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About 31 East 79th Street
This distinguished, brown-brick, 15-story apartment house was built in two parts. The first section, at the Madison Avenue corner, was erected in 1925 and an extension to the west three years later. The two parts are almost seamless, although the cornice line along 79th Street shows the difference.
The building, which is distinguished by a very attractive, rooftop watertank enclosure, was converted to a cooperative in 1946. It has only 19 apartments.
Designed by William H. Rowan, it has a three-story limestone base with a half story gray granite bottom and large lanterns flanking its canopied entrance that has very attractive doors that lead to a small lobby. The building has inconsistent fenestration and no sidewalk landscaping and permits protruding air-conditioners.
It has many good views of Central Park because the block across 79th Street is low-rise.
The building's location is convenient to the Metropolitan Museum to the north and the Whitney Museum of American Art to the south and there are many boutiques and restaurants nearby. There is good cross-town bus service, but also considerable traffic at this location, and the nearest subway station is not too far away at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue near Lenox Hill Hospital.
Carter B. Horsley
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