, with a skylighted gallery based on the

Georges Petit Georges Petit (11 March 1856 – 12 May 1920) was a French art dealer, a key figure in the Paris art world and an important promoter and cultivator of Impressionist artists. Early career Petit was the son of François Petit, who founded the f ...

Gallery in Paris. As of 2018, an art-supply store occupies part of the ground floor. There is a fireplace with a large mantel in the second-floor gallery, which was created in the former lecture room space after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The interior also contains two "half-floors" above the second and fourth stories. Many of the classrooms retain old furniture and designs from the early and mid-20th century. ''The New York Times'' wrote in 2014 that "Late-20th-century technology is not present, to say nothing of early 21st-century gadgets." The interior spaces are designed to accommodate the

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...

system that the Art Students League uses for its classes, in which teachers devise their own curriculums.

History

Founding and construction

Art Students League 215 West 57th Street

The American Fine Arts Society was incorporated in June 1889 by

Howard Russell Butler Howard Russell Butler (March 3, 1856 – May 20, 1934) was an American painter and founder of the American Fine Arts Society. Butler persuaded Andrew Carnegie to fund the construction of Carnegie Lake near Princeton University, supervised the con ...

, Louis C. Tiffany, Daniel C. French,

Henry J. Hardenbergh Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (February 6, 1847 – March 13, 1918) was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper." Life and career Hardenbergh was born in ...

Edward H. Kendall Edward Hale Kendall (July 30, 1842 – March 10, 1901) was an American architect with a practice in New York City. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Kendall was one of the first generation of Americans to study in Paris; he apprenticed ...

, Frederic Crowninshield, Charles R. Lamb, Charles Broughton, Horace Bradley,

Edwin Blashfield Edwin Howland Blashfield (December 5, 1848October 12, 1936) was an American painter and muralist, most known for painting the murals on the dome of the Library of Congress Main Reading Room in Washington, DC. Biography Blashfield was born in ...

, Francis Jones, Chester Loomis, and J. Harrison Mills. The AFAS had been founded specifically to construct a building for the joint use of the artistic societies under its purview, and the idea for the building had been proposed specifically by Butler. The building had a construction budget of $200,000 (), to be funded through the sale of $50,000 in capital stock and the issuance of bonds. Some $20,000 in stock was to be raised through the Life Fellowship Fund, in which donors who contributed over $100 () could be made "life fellows" of the AFAS. The AFAS's officers initially anticipated constructing the building on a lot along 43rd Street. By October 1889, over two hundred life fellowships had been distributed. The AFAS purchased several lots on 57th Street, just west of Seventh Avenue, in May 1890. Upon acquiring the land, the AFAS commenced an

architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel o ...

for the building's design. The entries for the competition included two from

Wilson Eyre Wilson Eyre, Jr. (October 30, 1858 – October 23, 1944) was an American architect, teacher and writer who practiced in the Philadelphia area. He is known for his deliberately informal and welcoming country houses, and for being an innovator in ...

, as well as those from H. Langford WarrenNamesake of the H. Langford Warren House in Massachusetts and

Babb, Cook & Willard Babb, Cook & Willard was a New York City-based architectural firm established in 1884 that designed many important houses and commercial buildings. The principals of the firm were George Fletcher Babb (1836–1915), Walter Cook (1843–1916), ...

. Although the original deadline for the plans was September 1890, the jury members could not agree on finalist candidates and

William Morris Hunt William Morris Hunt (March 31, 1824September 8, 1879) was an American painter. Born into the political Hunt family of Vermont, he trained in Paris with the realist Jean-François Millet and studied under him at the Barbizon artists’ colony, bef ...

joined the jury to break the impasse. The competition was narrowed to three finalists in November, and a tribunal selected Hardenbergh as architect the next month, along with Walter C. Hunting and John C. Jacobsen. At the time, the rear section facing 58th Street was planned to be built later. Art collector

George Washington Vanderbilt II George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He commission ...

, one of several major donors to the building's gift fund, bought the plot behind the AFAS to build his private Vanderbilt Gallery. By May 1891, construction of the AFAS building's foundation had begun. The AFAS had nearly completed fundraising, but needed to raise $50,000 for a gift fund for the building's maintenance. To fund construction, Vanderbilt agreed to extend the AFAS a $100,000 loan. Foundation work did not begin until that November. The

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

of the AFAS building was laid on February 8, 1892, with a celebration held at Carnegie Hall. The AFAS building was nearly completed by October, when members of the AFAS's constituent organizations began moving in. The building officially opened on December 3, 1892. Three weeks after the building's opening, Vanderbilt gifted the AFAS his private gallery, which had cost $100,000; this effectively forgave Vanderbilt's loan to the AFAS. The Vanderbilt Gallery opened on February 13, 1893. Butler said of the gallery, "No gift ever did so much for the art of this community."

1890s through 1930s

According to architectural writer

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 ...

, the AFAS quickly "became the scene of virtually every important exhibition of art and architecture held in the city" during New York's "Composite Era", spanning from 1890 to 1915. During the building's first full year of operation in 1893, it held two loan exhibitions: a set of bronzes created by

Antoine-Louis Barye Antoine-Louis Barye (24 September 179525 June 1875) was a Romantic French sculptor most famous for his work as an ''animalier'', a sculptor of animals. His son and student was the known sculptor Alfred Barye. Biography Born in Paris, France, Ba ...

, and Louis R. Ehrich's collection of paintings from old Dutch and Flemish painters. The next year, the AFAS hosted several exhibitions, including a show featuring pictures sent to the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

from Sweden, Norway, and Holland, as well as a collection of

George Inness George Inness (May 1, 1825 – August 3, 1894) was a prominent United States, American landscape painting, landscape painter. Now recognized as one of the most influential American artists of the nineteenth century, Inness was influenced b ...

paintings. The building was so popular that the Art Students League had to rent alternate spaces. The AFAS was classified as a

tax exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

organization in 1895. Other exhibitions in the building's first two decades included a show of Japanese paintings and color prints in 1896, the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

's 75th-anniversary exhibition in 1889–1900, and a comparative exhibit of 200 works from American and European artists in 1904. The Art Students League took up the most space at the AFAS building and became the most closely associated with the structure. The original roof, made of red tile, was destroyed in May 1901 when decorations for a costume dance caught fire on the fourth floor. The Art Students League moved its classes to the first floor while the roof was being repaired. Christian Buchheit was hired in 1905 as the building's superintendent, a role in which he served until 1971, overseeing much of the building's maintenance, including the construction of a staircase. The Art Students League subsequently made him an honorary member, the first non-artist to receive that award. In 1906, the Society of American Artists' first-floor space was given to the

after their merger. The next year, a "Second Gallery" was created by merging the Central, East, and West galleries. The National Academy of Design contemplated constructing an annex to the AFAS building in 1913, after it unsuccessfully proposed an art exhibition palace in the nearby Central Park. On January 30, 1920, the AFAS building was severely damaged by a fire and the original Vanderbilt Gallery was destroyed. The loss was estimated at $1 million, of which half was the cost of the destroyed art. Despite this, the AFAS was able to repair the building and the rebuilt galleries opened in March 1921. During the following two years, as a result of the widening of 57th Street, the AFAS rebuilt the building's main entrance and the adjoining sidewalk and erected a new underground boiler room. By 1925, the building housed the headquarters of several artistic organizations in addition to the Architectural League, Art Students League, and National Academy of Design. The Architectural League moved to a new clubhouse at 115 East 40th Street in December 1927, although it retained shares in the AFAS. Events held at the AFAS building in the 1920s and 1930s included

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

president Robert W. DeForest's 80th-birthday celebration in 1928, and an exhibition of 351 prints from the Oval Table Society in 1936;

1940s through 1990s

The National Academy of Design moved to a new headquarters at 1083 Fifth Avenue in December 1941. The Art Students League bought out the other organizations' stakes shortly afterward, becoming the building's sole occupant. The Architectural League sued the Art Students League and National Academy of Design in early 1942, alleging that the two organizations had defrauded the AFAS when the National Academy had sold its stock to the Art Students League at a greatly reduced value. The Art Students League, colloquially called "the League" by then, narrowly avoided closing in 1943, in the midst of decreased enrollment to

. Upon the war's end, the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

enabled returning veterans to attend classes at the League. One of the building's last exhibitions was an exhibit of soldiers' art in April 1945, and the Vanderbilt Gallery was converted into studios shortly afterward to accommodate the number of new students. The second-floor lecture room became a private gallery for the League. The Art Students League continued to perform renovations, installing its name in brass letters over the building's entrance in 1950. The same year, the League held fundraisers to pay for an addition to the building. The work would cost $500,000 and would add a fifth floor, alleviating crowding in its classrooms and studios, which were described by former League president

John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight. He is best known ...

as "bursting at the seams". At the end of that decade, the Art Students League replaced its ornamental iron stairway with two elevators and merged two studios on the fifth floor. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

designated the Art Students League Building as a New York City landmark on December 10, 1968, and the building was added to the

on May 6, 1980. The Art Students League created a fund for building renovations and improvements in 1974 and restored the building's rear entrances in 1983. The Russell and Janet Doubleday Fund, as well as the Gladys & Roland Harriman Foundation, donated extra money to the building fund in 1987. The League discovered sixty paintings in the basement in 1994, which had been created between 1891 and 1914 as "faux masterpieces" parodying popular artists' works; the paintings had not been touched in eight decades. When the League removed asbestos from the building during 1996, its summer classes were moved to Carnegie Hall.

21st century

The American Fine Arts Society now The ArtStudents League of New York

In early 2003, the Art Students League started a three-phase renovation of its building. The renovations were designed by Kossar & Garry Architects and included the renovation of structural and mechanical systems, the restoration of the Vanderbilt Gallery, and the construction of new gallery space in the middle of the building site. The structural and mechanical renovations were finished by the end of 2003. Also during the renovation, the building was cleared out and the basement's sculpture department was expanded. The gallery on the second floor was named for Phyllis Harriman Mason. In early 2006, the Art Students League sold of development rights above 215 West 57th Street to the

Extell Development Company Extell Development Company is an American real estate developer of residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, and mixed-use properties. Founded in 1989 by Gary Barnett, the company’s portfolio exceeds 20 million square feet. The company has ...

, which paid $23.1 million. Extell paid the Art Students League $31.8 million in exchange for another of air rights in 2013. The air rights sales increased the maximum possible floor area for Extell's

, which contains a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

projecting over the Art Students League Building's lot, starting about above ground. According to Art Students League leadership, the air rights sale was a one-time opportunity that would enable the League to expand and renovate its building. The approval of the cantilever above the Art Students League Building was controversial. Although

Manhattan Community Board 5 Manhattan Community Board 5 is a New York City community board, part of the local government apparatus of the city, with the responsibility for the neighborhoods of Midtown, Times Square, most of the Theater District, the Diamond District, the ...

voted against allowing the cantilever in an advisory vote in October 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the air rights sale and cantilever several weeks later. In February 2014, Art Students League members voted 1,342–227 in favor of the deal. A subsequent lawsuit from over 100 League members against Extell and the League's leadership, attempting to stop the air rights sale, was dismissed in mid-2014. Three hundred League members sued the League's leadership in January 2016, claiming that if abstentions from the vote were counted as "no" votes, the tally should have been 2,603–1,342 against the air rights sale. The second lawsuit was dismissed through

summary judgment In law, a summary judgment (also judgment as a matter of law or summary disposition) is a judgment entered by a court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes ...

, and an appeals court upheld the decision in March 2016, when the tower's construction was already underway. A temporary construction shed was erected around the Art Students League Building during the tower's construction. In 2018, the Art Students League held a "house party" in the building, marking the first time in 75 years that the building had been opened to the general public. The construction shed remained until 2021, when work on Central Park Tower was completed.

Critical reception

The design of the Art Students League building was initially not well received; one critic said that the facade was "commonplace…and quite unattractive". Architect H. Langford Warren wrote in 1893 that the Art Students League Building was a "charming building which we are glad to see in the dreary streets of New York", despite the fact that the facade was almost identical in design to Francis I's hunting lodge on Paris's

Cours-la-Reine The Cours-la-Reine, also spelled Cours la Reine (without hyphens), is a public park and garden promenade located along the River Seine, between the Place de la Concorde and the Place du Canada, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondisseme ...

. After the building was completed, it quickly became an established architectural feature on 57th Street. In 1897, the ''Real Estate Record and Guide'' lauded the American Society of Civil Engineers' Society House, across the street at 220 West 57th Street, for complementing the American Fine Arts Society. Hardenbergh, in a 1906 interview, characterized the design as "a work of love". ''The New York Times'', a century later, called the facade "a perfect ornamental fit" to the Art Students League.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * {{Authority control 1892 establishments in New York (state) 57th Street (Manhattan) * Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan French Renaissance architecture Henry Janeway Hardenbergh buildings Midtown Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Renaissance Revival architecture in New York City School buildings completed in 1892 Schools in Manhattan